From New Testament Institute Manual

Mark 14--During the Savior's Atonement....

Mark 14:36

The Savior sometimes spoke of His atoning suffering and death as a “cup” (Mark 14:36; see also Mark 10:38; John 18:11). This term drew upon a long history of scriptural symbolism. The “cup” sometimes symbolized God’s wrath; it could also represent judgment and punishment of the wicked (see Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Mosiah 3:24–26). Isaiah prophesied that the day would come when the Lord would plead the cause of His people and remove out of their hand “the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury,” so that His people would “no more drink it again” (Isaiah 51:22).


After His Resurrection, the Savior taught the Nephites: “I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:11). In addition to the “cup of wrath,” the Old Testament contains references to a cup of blessing and salvation (see Psalms 16:5; 23:5; 116:13). In the great exchange of the Atonement, the Savior drank out of the “bitter cup” (3 Nephi 11:11; D&C 19:18) for us so that He could offer us “the cup of blessing” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. … Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so” (“None Were with Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 87–88).