A Never Deviating Friend

The Savior said to His disciples, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he who denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”  The JST gives us a little context as to perhaps why this was stated: “Now his disciples knew that he said this, because they had spoken evil against him before the people; for they were afraid to confess him before men. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, He knoweth our hearts, and he speaketh to our condemnation, and we shall not be forgiven.”  Apparently some of the disciples—it’s not clear whether that was the apostles specifically or just general followers—had been less than faithful when speaking about Jesus outside of His presence.  In fact, they, out of fear and likely under the pressure of the feeling against Jesus by the Jewish leaders, “had spoken evil against him before the people.”  Though in his presence they listened to Him with some level of respect, when He was gone from them they had not been true to Him.  But here they now felt guilty as they heard Christ’s words to them, and they lamented thinking that they could not be forgiven.  But the Savior emphasized that they could be forgiven, but, as the JST adds, only with repentance: “Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, and repenteth, it shall be forgiven him” (JST Luke 12:8-12).  This of course reminds us of Peter who, under the common interpretation of the event, similarly did not stay true to Him in speech when outside of the Savior’s presence, saying, “I know not the man” (Matt. 26:74).  Peter was indeed forgiven of what he spoke against the Savior and became a powerful advocate for Him the rest of His life. 

                In my experience it seems that many of us are all too often guilty of the same unfaithfulness to those whom we claim as friends.  We frequently say negative things about them outside of their presence that we would never say in front of them, just as these disciples spoke evil of the Savior in front of the people.  I sometimes wonder as I hear a negative comment about someone else not present, “What does this person say about me when I’m not around?!”  The Savior cautioned, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37).  In the same chapter in Luke the Savior cautioned that “whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:3).  When we speak evil of someone in secret we should remember that one day it will indeed be known.  The police Miranda warning—"Anything you say can be used against you”—is perhaps a good caution for us spiritually, for the Lord will remember all of our words spoken against another.  As Alma taught, “For our words will condemn us,” (Alma 12:14).  The gospel teaches us that we should be true to the Savior and to all men at all times—in the words of the prophet Joseph Smith we should be a “never deviating friend” to God and man (Doctrine and Covenants 128:25).  Ultimately our responsibility as disciples of Christ is to never deviate from Him, to never deny Him or His servants or His commandments no matter how far away He may seem to us; and we surely owe it to the ones we love to be likewise faithful in and out of their presence.  We should strive to be worthy of those whom the prophet called, “pure and holy friends, who are faithful, just, and true, and whose hearts fail not; and whose knees are confirmed and do not falter.”