“In quiet, restrained, divine dignity he stood when they cast their spittle in his face. He remained composed. Not an angry word escaped his lips. They slapped his face and beat his body. Yet he stood resolute, unintimidated.” Spencer W. Kimball, “Jesus of Nazareth,” December 1980 Ensign. He who could command legions of angels, was praised by concourses of angels, was above the angels, was made below the angels and was strengthened by an angel-Matthew 26:53; Luke 22:43; Hebrews 1:4; 2:7, 9. He suffered disgrace to give us grace. He whose heart broke on the cross under the weight of our sins binds up our broken hearts and give us changed, new hearts-D&C 138:42; Hymn #172; Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26; Alma 19:33; Mosiah 5:2, 7.
He descended below all things. He condescended from His throne in the temple in heaven, His heavenly home, to be born on earth-His footstool-in a borrowed manger. He took upon Himself flesh and blood-Mosiah 7:2 so that we could receive His flesh, His name. “the Creator of heaven and earth “and all things that in them are” was, at least in His adult life, homeless” “Are We Not All Beggars?” Jeffrey R Holland, October 2014 General Conference-Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58 and then after His death He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He condescended a second time to live a sinless life and then descended below all things by taking upon Himself all sin. He who sat on the heavenly throne was sent to the worst world of all His creations-Moses 7:36 among the worst people on that world-2 Nephi 10:3. Through His self-exinanition we are exonerated and can receive exaltation.
The bread of life was hungry. The living waters was thirsty and was given vinegar to drink. Christ was from the tribe of Judah, a direct descendant of David, so without the Roman rule he would have been the king of the Jews. The Jews killed their King, their God, their Law Giver, their Creator and their potential spiritual father; again the irony. Just like only someone who has withstood all of temptation, as did Christ-Alma 7:11; Mosiah 3:7; D&C 20:22, is the only one who knows its power; only someone who is sinless and takes on all sin really understands sin’s effect on the spirit. The rest of us grope about in naivete and ignorance with temptation and are desensitized to the effects of sin. Think of the stark opposition and irony he suffered being the most sensitive to the Spirit, being the most worthy child of God, and then being made the most guilty and therefore the least worthy of the Spirit during the atonement-Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ, 118–19. He lived our lives and died for us so we could live like Him and with Him. He descended below all to allow and enable us to become His joint-heir!
The sinless judge of all was judged by sinful men. The only being heaven owed anything to paid the debt of all and for all. The King of kings, Lord of lords and Son of Righteousness-2 Nephi 26:9; 3 Nephi 25:2; Ether 9:22-took upon Himself the form of a servant-Philippians 2:7 and was made a slave for the slaves of sin. The laws of men unrighteously judged the righteous lawgiver. He who will judge the world “was judged of the world”-1 Nephi 11:32. The anointed healer was left with no aid. Similar to the idea that “though the title king of kings embraces all such things, it reaches far beyond them” Parry and McConkie Guide to Scriptural Symbols; Christ is the highest intelligence, not just the smartest, but “more intelligent than all the other intelligences combined. His intelligence is greater than that of the mass.”(Milton R. Hunter, Pearl of Great Price Commentary, 58 quoted in Kenneth W. Godfrey’s article “The History of Intelligence in Latter-day Saint Thought” in The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations from God, 216); John 3:31; Ephesians 1:21; 4:10; Abraham 3:19; Col. 1:16; 2:10. He suffered more pain than the combined suffering of all of God’s children-Marion G. Romney, Oct 1953 Conference.
Christ suffered the punishment of our sins and offers us forgiveness. Christ paid our debt and gives us salvation for free-2 Nephi. 2:4. David J. Stewart said, “Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay." The atoner suffered estrangement-Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34. The 2nd Comforter was left without comfort. The one who was most loyal suffered betrayal-Luke 22:48. He asked God to forgive those that were crucifying him. The lion was as a lamb to the slaughter-Revelation 5:5-6. The prince of peace suffered violence on both sides of the veil-hence he was in agony, agony in Greek means to be in a competition with an adversary; hence Satan sought to kill Christ-Smith, Words of Joseph Smith, 28; and it was prophesied that Satan would bruise Christ’s heel but Christ would crush Satan’s head-Genesis 3:15. The prince of peace destroyed enmity-Ephesians 2:15-16. He who had life in Himself gave up His life-John 5:26; Luke 23:46. The righteous judge suffered unrighteous judgment. The just suffered for the unjust-1 Peter 3:18. The fountain of all blessings was made a curse for us-Galatians 3:13. He drank the bitter cups of sin-Mosiah 27:29; Alma 36:18, 21 [and death]-D&C 42:47; Hebrews 2:9 without becoming bitter-Neal A. Maxwell “Irony: The Crust on the Bread of Adversity,” Ensign, November 1989. “The very foes who [slayed] Him have access to [His] grace.” Hymn #197, “O Savior, Thou Who Wearest A Crown.” The King of kings wore a crown of thorns. He who clothed the heavens was stripped of His raiment. He who holds the scepter in his hand and breaks the scepters of wicked rulers was scourged with 40 stripes-2 Nephi 24:5; D&C 106:6; Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15. Through His stripes we are healed-1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5. The light of the world plumbed the darkest abyss-Mosiah 27:29; Alma 26:3. He who was wrongfully accused is our advocate. He who had life in Himself feared death and was subject to death-John 5:26; Hebrews 2:15; Mosiah 15:7. He who was in agony of mind renews our minds and gives us His mind-1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 12:2. Truly he comprehends all things and is in all and through all things-D&C 88:6. Some people feel like no one understands them. Christ understands us better than we understand ourselves. The truth is no one understands Christ.
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