"Nevertheless"

This week in my New Testament class we discussed Christ’s infinite atonement.  We read Mark 14: 36 which reads, “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”  My professor explained why “nevertheless” is his favorite work in the English language – and it really opened up new insight into this verse, and the Savior’s atonement in general.  Nevertheless is the opposite of “therefore.” Therefore has a cause and effect relationship – for example, one might say, “It’s cold in here, therefore I’m going to put a jacket on.” Because that person was cold, they put on a jacket.  However, “nevertheless” has the opposite meaning. For example, “It’s cold in here, nevertheless I’m not going to put on a jacket.”  It has a cause and counter-effect relationship.  The second part of the phrase, the part that comes after the “nevertheless” always has more weight.  Understanding that brought a whole new meaning to Mark 14: 36.  If Christ would have yielded to the natural man, he would have changed the “nevertheless” in that scripture to a “therefore” and not completed the Atonement.  However, Christ perfectly submitted His will to the Father and did something he did not want to do.

            Now what does that mean for you and me?  We can learn from this example that it’s not a sin to not want to do something we know that we need to do.  Christ gave us that example.  However, it becomes a sin if we yield to the temptation of making it a “therefore” statement instead of a “nevertheless” statement.  We shouldn’t get down on ourselves if there are righteous things that we know we should be doing, but for some reason or another don’t want to do in that moment.  But we should always follow Christ’s example and put the will of the Father before our own.  So next time you find yourself in this situation, remember Christ’s “Nevertheless” example and have the faith to follow it.  I know that by doing so we will gain an even greater testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.