Take Up Your "Garden" and Follow Christ

Did the Atonement of Jesus for our sins happened in Garden of Gethsemane?

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints does not view the atonement of Christ in the biblical and historical Christian manner. Instead of the atonement occurring on the cross, Mormonism teaches that the atonement occurred primarily in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus shed His blood. Please consider the following quotes from a BYU professor and the Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie.

•BYU professor Robert J. Matthews, who on page 282 of his book, A Bible! A Bible!, wrote, "It was in Gethsemane, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, that Jesus made his perfect atonement by the shedding of his blood-more so than on the cross."
•Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie, stated, "Where and under what circumstances was the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God made? Was it on the Cross of Calvary or in the Garden of Gethsemane? It is to the Cross of Christ that most Christians look when centering their attention upon the infinite and eternal atonement. And certainly the sacrifice of our Lord was completed when he was lifted up by men; also, that part of his life and suffering is more dramatic and, perhaps, more soul stirring. But in reality the pain and suffering, the triumph and grandeur, of the atonement took place primarily in Gethsemane," (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 1, p. 774).

This whole line of thinking diminishes the actual Atonement of Jesus on the Cross of little or none effect.  I've had Mormons say the reason you'll never see a cross on an LDS church building is because thinking the Atonement happened on the Cross is "rather foolish."  Could such a statement be what the Apostle Paul was referring to in I Corinthians 1:18 when he stated, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."  This would certainly mean that anyone thinking the Cross is of little or no affect in the Atonement is no only missing salvation, but does not know the power of God and is perishing spiritually.

So what did happen in the Garden of Gethsemane? The narrative is found in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-46. John's gospel mentions a garden (John 18:1), but only mentions that the arrest of Jesus took place there. Only Matthew and Mark identify the garden as Gethsemane. Only Luke tells us that His perspiration fell "as it were" great drops of blood. In the original Greek text the word for "as it were" is "hosei" which means "appearing similar to." In other words, the great drops of sweat falling from His brow would be just as heavy as if he had some kind of flesh wound, perhaps in the head, and heavy drops of blood were falling. But it was sweat, not blood. He did not bleed in the garden, much less bleed for our sins there. How do we know this? Luke has the answer.

Luke was a doctor, a physician specifically (Colossians 4:14). He would certainly know the difference between sweat and bleeding. Admittedly, there is a condition in which one can actually sweat blood. It is called "Hematidrosis." It is a medical condition that is very rare, but still documented in ancient times and Dr. Luke would definitely be familiar with it. "Hematidrosis" is also a Greek word that was available to Luke (who was Greek himself). Luke, in his role as Biblical historian, continually in Scripture is careful to use the most exacting terms and descriptions, but he did not use "hematidrosis," but instead used the word "hidros" -- sweat (without the "hema" -- or blood). Luke is very careful here to tell us that Jesus perspired in the garden, but did not sweat blood there. That's because the cross is the place where he shed his blood for our sins -- regardless of the Latter-day Saints telling us just the opposite.  Perhaps that's why the Cross is not seen on any Mormon building and you won't find "The Old Rugged Cross" or "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" in there hymnbook.  The Cross is perhaps foolish to them.  It is the reason that the Apostle Paul wrote, "The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who are perishing."  In other words, the LDS are spiritually dying and only what Jesus did on the Cross can save them.