Show TRUTH I am the truth John vi How complete an ans ans- answer answer answer would this sentence have been to Pilate Pilate-Is Pilate s cynical query What is truth But the wearied Roman governor received no r reply even if he expected it while the humble but despairing disciple was assured i that Christ Himself would be found the only possible solution to all aU his doubts and questionings The Lord revealed Himself to His disciples but not to men TUen of the world The former wished to know that they might do the latter desired to know for the sake of knowing I jun a the truth This word truth is a favorite one with St John He uses it and its derivatives almost as many times as do all the rest of the New Testament writers taken to- to together to together gether It Jt is found both in his gospel gospel gos- gos goepel pel and epistles In the gospel St StJohn John sometimes uses it to express his own deductions They are true the the truth But most frequently it itis itIs is 18 put by him into the mouth of the Lord Himself f In Gre Greek k as in English the word has two meanings which must be carefully distinguished from each other In the first place truth 1 k means the correspondence between belief and fact A man has the truth with respect to an object when w l he knows what it his Ideas f compared with the object will be beo tou found nd to be like it The object also which is thus ac accurately ac- ac accurately accurately known is called the truth Philosophers distinguish these two meanings s by the terms fr Subjective Sub subjective and objective Sub Sub- Subjective truth is knowledge conforming conform conform- y Ing to fact objective truth is reality the outward thing Now it seems clear that our Lord uses the word 11 i here herein in its i ts objective object ve se sense se He says r A to his questioning disciples that He himself is the truth the I 1 the wordis word J f is emphatic I 1 who sit here in Jewish Jewish form and Jew Jewish ish dress in int inthe n t the upper room In in Jerusalem In inthis in this year of the world declare r to you that I am the truth All AU that relates to Me as 88 a person 14 MJ J f whether to action feeling or thought it relates to the truth Whether 1 r wake or sleep whether I speak or c- c keep silent whether I am alone or in company my every act thought feeling and word relates to and and- and andIs f C if Is a part of the truth In Jesus thep the p- p Christ is the solution of mysteries mysteries t relating to God man duty and des destiny tiny He is not merely scientific l truth nor economic truth nor philosophic philo- philo sophie sophic truth but the truth of God It is strange that Intelligent men mei can be satisfied with the misty or 01 imperfect notions concerning Jesus tr personal Christ He is iEl the mightiest person person- personal person person- personal al force in the world today Bis Bis- Bismarck Bismarck marck may be master of European diplomacy but even the iron I prince quails before a shaven priest sitting in the Vatican whose fc f only title to recognition is a claim clain J to be e the representative on earth of ofa a Jesus Christ Gladstone may stanca- stanca stand 3 unrivalled in the parliamentary de- de debates debates de- de debates bates of England but Jesus Christ sets orators going all over the he terres terres- terrestrial terrestrial terrestrial trial globe What is the secret t ot of oy Christs Christ's exten extended ed and ever increasing increasing ing influence Who was He What did He do What did He say HowE f How did He feel What was His personal persona appearance In the light of His vast influence detail of every His life Ute every scrap of His history re- re relating re ft 1 lating to Him acquires intense interest Interest in- in interest terest The critical events of His life Ufe were not the only manifestations z x of truth Every fact or appearance which was a part of that mighty an and emphatic I would be taken as belonging to and forming part of ol the truth i i iOne One duty for the followers followers of f Christ is clear If we would be free freel from fear from superstition from danger dan r we must turn toward Him who e said ld I am the truth We must study Him whom whom whom-St St Paul described as Christ in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden Co Col it ii 8 We We must become acquainted with Jesus Immeasurable consequences are connected with this acquisition This is i life eternal that they shall shallI know Thee the only true God and Him whom thou Thou send even Jesus J Christ John 8 Concerning Him Thomas Thomasj a wrote h Follow thou theu tb j Kempis u me I 0 1 i r w iJ rt I oj joo I am the way the truth and the life Ufe Without the way there is ia no going without the truth there is no know know- knowing knowing knowing ing without the life there is no liv- liv living living liv living ing I am the way which thou to follow the truth which though to trust the life which thou to h hope pe for I Iam Iam Iam am the way inviolable the inviolable the truth the the life that cannot end If thou remain in My way thou know the truth and the truth shall make thee free and thou lay hold on eternal life lite If thou wilt know the truth believe in me Christ is Gods God's way of meeting the I wants and answering the questions of men Here is Gods God's way of showing men what they ought todo to todo todo do Jesus Christ is one great object lesson Jesson I God is vast We Ve try to conceive Him in order to worship Him The effort effort is fruitless We fix our atten atten- attention attention attention tion upon some work of the Divine Architect or some act of the DivIne Presence or some trait of the di divine vine character The result is unsatisfactory unsatisfactory tory but Jesus Christ is divinity concentrated made visible audible tangible Here is God acting under the limitations of humanity per per- forming performing the duties which are in- in incumbent in incumbent incumbent upon men as b being ing such If we will only reflect for a mom moment nt we shall perceive how complete an answer Jesus Christ is in His person p teaching and con con- conduct conduct con con- conduct duct to all to-all all the great questions which agitate men concerning God them them- themselves themselves themselves selves duty and destiny I will take a group of these questions byway by way of illustration All thinking men concede that the world and the universe of which it forms a part were slowly evolved evolve out of simpler substances Science makes an ultimate analysis of those things which she can investigate and classifies them as matter and force Force is active ve matter is passive One acts the other is acted upon And what originated these two entities entitles What is ac- ac accountable accountable countable for the tokens of de design ign which are everywhere le discernible as in the human eye in the method of reproduction in plants and ani ani- ani animals animals mals Were these all aU made by some subtle unconscious force lik like electricity Or was their creator a person To these enquiries pure pur science can give no answer To ToI I this query Jesus replies by putting into the 4 1 mouth l of f His disciples the H Hr r wonderful phrase Our Father who art in iT he heaven heVen Ven OIe He e Himself addresses the Deity by that endear endear- endearing endearing endearing ing name I thank Lord of heaven and earth that Thou conceal these things from the wis wise and prudent an and di st reveal them unto babes Matt xi 25 And then as if to throw tull culler r light upon the mental and moral nature of God He said to His dis dis- disciples disciples disciples He that hath seen me hath seen the Father John xiv 9 Another question which men often ask is How far has God kept control of the univ universe which He has created Ie Ile He like an engineer who havin having completed a perfect engine and set it in motion turns away and busies his thoughts with something else leaving the machine to run as He started it t L tC N until it wears out or breaks down or exhausts the active force which He lodged in it to begin with Here is the engine what is the engineer doing doing byboth Jesus J Je e Us answers this question by both both word and deed The Creator l thas has not left the creation He is eminent in it and fully controls it still Not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your Fathers Father's word The very hairs of your head are numbered Matt 29 And then Christ Himself be- be becomes becomes be becomes comes a visible Providence to the children of 01 men He feeds the hungry multitudes on the tile hillside above the Sea of Galilee Matt xiv 17 He stills the storm at the Lake of Matt viii 26 He pro provides ides the tribute money out of the mouth of a fish Matt I att 27 most disturbing question- question questionings ings relate to the life beyond the grave He sees BeeS some Bome domestic ani ani- animal animal Y mal which has gained a place in his thoughts and affections some Rome noble horse or faithful do dog expires A mo- mo moment moment mo moment ment ago he was alive and possessed thought feeling will wUl N Now ow he is a lifeless lump of clay which will i so soon n with the clods of the valley Life is gone ended gone ended Again he stands by the grave of f a beloved wife or child and listens to the solemn words Earth to earth th ashes to ashes dust to dust And ADD the blighting withering question allOr win will come Does death end all all Or is there n 11 a vital spark which still exists thou though h unseen Jesus His Bis troubled dis- dis disciples disciples dis disciples whom He has forewarned of His approaching death death death- with the assurance Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in Me In My Fathers Father's house are many mansions If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive receive you unto Myself that where I 1 am there ye may be also John xiv 1 8 1 3 Then He bares His own breast to the blow of the King of Terrors He dies di dies is is is buried And after three daTs days He comes back again to show that beyond qu question tiEn dissolution men do survive the shock of o disso d- d lution lutton But how bow will God regard one who has broken His law and has a decided inclination to do so Will He shun him as righteous men sometimes do sinners Surely that feeling is nat nat- natural natural natural ural Again the language of Jesus is significant They that are whole have no need for a physician but they that are sick I came not to F call the righteous but sinners to re- re repentance repentance re repentance His conduct was equally significant significant ca cant nt He ate with publicans and sinners He did not hesitate togo to a least feast in Matthews Matthew's house He allowed avowed himself lo to become the guest of Zaccheus He did not shrink shriek from the touch of the woman who was a sinner and said eaid Y to her who had been taken in the act of adultery Neither N either do I con dem con con- dem thee Go thy way from hence hence- henceforth henceforth henceforth forth sin no more And then as 88 if to carry us up into the very presence chamber of Deity He declared There la is joy in the presence z of the angels of God over one sinner that But will God for for- forgive forgive forgive give easily Will His ear be open to the cry of the sinner turning from his hiB sins Come unto me all ye that labor Jabor and are heavy laden an and andI I 1 will wUI give you rest He that cometh unto me I will win in no wise cast out out out- outI outi I His Hia whole life Ufe was a comment upon these words He was in search of men tender toward their relieving distress wherever wherever ever the requisite faith was as found He was as sensitive the to-the touch of faith as is a magnetic needle to a aF passing current of electricity A Ay poor woman said within herself If I may only touch the thea hem of His garment I shall be made whole In the mi midst st of a crowd she upon Him Jesus reco- reco reco F and honored her touch of faith faith and nd she the alien and stranger r was was made whole But how far will the lords lord's desire to save men from sir sin carry him Can they thwart His F benevolent designs if they will T Again the conduct of the Lor Lord J Jesus Ul is significant He preached His Hi message to all For a time thes the s multitude were pleased to listen and andA A i JB i ia a A AA A to follow He did not forbid After After- Afterward Afterward ward they turned against Him and reviled Him Then He addressed Himself to the work of strengthen strengthen- strengthening strengthening strengthening ing the listening number of His ad- ad adherents adherents ad adherents The night of His arrest found Him with only twelve imme imme- immediate immediate immediate diate followers and of these one was wasa wasa wasa a traitor His upbraiding of the unrepentant unrepentant unrepentant ant cities in which most of His works had been done is no less Jess sig sig- significant significant Woe unto thee t- t x- x Woe unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works had been done in inTyre inTyre inTyre Tyre and Sidon which were done in you they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes Howbeit I say unto you it shall shan be bem bemore m more le tolerably for Tyre Tyro and Sidon Sidoni in i n the day of j judgment than for you 22 Matt it ii 22 21 His unsparing denunciation of hardened scribes and Pharisees shows the same thing Woe unto ye scribes and Pharisee Pharisees hypocrites hypocrites hy- hy v Ye serpents ye off offspring pring of vipers how shall shaH ye escape the judgment of hell hen Matt 29 2983 2983 83 29 83 To the same end is the lamen lamen- lamentation lamentation lamentation tation over J Jerusalem 0 Jeru Jeru- J Jerusalem Jerusalem eru salem Jerusalem which the Prophets and them which are sent unto thee etc But w where here is this powerful and sympathetic Jesus now Will He after the lapse of nearly nineteen hundred years manifest the same same same- characteristics as 8 He then did on onearth 3 earth He said to His followers that it was expedient for them that He go away for if He did not doso do r so the Comforter would not come But if I go I will send Him unto r you And this new guide was to carryon carry on the work w which Jesus left He shall shan glorify me for he shall shaH shalla take of tf mine and shall haH glare it unto you And He w abide with the disciples forever Hence the apostolic writer speaks of Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today yea and forever Heb Hebr Iii Hi 8 He will carryon carry on the same work and manifest the same char char- charL L forever He is the sam same person now with the same lans plans wishes and susceptibilities that He had When He walked the earth in in- in Palest in-Palest Palest i ine nee ne I have tri given iven ven a grou group p of facts Be Bee Behind hind these are many more Be Be- Behind Behind hind bind all aU these is the person We who would be strong steady Latter Latter- Latter day day Saints Sainta must become acquainted with Him so that our lives will not be dependent upon fickle feeling but upon Jesus the rock who is the everlasting truth t truth DR DB ED AMERICAN FORK FORI Dec b 5 1889 |