Rejoiceth in the Truth

I like this summary in last week’s Come, Follow Me lesson about the Savior’s final time on earth: “In every word and deed, Jesus Christ exemplified pure love—what the Apostle Paul called charity (see 1 Corinthians 13). At no time was this more evident than during the final hours of the Savior’s mortal life. His dignified silence in the face of false accusations demonstrated that He ‘is not easily provoked’ (1 Corinthians 13:5). His willingness to submit to scourging, mocking, and crucifixion—while restraining His power to end His torments—showed that He ‘suffereth long’ and ‘beareth all things’ (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7). His compassion toward His mother and His mercy toward His crucifiers—even during His own incomparable suffering—revealed that He ‘seeketh not [His] own’ (1 Corinthians 13:5). In His final moments on earth, Jesus was doing what He had done throughout His mortal ministry—teaching us by showing us. Indeed, charity is ‘the pure love of Christ’ (Moroni 7:47).” I have always been impressed with the Saviors patience and love that He showed while being reviled and rejected. Throughout all the events surrounding the final hours of the Savior’s life, He was perfectly composed and humble, full of love, and submitting completely to the will of the Father. No matter what pressures were put upon Him, His perfect charity never waned.

            One of the statements about charity in this passage from Paul is that charity “rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). I think we also see that this was a guiding principle for the Savior even in those final hours. When they came out in the night to take him Jesus responded, “Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me” (Matthew 26:55). He called them out on the fact that they were full of deceit; they were not truthful and honest in taking Him surreptitiously like that. Despite His vulnerability in being arrested, He was not afraid to boldly identify their lack of truth. When He was subsequently being questioned in front of the high priest and asked of His doctrine, He remarked, “I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.” Again, He was calling them out on their dishonesty and lack of truth; they knew what He had taught and there was no need to try to get Him to incriminate Himself. He had not hidden what He had taught—the truth—and they were being dishonest in pretending to not know it. At His reply, “one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?” I love His response devoted to truth: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” (John 18:19-23) Jesus spoke plainly and truthfully, with no evil, and again He called them out on their lack of truth. He asked them to give some evidence of His evil, but they could not do it. Later He stood before Pilate and declared, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” He was indeed devoted to the truth, to which Pilate asked His famous question, “What is truth?” He at least recognized the truth enough to declare, “I find in him no fault at all” (John 18:36-37). I love that in all these circumstances Jesus stood for truth—He was, as Paul described charity, one who rejoiced in the truth. He did not in any way shy away from the truth to try to save Himself from the unjust punishment that was being thrust upon Him, and He left a powerful example of devotion to truth for us to follow.