Hard Sayings and Hidden Truths

 

Words by a Prophet who learns from scripture

Dear Reader,

In the New Testament we read of a moment when many of Jesus’ disciples turned away. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus stood in the synagogue at Capernaum and taught that He Himself was the true Bread of Life. His words cut deep:

“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53).

To Jewish ears, this was more than puzzling — it was offensive. The crowd who once sought Him for bread now cried, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6:60). And John records soberly: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66).

Yet when Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:67–68).

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Nearly eighteen centuries later in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith expressed a similar struggle. He confided:

“If I revealed all that has been made known to me, scarcely a man on this stand would stay with me.”
“Brethren, if I were to tell you all I know of the kingdom of God, I do know that you would rise up and kill me.”

Why would he say this? Because in Nauvoo he was entrusted with truths that challenged every tradition and assumption his followers had known. Among them:

• Plural Marriage — The idea that eternal marriage, under God’s authority, could sometimes include plural wives. Even to devoted Saints, this was difficult to accept. To outsiders, it was scandalous.

• Baptism for the Dead — A doctrine that salvation could reach beyond the grave through ordinances performed on earth. To many Christians, this contradicted centuries of teaching about heaven and hell.

• Exaltation — The teaching that men and women are children of God with the potential to become like Him. This went far beyond traditional notions of salvation and sounded like blasphemy to some.

• Temple Ordinances and Covenants — Sacred rites of endowment and sealing, revealed in secrecy, which bound families for eternity and symbolized heaven’s order.

Each of these teachings was like Christ’s words about eating His flesh: a hard saying, impossible to grasp without faith, and offensive to the expectations of the day.

Brigham Young, sitting nearby, captured the heart of Peter’s faith when he replied to Joseph: “Don’t tell me anything that I can’t bear, for I don’t want to apostatize.”

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The Lesson for Us

The parallel is striking:

• Christ offered His disciples a truth that tested their loyalty.

• Joseph Smith carried truths he knew would test even his most faithful friends.

Both moments remind us that discipleship is not built on how much we understand, but on whom we trust. Some truths are only grasped in time, as hearts grow strong enough to receive them.

The question still comes: “Will ye also go away?”
And the faithful still answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”