Our Savior's Sacrifice and Love

As we get closer and closer to Easter, I find myself thinking more about our Savior and His love for us.  One of my favorite conference talks ever given focuses on the Atonement of our Savior.  It was given by Bruce R. McConkie in 1985 and is entitled “The Purifying Power of Gethsame.” In this talk, Elder McConkie lays out a very detailed description of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. After hearing such a deeply moving account of our Savior’s final days on the earth, I cannot doubt the love He has for us. Elder McConkie relates:

"Two thousand years ago, outside Jerusalem’s walls, there was a pleasant garden spot, Gethsemane by name, where Jesus and his intimate friends were wont to retire for pondering and prayer.

This sacred spot, like Eden where Adam dwelt, like Sinai from whence Jehovah gave his laws, like Calvary where the Son of God gave his life a ransom for many, this holy ground is where the Sinless Son of the Everlasting Father took upon himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance.

We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him. We know he suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death. We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name.

We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink the bitter cup.

As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours.

After this—his body then wrenched and drained of strength—he confronted Judas and the other incarnate devils, some from the very Sanhedrin itself; and he was led away with a rope around his neck, as a common criminal, to be judged by the arch-criminals who as Jews sat in Aaron’s seat and who as Romans wielded Caesar’s power."

To visualize exactly what our Savior went through, to hear how much He suffered, and to feel the Spirit testify of these truths, I cannot doubt of His love for each of us. How could we doubt this with everything that he went through? I know our Savior loves us, and I know that His atoning sacrifice was for us. I hope that as we go about our crazy, busy lives, we will never forget that we are loved. And I hope that we also will never take the sacred experience of the Atonement for granted, but utilize it as we go through our trials, repentance, and hardships.