“Savior of the World,” Ensign, March 2015, 40–45
Savior of the World
As we draw nearer to Jesus Christ through seeing where He lived during His mortal ministry, our love for Him and gratitude for His Atonement will increase.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are saved from sin and death. Christ paid the price of our sins through His suffering in Gethsemane and on Golgotha. It is through our repentance and through God’s mercy and grace that we grow line upon line and become pure enough to return to Him.
Of this, President Thomas S. Monson has said: “With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again. … May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge” (“I Know That My Redeemer Lives!” Ensign, May 2007, 25).
May we strengthen our testimonies of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world as we view photographs of the Holy Land and read scriptures that describe events from Christ’s mortal ministry.
Photographs by Jim Jeffery, except where noted
Dove Flying over the Jordan River
“And John went down into the water and baptized [Jesus]” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 3:44 [in the Bible appendix]).
“And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him” (Luke 3:22).
Pinnacle of the Temple, Where Satan Tempted Jesus
“And the Spirit brought [Jesus] to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. And the devil came unto him, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence” (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 4:9 [in Luke 4:9, footnote a]). This is the traditional corner of the temple described in Luke. This wall would have been 33 to 50 percent taller at the time of Christ.
Steps on the South Side of the Temple Mount
These steps are traditionally considered one of the places where Jesus taught. The “whited sepulchres” of the cemetery (upper right) are in full view and are a reminder of Jesus’s rebuke, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27).
Sheep Following Their Shepherd
This photograph taken in the fields of Bethlehem shows how sheep today still follow their shepherd just as they did in days of old (see John 10:3–4). Notice at the top and the bottom of the picture that it is the goats that insist on wandering around in their own way (see Matthew 25:31–46).
Ancient Olive Trees with New Growth Sprouting Up
It was amid the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
© Radius Images/Corbis
Golgotha, the Place of the Skull
After His prayers in Gethsemane, Christ was condemned to death, scourged, and taken to Golgotha.
“And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
“And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:25–26).
Possible Site of the Garden Tomb
“In the place where [Jesus] was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
“There laid they Jesus” (John 19:41–42).
“Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
“And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
“And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
“And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master” (John 20:11–16).