"For many years I thought of the Savior's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt our infirmities, bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, and was bruised for our iniquities. The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us." ((Bateman, "A Pattern for All")
As we begin to understand - to really understand - the Atonement, we come to comprehend all that Christ has done for us and saved us from. We realize that without Him, we are forever, irretrievably lost. A question then begins to form - How can I repay Him? It is impossible, of course, for us to give our Savior anything but the tiniest portion of what He has given us. But when we are grateful, deeply grateful, we want to demonstrate that gratitude in some way.
When we take the sacrament each week, we covenant to "always remember him" and to "take his name" upon ourselves. We also made a covenant at baptism to keep His commandments. These are all things we do to show that gratitude. But what do these covenants mean in our daily lives? What actions can we perform to show we are not just pretending to be grateful? The answer is found in the scriptures, John 21.
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He showed himself to the disciples. We all know of the first time they saw him, but what about the second time? As I read about it now, it brings tears to my eyes as I can relate a little better on how Peter must have felt. Having just spent the past three years with his best friend, spiritual leader, and Savior, he was suddenly left alone with out him. What was he to do now? He missed Jesus so much. Even though Peter had the higher knowledge that Christ still lived, he knew he couldn't walk with him, learn from him, or feel his kind hands directly anymore.
How many times have we thought "I know where David is and its a good place, but if I could just have one more conversation with him, one more hug, see his smile one more time....." I bet Peter thought these things too about Jesus.
Peter was a fisherman by trade, and so Peter and his brother Andrew did what they had been doing before Jesus found them. They went fishing. They boarded a boat and sailed out on the sea of Galilee. They fished through the night but caught nothing.
"But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord." ((John 21:4-7)
Knowing how I would feel if I could see David again, I am sure Peter's emotions were extremely powerful. In fact, the scriptures tell us that he threw off his coat and "cast himself into the sea" because he was so insistent on embracing the Savior as soon as possible. The other disciples drew in the nets and brought the boat to shore. Then they all sat down, dried off, and had a meal together.
After they had finished eating, Jesus asked Peter a simple question, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?"
Peter answered, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." And Jesus replied, "Feed my lambs."
Jesus then asked another question. "He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him. Feed my sheep.
"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:15-17)
Three almost identical questions. Three commandments: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep.
When we have received a great blessing from God, when we have been forgiven of sin, when we have been saved from disaster, when our prayers for a loved one have been answered, when our appreciation for the many blessings we have received is overflowing, we express that gratitude to our Father in prayer. We feel an overwhelming love for our Father and our Savior, through whom these blessings have come. At that time we say with all our hearts, "I love thee, Lord." And if we listen carefully with our hearts, we will hear an echo from the shores of the Sea of Galilee saying "Feed my sheep".
Once we understand and take into our
hearts who Christ is and what He has done for us – when we have
felt Him lift our sins, our pains, or sicknesses, and our infirmities
and have felt Him give us renewed hope – we understand that Christ
is the answer, the only true answer, to the sins, the sorrows, and
the pains of every other person. This understanding changes us. We
are consumed with a desire to help everyone understand the wonderful
redemption and healing and peace of Christ that has changed our lives
so miraculously. We realize that the commandment to feed His sheep
includes a commandment for us to spread knowledge of His grace to
those who need it. Whether they know it or not, every child of God
desperately needs the grace of the Savior.
The sons of Mosiah experienced such a feeling after the miraculous conversion that saved them from their sins: "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish." (Mosiah 28:3)
This desire to reach out to others is the horizontal axis of the Atonement, traveling from person to person through testimony, service, and love. Its purpose is to bring to others the wonderful peace and love that we feel coming from our Savior. In the process of so doing, both the person receiving service and the person providing service feel the Savior's love.
Christ linked the two aspects of the Atonement on several occasions. He said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34)
Through this lesson, I have learned that any time we need to feel the Atonement working in our lives, the most reliable way to do so is to serve others. As our love for others increase, we will comprehend the magnitude of the love that Heavenly Father and Christ have for us and for our brothers and sisters. We then desire to become the hands of God. We desire to act as representatives of Christ wherever we are, be it through a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand. Of this I bear testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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