This is the story - from a talk given by James E. Faust, “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 18
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Some years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley told “something of a parable” about “a one-room schoolhouse in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no teacher had been able to handle them.
“Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school, the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the rules. The class came up with ten rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the teacher asked, ‘What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’
“ ‘Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,’ came the response.
“A day or so later, the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old.
“As little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. ‘Take your coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’
“The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As the teacher hesitated with the rod, big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take the boy’s licking.
“ ‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?’ the teacher asked.
“After five strokes across Tom’s back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. ‘Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!’ ”
President Hinckley then quoted Isaiah:
“ ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. …
“ ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our [sins].’ ” (Isa. 53:4–5.)
No man knows the full weight of what our Savior bore. His [deep] suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He took upon Himself all the sins of all other mortals, caused Him “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18).
The Atonement and the Resurrection accomplish many things. The Atonement cleanses us of sin on condition of our repentance. Christ’s resurrection gave us the assurance of life after death.
Our Redeemer took upon Himself all the sins, pains, and sicknesses of all who have ever lived and will ever live (see Alma 7:11–12). He knows our trials by firsthand experience.
Because the Savior has suffered anything and everything that we could ever feel or experience, He can help the weak to become stronger. He understands our pain and will walk with us even in our darkest hours.
We long for the ultimate blessing of the Atonement—to become one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love (see Alma 26:15; Morm. 5:11; Morm. 6:17; Moses 7:63).
(See Ensign, November 2001, pages 18–20.)[/b]
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Dr. T as to your question about the Atonement taking place in the Garden of Gethsemane - this is from our Bible Dictionary
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BIBLE DICTIONARY
Atonement
The word describes the setting “at one” of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin. From the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ, true believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ, and were done by faith in him (Moses 5: 5-8).
Jesus Christ, as the Only Begotten Son of God and the only sinless person to live on this earth, was the only one capable of making an atonement for mankind. By his selection and foreordination in the Grand Council before the world was formed, his divine Sonship, his sinless life, the shedding of his blood in the garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection from the grave, he made a perfect atonement for all mankind. All are covered unconditionally as pertaining to the fall of Adam. Hence, all shall rise from the dead with immortal bodies, because of Jesus’ atonement. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15: 22), and all little children are innocent at birth. The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel. The services of the Day of Atonement foreshadowed the atoning work of Christ (Lev. 4; Lev. 23: 26-32; Heb. 9). The scriptures point out that no law, ordinance, or sacrifice would be satisfactory if it were not for the atonement of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10: 1-9; 2 Ne. 9: 5-24; Mosiah 13: 27-32).
Sin is lawlessness (1 Jn. 3: 4); it is a refusal on men’s part to submit to the law of God (Rom. 8: 7). By transgression man loses control over his own will and becomes the slave of sin (Rom. 7: 14), and so incurs the penalty of spiritual death, which is alienation from God (Rom. 6: 23). The atonement of Jesus Christ redeems all mankind from the fall of Adam and causes all to be answerable for their own manner of life. This means of atonement is provided by the Father (John 3: 16-17), and is offered in the life and person of his Son, Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5: 19). [/b]
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The LDS are rather unique in that we stress what Christ went through in the Garden more than we do of his dying on the cross. There in the Garden He took upon Himself ALL of our sorrows, hurts, illness's, and sins so that we could bear them as they happened to us. By all I mean ALL of mankind, all that have been born to this earth and all that shall be born on this earth.
Think of a sorrow that brought you to your lowest - one that you felt was going to kill you with heartbreak. Because of Jesus Christ's suffering in the Garden, you were able to endure that sorrow. If you look back, you will see that you have grown, learned from that sorrow.
When I was 14 my Dad fell and hurt his back, for about a year the Dr's had him on pain meds. Cocaine actually. He underwent surgery to fuse two discs. It didn't work- and his pain was nearly unbearable. About a year later Dad went in and they severed some of the nerves leading to his right leg. This eased most of the pain and he was at least able to sleep for more than 1 hour at a stretch.
Then Dad's Dr passed away and his new young Dr informed Dad that he had been on Cocaine and he feared Dad might be addicted to it. Dad was, and he By Gosh was going to get off of it. He did it cold turkey. I will never forget that week. Dad went through withdrawl. I never really saw him, Mom wouldn't allow any of us kids upstairs - which meant we all had to sleep on the floor downstairs. The wailing and moaning that went on.
Mom and Grandma were worn thin, I had never seen Mom look so ghastly! She was exhausted and more than just a little bit worried about Dad making it and remaining alive.
He did - I really believe that all of our prayers got him through. I would go outside at night, and hug the trunk of the apple tree and sob and plead with God to get my Dad through this.
What my Dad went through isn't even one tot or tittle of the pain and suffering that Christ endured. Had Christ not suffered for my Dad - Daddy would have never been able to endure - he would have died! He would have died from the fall that hurt him.
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Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.[/b]
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