Saviour, Redeemer, Christ, Jesus, Lord, Prince of Peace, Counsellor, Lamb of God, Son of God, Jehovah...
These are all titles given to the Saviour, and each is more than worth a dissertation.
I would like to focus today, given the Christmas season, on His title and name of Immanuel.
"Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (2 Nephi 17:14).
Immanuel means "God with us."
I have learned that when particular terms or names are used in the scriptures, there is a reason why it is used in the context given.
I think it was Bruce C Hafen who identified that the God that sent us down to earth to learn and grow, suffer and struggle, would be unkind if He Himself would not come down to suffer with us.
This Christmas season, we celebrate the birth of a God who has come down among us, to experience mortality with us, to walk with us, to empathize.
He levels with us, without compromising His righteous and perfect character, in spirituality, sociality, emotion, physicality, mentality and experience.
Spirituality
“...because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord” (2 Nephi 9:6).
This falling from God's presence and company, is a painful one. I believe it will be one of the greatest pains in the next life – being separated from God forever.
Fortunately, this separation from God is only partial in this mortal life. Christ came down to fulfill His name Immanuel by experiencing this separation with us.
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11).
And of course, not only experience it, but redeem us from it.
“Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer” (1 Nephi 10:6).
Our reunion with our Heavenly Father can be sweeter than ever, even sweeter than our Pre-earth life, and sweeter than any spiritual experience on earth.
Sociality and Emotion
The Lord came down to experience the joys and struggles of being social.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
(Matthew 26:48-50.)
Immanuel anticipated Judas' betrayal, fully and clearly. How loving it was of Him to allow Judas to act on His own accord, having spent most of His ministry teaching this good man.
Have you been betrayed before? Christ understands you. And He redeems you in your forgiveness of the betrayer, and as you turn to Him.
He does not only empathize the bad, but the good! Have you ever been so happy, even laughing, that you shed tears of joy?
17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.
18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
22 And when he had done this he wept again;
(3 Nephi 17:17-22.)
He redeems us from the fallen state of sociality of mortal life! Read this!
1 When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.
2 And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
(Doctrine & Covenants 130:1-2.)
Don't settle for a Telestial-level social life – I find it of worth to live a Celestial-level social life. I'm working on it, as I'm sure we all are.
Physicality
Oh the feeling of running through an open field on a warm day, with a cool breeze!
Or of finding in a forest, a subtly and humbly hidden colony of glow worms, or of swimming, or jumping, learning to walk, learning to do a handstand, learning to play a thrilling sport, or play the piano or other instrument! The joy of singing your good mood out in song! Or painting your emotions onto canvas!
What an amazing experience we have with us!
Immanuel too, came through the new experience of gaining a mortal body, and learning physical skills from scratch.
Along with the wonderful and exciting characteristics of this mortal body, come the effects of the fall. Not everyone is born with fully functioning bodies.
Some with missing or no limbs.
Others without a body that provides proper opportunity for using agency, such as a body with a mental illness.
Many with medical conditions, some spanning their entire mortal life.
Whatever falls short in our mortal bodies, by choice or by circumstance, a free gift to all, from God, is the resurrection of our bodies to a perfect state.
“The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:23).
Christ's experience with mortal infirmities, along with His Resurrection, provides us with this opportunity!
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
(Alma 7:11-12.)
God's empathy covers death. It also covers physical sufferings.
Mentality and Experience
Have you ever had a question of the soul that seemed to gnaw at your consciousness? Have you ever felt so confused that you wanted to run away from your troubles? Have you ever felt deep in trial and trouble that you wanted to sink into an eternal sleep?
I have.
I think we all have.
And I think many of us have also experienced not only the opposite, but the redemption from such a state. That redemption comes in many ways – all of them from God.
Christ redeems us. To redeem us, He also took the liberty of understanding us by His own experience. Speaking of His own Atonement for us, He said:
18 [This] suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
(Doctrine & Covenants 19:18-19.)
Jesus Christ, the perfect One, the innocent Lamb, felt as if He wanted to stop His own suffering.
What were His emotions during His final hours, when He said, “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).
The strongest, greatest, holiest of us all, had fallen on His face – for us.
Let us remember, among these quotes of sadness, what it is all for – it is for appreciation and happiness.
I quote again:
1 When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.
2 And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
(Doctrine & Covenants 130:1-2.)
17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.
18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
22 And when he had done this he wept again
(3 Nephi 17:17-22.)
May your joy be full this Christmas, in reflection of One who was born, lived, died, and resurrected for us!
I wish you all a very, merry Christmas! May we keep the Spirit of Christ in the Spirit of Christmas!
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