“Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.” (Lukas 8:22)
“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:37-38)
In another account the disciples plead, “Lord, save us: we perish” (Matt 8:25)
Jesus was sailing with fishermen. These were men that had grown up on the sea, they knew storms, they knew how to handle a boat. Yet this storm was so bad that they feared for their lives. They honestly thought they were going to die.
The account continues: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)
I move on to a different story from the early days of the Latter-day church. Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, along with four other church leaders (Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae), were falsely accused and imprisoned in Liberty Jail. Elder Holland describes their experience at Liberty Jail:
“In the dungeon the floor-to-ceiling height was barely six feet, and inasmuch as some of the men, including the Prophet Joseph, were over six feet tall, this meant that when standing they were constantly in a stooped position, and when lying it was mostly upon the rough, bare stones of the prison floor covered here and there by a bit of loose, dirty straw or an occasional dirty straw mat.
“The food given to the prisoners was coarse and sometimes contaminated, so filthy that one of them said they “could not eat it until [they] were driven to it by hunger.” On as many as four occasions they had poison administered to them in their food, making them so violently ill that for days they alternated between vomiting and a kind of delirium, not really caring whether they lived or died. . . .
“And all of this occurred during what, by some accounts, was considered then the coldest winter on record in the state of Missouri.”
Meanwhile the Saints were being driven from their homes at gunpoint.
In this midst of this trial, Joseph had his moment of “carest thou not that we perish? Lord save us!” He plead:
“O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
“How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
“Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?” (D&C 121:1-3)
To this plea, the Lord answered:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” (D&C 121:7-8)
“If thou art called to pass through tribulation . . . and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:5,7-8)
On this Easter Sunday I testify to you that the Son of God did descend below all things so that He may succor us when tempests rage around us and when we are in our own personal Liberty Jails.
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” (Alma 7:11-12)
In the case of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus commanded the tempests to be still and freed His disciples from their trial immediately.
In the case of the prophet Joseph and his brethren, they remained in Liberty Jail for another month. And even then Joseph was imprisoned again, killed, and the Saints continued to suffer persecution and be driven from their homes at gunpoint for almost another decade.
But in both cases, the Lord spake the same words:
Peace.
Peace, be still.
Peace be unto thy soul.
I testify to you that Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven do care if we perish. We celebrate Easter because our Father in Heaven cares so much “that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, italics added)
Jesus Christ chose to be our Savior. He chose to come to this world, knowing that “the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.” (1 Nephi 19:9, italics added)
And because He suffereth it He can say: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Our loving Father in Heaven cares. Our elder brother Jesus Christ cares. They are always there to speak peace to our souls and bear us up in our trials to lead us back to them.
Of this I testify on this Easter Sunday.
Jeremy
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