Which was greater torment?
A brother and I once had a discussion on which events would have been a greater struggle for Christ during his last days in the mortal body before He gave up the ghost. We eliminated the ridicule and possible humiliation given via the people, scribes, and Roman soldiers and put it down to this:
The suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Crucifixion.
Here is why we came up with these two events:
Garden
1. In here the Lord took upon Himself ALL the sins of the world
2. It was so bad that even the angel Michael (Adam) had to visit him, but this visitation may also seem as a point of relief in His pain
3. The Lord actually asked, 'Is there another way?'
4. His own disciples were busy sleeping while he suffered for their sins
5. Great drops of blood came from His pores and He trembled
Crucifixion
1. Romans calculated this form of death to be the most painful
2. For a short moment in time He was all alone
3. He was 'equalled' to thieves being hung next to them in humiliation
4. Watched His loved ones sorrow below
What are your feelings on this?
I would say definitely the Garden of Gethsemane. He took over there ALL the sins of the world! Can you imagine more pain or struggle than that and dropping blood for each pore! oh my goodness, I don't see any other pain stronger than that..
I think being hung on the cross was, he was left alone and watched the sadness of His loved ones. His mother. I think that emotional pain is worse than physical. It stays with you longer, and to suffer without His power for a while has got to be very hard.
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I think that emotional pain is worse than physical. |
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2. It was so bad that even the angel Michael (Adam) had to visit him, but this visitation may also seem as a point of relief in His pain |
For me the Garden had within it the most torment. As has been mentioned, this was emotional, but this was also very much physical. The D&C spells it out that He trembled and bled from every pore. Calculate number of pores on your body multiplied by the pressure it takes for one pore to bleed (I believe it is like 2000lbs). This Man would have literally been all red by the end of that night.
Offtopic but, As for my citation of Michael, this was hinted in an Ensign some years ago that Adam came to Him. I do not have any references handy at the moment. This makes lots of sense to me since this occasion is both necessary for Adam and his prosperity. Adam also seems to be the next most 'potent' person after Christ and thus the 'best', as it were was sent. |
Definetly in the Garden is where he felt the most suffering, both emotional and physical and even though he was the son of God, he has a body of flesh and bones and felt every single pain but I believe that because of his righteousness and perfection he was able to handle the whole ordeal...not to mention the fact that he was chosen to do such a task.
Offtopic but, Regards to the angel visiting him, yes, in the Ensign of May 1985 Elder Bruce R. Mc Conkie hints that it may have been Michael (Adam). "We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be." https://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Mag...0gethsemane.htm |
I really can't pick which was more painful. I think the physical pain suffered in the garden was horrific. On top of that, I believe while suffering each of these sins, he felt great sorrow. That may have been even worse than the physical suffering. This also was in the garden so it perhaps is what tips the scales for me to the garden being the greatest suffering.
Yet, whenever I think of them driving in the nails and then Him hanging from those nails, I cringe. How painful that must have been. Then to sufficate to death, which is how one dies when crucified. Have you ever not been able to get your breath? That is not very pleasant either.
Isn't "olive press" the translation of "Gethsemane"? This was the place the Lord experienced agony as if He were put into an olive press, in addition to the emotionally harrowing experience of taking upon himself sin of every nature.
The physical pain of the Crucifixion itself would be but a short while in comparison with the Garden -- not that I'm dismissing that torture, but trying to find perspective. I also believe the Lord must experience sorrow for us even now, many centuries after the Atonement, watching how the world is spiraling down into worse and worse evil.
I don't think I can really compare the two. They are two sides of the same coin -- he suffered both physical torture and emotional agony for us all, in both circumstances. How can we even begin to quantify it?
IMO
Roz