On Sacrifice, Suffering and Scouring

Not long ago, I found a letter I had written to my son Ben, who was serving a full-time mission in Ecuador.

I'm including some of it below.

April 23, 2017 
Yesterday morning at 8:00, our family, and a few other families, met at the church – to clean the building. None of us are church administrators or professional custodians. We were just doing what we were asked to do.

What kind of church expects its members to do that? To come to clean the building, bringing their children along with them, and perform this menial labor without any monetary compensation or reward?

The same church that expects its members to serve in callings, to pay one-tenth plus of their income, to set aside a couple of years or so to spread the gospel to all the world, to serve those in need regularly, and to attend three hours of meetings on Sunday and often a few more.

Today in Relief Society the lesson was from Elder Ballard's October 2016 conference talk, “To Whom Should We Go?” You might remember it; it's about how people get lost and leave the church. Here's a quote we discussed:

"Some disciples struggle to understand a specific Church policy or teaching. Others find concerns in our history or in the imperfections of some members and leaders, past and present. Still others fi

nd it difficult to live a religion that requires so much. Finally, some have become “weary in well-doing.”

The woman who was teaching the lesson joined the church when she was a teenager. She told us that in her previous church, you went to a meeting on Sunday and then you went home. And that was it.

I've been thinking about that. I think that kind of participation in a church can produce good people. But I'm not sure it can produce Saints, which is what we are shooting for. "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary to lead unto life and salvation." 

I was going to include just that brief line of that quote from Joseph Smith, but I read the whole thing – for the first time, I think – and I'm going to use it all. I know you don't have all day to read e-mails, but it's not that long.

“Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life.” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith 6:7)

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The incomprehensible suffering of Jesus Christ ended sacrifice by the shedding of blood, but it did not end the importance of sacrifice in the gospel plan. Our Savior requires us to continue to offer sacrifices, but the sacrifices He now commands are that we “offer for a sacrifice unto [Him] a broken heart and a contrite spirit” He also commands each of us to love and serve one another—in effect, to offer a small imitation of His own sacrifice by making sacrifices of our own time and selfish priorities.

Just as the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is at the center of the plan of salvation, we followers of Christ must make our own sacrifices to prepare for the destiny that plan provides for us. 

We are frequently asked, “How do you persuade your young people and your older members to leave their schooling or their retirement to sacrifice in this way?” I have heard many give this explanation: “Knowing what my Savior did for me—His grace in suffering for my sins and in overcoming death so I can live again—I feel privileged to make the small sacrifice I am asked to make in His service. I want to share the understanding He has given me.”  

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, April 2002 GC. 

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A young woman in our ward, as she spoke in Sacrament Meeting before leaving on her mission, told the congregation with emotion in her voice that she had struggled with her own weakness in making the decision.

Then she said, “I still don't know all the Savior's strength. But I know He has enough to give me the strength I need.” 

My own son, Joseph, who is nearing the end of his service as a missionary, had some struggles at first. This letter shows his honesty, his faith, and his subtle humor:

Missionary work is hard, not gonna lie. My companion keeps trying to make me do things I don't know how to do, really advanced missionary stuff like talking. At least if I didn't speak the language well I'd have an excuse not to do things.

We still haven't even met with most of our investigators, they're pretty hard to contact and it seems like some of them are avoiding us even. It can be really frustrating.

Sorry if it seems like I'm complaining. It's really not that bad. I have a lot to be grateful for. I'm actually not that stressed or homesick (which means it just hasn't hit me yet, probably) and my trainer says he was a lot worse his first couple weeks. I feel like I've been strengthened by God for sure. 

 

“If you have been to the temple for yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly,” he said. (President Thomas S. Monson, April 2011 General Conference

A story from my own life:
It was hard for me to find time to attend the temple while my children were young, but I managed to do it occasionally. Unfortunately, I sometimes felt like I needed to hurry through the session to get home and attend to my duties there.

On one such day, I sat in the chapel waiting for the session to begin. There were only a few people in the room, and I wondered if they could even do a session with so few. But just as it was time to move to the ordinance room, a man came in to join us. He seemed very old, and very frail. His temple clothes were yellow from age.

I am not proud about the feelings I had when I saw him. I became judgmental and annoyed, thinking that he might  slow the session down. I knew I was wrong to feel that way, and I tried to push the critical thoughts aside.

Toward the end of session, I found myself standing next to the frail old man, and I reached out to touch his hand. In that instant, my feelings toward him shifted dramatically. I knew that he was a much-loved son of God, a valiant soldier in the kingdom. I felt the Lord's love for him, and I was humbled by the privilege of standing with him in this sacred place. I will never forget those feelings.

It was only a few weeks later that I read a story about that man in the local newspaper. I learned that he had died, leaving this imperfect world and his worn-out mortal body behind. The article told the story of his long life of service, including in its account that in his later years, he had attended the Logan temple every day, from the time it opened until it closed. He had continued in that service almost until the last day of his life. 

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9 )

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Now, years later, it is again difficult for me to attend the temple. My poor vision and hearing, combined with my weakness and almost ever-present fatigue, make every visit to that sacred place a challenge.

One day, after a particularly troublesome session, I sunk into what can best be described as "whiny prayer," asking my Father in Heaven why He couldn't make this easier for me.

The answer came while I was on my way home, and it came very clearly: "Do you think you're the only person it's hard for? Is there no one worse off than you?"

But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses . . . 

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I found this Crock Pot at a thrift some years ago, and I took it to the checkout table with some concern.


I pointed out a big spot that was covered with black crusted burnt gunk.

"Oh, you can get that off. That's a great pot. You can scrub that burnt stain right out."

She was so confident that I could get it clean that I bought it and took it home for a good scrub. And the thrift store cashier was right – it was a great Crock Pot, and I did get the burned greasy gunk off it. 


Since then, I have found many items priced ridiculously low –because they were dirty and stained.
  
This solid surface cutting board appeared to be deeply stained, but the stains came out more easily than I expected. 

This cookie pan cost a dollar – but now that it's clean I think it's worth more.

Last Sunday, I sat next to a very lovely woman in Relief Society, We talked for a moment, and when the meeting ended I told her I liked her shoes, and I wondered how she kept them so white.

She told me that she'd bought the shoes at a thrift store, and they were really grungy. She had soaked them in a cleaning solution, and then rubbed them clean.



I was delighted by her story and asked her if I could take a picture of her shoes.

Just last month I bought this pot for two dollars. It's a nice pot, with a non-stick surface and a good lid.

But the bottom of the pot was burned black.

I knew this job would require a scouring pad.  

I found one under the kitchen sink and started scouring. Somewhere in the process, I remembered something a friend had said to me the day before: "Do you know what a scourge is?"

The similarity of the words scour and scourge suddenly struck me, and I left the pot and ran to the computer to see what I could learn about the words.

(This is the pot I was working on.
 You can see that I never quite finished scouring the bottom clean.)

I learned that the words scour and scourge are sometimes used interchangeably, and that that the word scour comes from the Middle English word scǒuren – “to polish, scour; to clean; to beat or whip.”

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And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 

And they clothed him with purple, and plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

Crucifixion was an agonizing, torturous death, but Jesus endured a torture that was nearly as, or perhaps equally, excruciating before he ever got to the cross. This was the pain he suffered when he was scourged.


Scourging was possibly the worst kind of flogging administered by ancient courts. Scourging was not normally a form of execution, but it certainly was brutal enough to be fatal in many cases. A person certainly could be beaten to death by the scourge if that was desired. Its purpose was not only to cause great pain, but to humiliate as well. It was belittling, debasing, and demeaning. 

The scourge was not designed merely to bruise or leave welts on the victim. It was a whip with several thongs or strands, each perhaps as much as three feet long, and the strands were weighted with lead balls or pieces of bone. This instrument was designed to lacerate. The weighted thongs struck the skin so violently that it broke open.

 

The victim of a scourging was bound to a post or frame, stripped of his clothing, and beaten with the flagellum from the shoulders to the loins. The beating left the victim bloody and weak, in unimaginable pain, and near the point of death.

It is no doubt that weakness from his scourging was largely the reason Jesus was unable to carry his cross all the way to Golgotha (Matt. 27:32 ).¹

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“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 drops 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 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” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, Apr. 2011, 57).

     He is despised and rejected of men;

 A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:

 And we hid as it were our faces from him; 

He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

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The second-hand items I have shown here have been rejected, perhaps, because they were considered unclean – stained and uncleanable – and therefore of little or no worth.

But I cleaned them. I scoured and soaked the stains out. 

Of course, I can't remove every stain. I don't have that ability. I don't have that power.

But I know someone who does.

He, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior has the power.The Power to Heal us, The Power to Comfort us, The Power to cleanse us, and The Power to make us whole .

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:

 Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities:

The chastisement of our peace was upon him;

 And with his stripes we are healed.  

(Isaiah 53:3 - 5) 

On this day we celebrate our Savior's life: His sacrifices; His suffering; His miraculous healings – And His Great Triumph over Death and Sin.

And that is good news, indeed.

Hallelujah Amen!

1. Much of the information about the scourging and suffering of Christ is from "The Scourging of Jesus" by David McClister.