“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6). The Hebrew word which gets translated to “Wonderful” in this verse is pele. In addition to meaning wonderful, marvelous, and miraculous, pele means “set apart” or “unique”. One of the things that makes Jesus so wonderful and miraculous is that He has been set apart. Philosophers and writers from Fyodor Dostoyevsky to Ursula K Le Guin have explored whether or not it would be ethically or morally acceptable if it were possible to construct a perfect society of endless peace and bliss that only exists because one single child is forced to endure all of the pain and misery from which everyone else has been spared. Most of us would like to believe that we would reject such an arrangement, but that is actually the has happened. The miracle of the Atonement is that Jesus took on all of the pain and suffering by Himself, alone, so that no one else would have to suffer as He did. “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.” (Isaiah 63:3-5). “Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which 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— Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” (D&C 19:15-19). Christ’s name is called Wonderful because He balanced the eternal happiness of all of God's children against the anguish of infinite suffering, and, because of His love for us, He thought personal and endless torment cheap at the price. If He had to tread the winepress alone and none could be with Him, then let us do all in our power to come unto Him now so that He need not be set apart and alone any longer.
