Recently I’ve been pondering how Christ’s Crucifixion is reflected in the ordinances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to here as “the Church”). It’s a key part of Baptism, the Sacrament, and also the temple ordinances. In this post, I want to talk about how it’s an integral part of a sealing (marriage) ceremony. This above picture of a sealing room is taken from the Church’s official website. Notice how the altar is at the center of the room.
For millennia, altars have pointed to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Several ancient patriarchs built altars in “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” (Moses 5:7). One of these was Abraham, who “built an altar…and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar” (Genesis 22:9). This altar was a key component in Abraham being “obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son” (Jacob 4:5).
Moses told Aaron to “Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people” (Leviticus 9:7). Generations later, priests slaughtered animals and “made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel” (2 Chronicles 29:24). In multiple ways, the altar can be a symbol for the death of Christ.
Elder Bruce C. Hafen described a time when he, as a temple sealer sealed a couple in the temple: “I invited them to the altar, and…the groom took the bride by the hand…” Picture the scene described by Elder Hafen: the husband and wife are at the altar, which is in the center of the room. The bride and groom clasp their hands and are sealed to each other.
Whether one thinks of the altar, or the hands clasped together on the altar, the Crucifixion is clearly and literally at the center of the sealing ordinance. This helps us better understand Ephesians 5:25, which also connects the marriage relationship with Christ’s death: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” Viewed in this way, the relationship between Christ’s Crucifixion and the temple sealing can strengthen individuals within marriages to redouble their efforts to love their spouse in the same way that the Savior loves them.
Jesus Christ is a key part of each temple marriage. Perhaps we could see this reflected in the imagery of Ecclesiastes 4:12, which states, “A threefold cord is not easily broken.” The sealing ceremony demonstrates how a threefold relationship – between husband, wife, and Christ – forms a stronger bond with Jesus Christ as a key partner in the marriage.
