Are You Sure?
Matthew 11:2-3 reads, “Now when John had heard in prison of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” When I read this, a question came to mind. Knowing that when John baptized Jesus, he witnessed the Holy Ghost as it descended on Jesus and heard a voice from heaven declaring that Jesus was the Son of God, how could he question whether he was “…he that should come”? Was it the case that as time passed, doubt crept in? Maybe John’s familiarity with Jesus as an ordinary man lessened the impact of the experience at the baptism. Jesus’ answer to John’s inquiry was, “Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”
When it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ, academia does not have an advantage over ordinary people. Knowing the meanings of words or narratives definitely helps in gospel scholarship, but that is not equivalent to or has the impact that spiritual impressions or experiences have. Seeing miracles is different from recognizing the purposes of God in them, and proper understanding is more than knowledge.
When Jesus came on the scene, he was rejected by those in positions of authority and power. Religious and political leaders took notice of him and the things he did but only saw him as a threat to themselves. The humble people saw in him salvation from tyranny and oppression. Those who were spiritually in tune saw him as the Messiah or the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and who could redeem them from their sins. However, even John needed additional reassurance that Jesus was the Christ. I think that we all need reminders from time to time, to bolster our beliefs so that we can be sure.
Jesus knew that two types of people would see his miracles or hear his teachings and either be accepting or offended. Isaiah said it this way, “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
When Jesus said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” he was describing the humble seekers of truth. Many of us go through phases of being know-it-alls to know-nothings regarding gospel scholarship and learning. We experience miracles; then time passes, and we forget them or justify them away. This is equivalent to stopping our ears and closing our eyes.
Jesus saw the reactions of these different groups of people and said of the humble people, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
When we are teachable, Jesus reveals the Father to us. Okay, here comes a tangent. Our ultimate objective in life is to prepare to meet God. This is also the ultimate challenge because how can you prepare for something you don’t understand? If we are unprepared, meeting God will not be a pleasant experience. From Moses chapter one, we learn this, “and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth. And, …And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth. And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed. But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.”
None of us are prepared to meet God. We must be introduced to him by coming to the Savior. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rest from what? I believe rest, in this case, means a break from the world’s cares, pains, and sorrows. In stark contrast, the burden of the Lord is much easier and lighter to bear because the Savior helps us. (end of tangent)
Another aspect of being sure is the confirming power of the Holy Ghost. The Savior taught that blasphemy and speaking against him could be forgiven, but speaking against the Holy Ghost is unforgivable. An example that is much less serious but illustrates this point is when we are not true to ourselves. Anyone with a conscience knows that when we try to deceive ourselves or deny our moral ethics, we experience an unbelievable weight of guilt and mental anguish. Denying the spiritual knowledge gained through the Holy Ghost goes to the deepest parts of our soul and is a far greater betrayal than self-deception.
Speaking of self-deception, when Jesus healed the man on the sabbath and cast out devils, the Pharisees sought to destroy him. Then came the great lesson that you can’t be something that you are not; you can’t be divided against yourself. Being double-minded is a recipe for disaster; you will tear yourself apart. The remedy for this condition is found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:68, “Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God…”
In Luke 11, Jesus reproached the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers. These were groups that exerted significant influence on the people at that time. You may think that the common people would see them for what they were; hypocrites and liars. However, if you have ever had an experience with someone who is good with words, you realize that they can make you doubt yourself and wonder if you are the one that is deceptive and evil. I know this first-hand. In my experience, the only way to regain confidence in myself was to be in the temple and hear the promised blessings of covenant-keeping.
I testify that you and I can be confident and sure that God lives and is interested in each of us. I know Jesus lives and loves us. He will heal us like he healed his followers during his mortal ministry. The Holy Ghost speaks truth to our souls; we must learn to hear him. The world is full of uncertainty, but we need not fear or be troubled. Jesus has overcome the world and will lead us through trials and tribulations. Of that, we can be sure.