"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." Did Jesus Really Say That?

“I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”

The above picture of Jesus adorns the homes of many Christians. The quote has been cited in the LDS church magazines and conference talks several times. The idea it intends to convey is that life is not easy, it is very hard and it is full of setbacks, disappointments, betrayals, crimes, illness, injury, death and lots of suffering.  The idea is that we signed up to this life as followers of Jesus in our pre-mortal existence and that he never mislead us into believing that it would be easy.  He only promised that if we endured to the end, that it would be worth it.  Enduring to the end usually means managing and coping with trials and adversity until we enjoy the sweet release that comes with death and grave. 

This saying is popular because it expresses the beliefs of the vast majority of Christians.  But, is this really what Jesus said?  There is no place in any scripture that I can find where he said anything similar.  Could Jesus have said something similar, although not recorded?  I assert that he would not say such a thing.  In fact, I assert that this is a classic example of “the teachings of men, mingled with the scriptures” or “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

I assert that the Savior has said the contrary,

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is EASY, and my burden is light. (Matt.11:28-30)

Not only did he say it was worth it, he also said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  The only hard part is believing in what he is saying and taking on his light burden, living the two great commandments.

In defending this saying, some people point to the following scriptures, among others:

Matt 10:22  And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

D&C 14:8   Be ^apatient in ^bafflictions, for thou shalt have many; but ^cendure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the ^dend of thy days.

Let’s analyze these scriptures. 

1.     To be hated by men does not necessarily mean to suffer pain at their hands.  Yes, some disciples of Christ have chosen to suffer like Christ, to go to prison, to be flogged or scourged, or in other ways to suffer both body and spirit.  But that is their choice.  The vast majority of true followers of Jesus Christ are not called or appointed to suffer unnecessarily.  The vast majority of mankind who believe on Jesus’ name and live his commandments, are granted power to overcome their enemies.  As noted earlier, an enemy is anybody who would try to make us suffer unnecessarily.  To be miserable like them. The enemy creates much if not all of the suffering in the word.  The enemy is the author of suffering. The hate comes from the fact that darkness hates light.  The hate comes from a feeling of frustration that they, the enemies, have no power over us.  They may hates us, but they have no power to harm us (see previous chapters).

2.     In John 16, Jesus might have said something like, “In a car without brake lights ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome that problem and ye will always have brake lights.”  In other words, while we are in the world (the car without brake lights) , we will have tribulation.  But those who follow Jesus Christ and hearken to observe to do his commandments, are exempt from this tribulation, the kind that causes unnecessary suffering, because he has overcome it.  There are two kinds of tribulation: 1) the kind that results in undesirable and unnecessary suffering and 2) the kind that involves voluntarily separating the wheat from the chaff and the tares and waking up to what is really happening.  When voluntary, the severe suffering required to teach us lessons, will not be necessary.

3.     “Be patient in afflictions, for you shall have many”.  First, the Lord is speaking to Joseph Smith.  Not all true followers of Jesus Christ are called to be like Joseph Smith.  He had a special mission to perform.  Second, I assert that many of the afflictions of Joseph Smith were unnecessary.  While the Lord acknowledged to Joseph that he would experience many afflictions, he did not say they were necessary.  Verse 8 seems to contradict verse 1 in section 24:

Behold, thou wast called and chosen to write the Book of Mormon, and to my ministry, and I have lifted thee up out of thy afflictions, and have counseled thee, that thou has been delivered from all thine enemies, and thou hast been delivered from the powers of Satan and from darkness.

Nevertheless, thou are not excusable in thine transgressions, nevertheless, go thy way and sin no more.

So, Joseph Smith was lifted up out of his afflictions (salvation) and was delivered from all his enemies, AKA Satan.  What happened?  Why would he be saved from his afflictions and be delivered from his enemies only to now have to endure many afflictions?  I think the key is in the following verse which talks of his transgressions.  While the Lord is quick to forgive, he also knows that our transgressions hold us back from realizing a fullness of his blessings.  He knew Joseph Smith had transgressed and would continue to transgress.  Therefore, he pronounced that his afflictions would be many.  Our afflictions are not a necessary condition of this life.  However, because we are not quick to learn our lessons, we continue to have afflictions as a heavy school master, rather than take upon us the easy yoke and light burden of the Savior. 

It is also important to note that upon being lifted out of his afflictions, Joseph was then counseled by the Lord for the purpose of being delivered from his enemies.  What and where is that counsel?  I assert that all the counsel from the Lord is found in the revelations given to Joseph Smith, that it is also available to us.  The counsel for being delivered from all enemies, and all afflictions in this life, before we die, is found in all of the scriptures. 

Examples of this counsel received by Joseph Smith are as follows and will be followed by commentary at the bottom:

DC 8:4 Therefore this is thy ^agift; apply unto it, and blessed art thou, for it shall ^bdeliver you out of the hands of your ^cenemies, when, if it were not so, they would slay you and bring your soul to destruction. 5 Oh, remember these ^awords, and keep my commandments. Remember, this is your gift.8 Therefore, ^adoubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works; and NO POWER SHALL BE ABLE TO TAKE IT AWAY OUT OF YOUR HANDS, for it is the ^bwork of God. 10 Remember that without ^afaith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ^bask for that which you ought not.

D&C 38: 9 Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and THE ENEMY SHALL NOT OVERCOME.

D&C 42: 5 THAT YOUR ^AENEMIES MAY NOT HAVE POWER OVER YOU; that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws; that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people.

 6 Behold, I say unto you, that ye must ^avisit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen.

D&C 54:3  And IF YOUR BRETHREN DESIRE TO ESCAPE THEIR ENEMIES, let them repent of all their sins, and become truly humble before me and contrite.

DC 76:61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, WHO SHALL SUBDUE ALL ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET.

DC 103: 6 Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, BEGIN TO ^APREVAIL AGAINST MINE ^BENEMIES FROM THIS VERY HOUR.

 7 And by ^ahearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, THEY SHALL NEVER CEASE TO PREVAIL until the ^bkingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is ^cgiven unto the saints, to ^dpossess it forever and ever.

 8 But inasmuch as they ^akeep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them.

 9 For they were set to be a ^alight unto the world, and to be the ^bsaviors of men;

 10 And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as ^asalt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

DC 63 31 And if by blood, AS YOU ARE FORBIDDEN TO SHED BLOOD, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive an inheritance.

DC 98:31 Nevertheless, THINE ENEMY IS IN THINE HANDS; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, THINE ENEMY IS IN THINE HANDS and thou art justified.

The keys for obtaining this power over our enemies and for avoiding unnecessary suffering and for avoiding unnecessary difficulty and to really have it easier, per the Savior’s many promises, are as follows:

1.      “Remember these ^awords, and keep my commandments.  Doubt not, no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands”   What commandments?  Any that come from Jesus Christ.  If we are not sure, we can always refer back to the two great commandments.  Doubt not, means to not waver, to be steadfast, always abounding in good works.  When the firestorm comes, and when we have setbacks or failures, we must not doubt or give up.  Continue to call upon his name for as long as it takes.   No power (no enemy) can overcome us.

2.      Without ^afaith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith,  Faith is the opposite of doubt, fear, worry and all negative and defeating emotions.  Faith cannot co-exist with doubt and fear.  All power to do all things is contingent on having faith.  If you doubt that you have faith, say to the Lord, “Lord, help thou my unbelief and lack of faith.”  By asking the Lord for his help with your unbelief, you are showing faith.  Persist.  Don’t give up.

3.      do not ^bask for that which you ought not.    We are all guilty of asking for that which we should not.  We ask for permission to consume something on our lusts, to indulge in an appetite, to put our trust in something that is man-made (the arm of flesh), to fear men more than to love God.  The old saying, “Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it.”, is very sage advice.   Our hearts know if something is really a righteous request.   Afflictions and unnecessary suffering come from not listening to our hearts, but listening to our logical minds and to the enticing of external forces.

4.       Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome.    When the ancients were in a relaxed position, they let their tunics or robes hang lose.  They were unprepared to run or engage in hard work.  To be able to be active, they had to gird up their loins, that is, tighten their robes around their hips and groins.  They had to be prepared.  This is a great promise.  The kingdom is ours and the enemy shall not overcome if we are prepared.  Prepared in what?  Prepared in being aware.  Not letting our guard down, not becoming apathetic, complacent, or “at ease in Zion”.   It is easy to think that all is well and to relax, to watch too much TV, to engage in too many amusements and recreation, to stay in a state of denial.  If we are always open to the promptings of the spirit and if we are ready for the truth, no matter how ugly, then our loins are girded up and the enemy shall not overcome.

5.      that ye must ^avisit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief,  This is directly related to overcoming our enemies and of course, it is the second great commandment.  We are guilty of ignoring the needs of others.   We are guilty of not diligently seeking the best interests of our neighbor.  And as such, we are not entitled to overcoming our enemy, the author of suffering.   When we do it unto the least of our brethren, we are doing it unto Jesus and we have access to his power.  The first law of heaven is not obedience, it is love and service.   The obedience piece comes naturally, if we render service and love.

6.     And if your brethren desire to escape their enemies, let them repent of all their sins, and become truly humble before me and contrite.   Constant and unrelenting repentance.  We are perpetual sinners who require perpetual repentance.  Jesus Christ desires that we “sin no more” or that we commit no more transgressions.  But, like Joseph Smith, he knows we will transgress and that we will bring upon ourselves afflictions.  All he asks is that we learn from our afflictions so that we are not like “dogs who return to their own vomit” and continue to repeat the same mistakes.  But, as we do repeat the same mistakes, he is quick to forgive and will help lift us out of our afflictions if we become humble and contrite.  The key is to voluntarily become humble and contrite.  At this point, I would like to tell a personal story.  A few days ago, I felt a strong prompting to fast.   I had not fasted for a long time and decided to fast not for any particular crisis, but because I wanted to voluntarily become humble.   Shortly after I began my fast, my pregnant wife had a medical emergency which required we rush her to the hospital.  They said that she was close to death and that they needed to do a cesarean section immediately to save both her and the baby.  She and the baby are now doing reasonably well, although the baby  weighs less than 3 pounds.  The spirit whispered to me that I had voluntarily chosen to humble myself through this fast (the easy yoke), before being compelled to be humble after the emergency took place (the heavy burden).  This was key to our being able to overcome the enemy, the author of suffering.  Even with the fast, I was cranky and in a bad mood and although humbled, I was not beyond my human weaknesses.  Jesus loves me and continues to bless me in spite of my weaknesses, as long as I recognize them and continue to repent. 

7.       Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.  To glory in man is to trust the arm of flesh.  It is trusting only the science and technology of man.  There is a tendency to draw near to God with our lips, but our hearts are far from him because we really believe that the solution to our problems lies in man-made resources.   It is trusting the 5 senses first, and then, maybe, trusting the 6^th sense or the spiritual world.  The key to subduing all enemies, and the afflictions that they produce, is to glory in God.  Recognizing that all good things come from him and then trusting that he will subdue our enemies, or in other words, deliver us from them.

8.      Begin to ^aprevail against mine ^benemies from this very hour.  And by ^ahearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail.  Again, this is similar to obeying his commandments.  Those who are true followers of Christ, receive constant revelation, promptings and instructions.  Obeying those promptings which are often subtle, requires much hearkening, that is, sharp hearing.  So, hearkening is not so much about obeying but more about being in tune, having ears to hear.  Observing to do is more about obeying, once the prompting is heard.  Joseph and many followers of Christ find it difficult to “hearken and observe to do” and therefore, they don’t always prevail against their enemies.

9.     For they were set to be a ^alight unto the world, and to be the ^bsaviors of men; And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as ^asalt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.    What does it mean to be saviors of men?  Ultimately, it means to be of service to them and to “strengthen our brethren”.   We are literally to be a light and show the contrast between light and darkness.  If we fail to do this, then we are not following the Savior’s commandments and we have no promise of protection from our enemies.  We will be trodden under foot because we have lost our savor.  We had been given these truths and failed to respond.  Now, we are not walking on the broad path, we are the broad path upon which the rest of the world walks!  We will be subject to all of the many atrocities and suffering that the enemy is capable of dishing out.  It is failure to be saviors of men and to be a light that has led to the painful persecutions, loss of civil rights, rapes and bloodshed experienced by the early Mormons and by other Christians.  Again, Jesus is not asking us to suffer like him.  He did the suffering so we would not have to.  He has promised us victory over our enemies if we do it his way.

10. And if by blood, as you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive an inheritance.

Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.

Last, but not least!  “You are forbidden to shed blood”.  Why did the Lord tell Joseph Smith that?  Was that a special and temporary commandment that only applied to certain circumstances?  I declare that it was unconditional and universal.  It is the very essence of the doctrine of Jesus Christ.  In this declaration, Jesus then tells Joseph and the Mormons that if they do shed blood, “ye shall be scourged from city to city” and “your enemies are upon you”.   In other words, his promises of protection from his enemies no longer apply. 

The next verse seems to be a contradiction.  “Thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.”  However, at no time does the Lord specifically say that bloodshed is justified.  Rewarding him according to his works is justified.  What does that mean?  When the enemy is in our hands, it means that we are not victims.   The hand is a symbol of power.  The enemy is in our power.  To reward them according to their works is to allow the natural law of cause and effect to take place.  If their works are evil, their reward will be evil according to that law.  Under the law of cause and effect, they reap what they sow.  In other words, they punish themselves.  The same judgment that they meted shall be meted out to them.  The follower of Jesus Christ rewards them according to their works by removing from them the protection from their master, Satan.  Satan has been able to allow the wicked to do unrighteous works with impunity, freedom from consequences.  They follow Satan because he gives them total freedom and power to do what they want in this world, without any penalty.  When Jesus delivers our enemies into our hands, they are now exempt from Satan’s protection and must now pay for their sins, which payment is awful and incomprehensible.  Their freedom to commit evil is still there, but it is no longer without consequence.  In effect, the wicked punish the wicked by having their evil works turned against them.

Remember, all suffering can be traced back to its source, the adversary, the wicked one, the devil, Satan and his followers.  Even suffering caused by natural disasters can be traced back to the enemy of Jesus Christ as natural disasters are not the result of random events or acts of a righteous God.  Rather, the enemies of righteousness have learned how to manipulate and control the elements through technology and through dark powers. 

Let me put it another way.  Everything we know about the behavior of Jesus Christ demonstrates love and mercy.  He calmed the elements and they responded out of love for him.  He taught us to love one another, even our enemies.  He never advocated wars, plagues, famine, earthquakes or whirlwinds as a means for punishment.  He predicted they would happen but he did not cause them to happen.  He never rejected anybody who sought a blessing from him if their request was sincere and because they believed on him.  He rejected hypocrisy and bloodshed.  He advocated justice only after mercy had failed and then justice meant that the wicked punished themselves, neither Jesus nor his father were or are the authors of destruction and bloodshed. He taught us how to be delivered from our enemies and how to have power over them so that they could do us no harm and so we would not be required to shed their blood in self defense.   In summary, Jesus represents everything that Satan does not.  Jesus’ works were for salvation and redemption, not destruction and punishment.  JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD SO THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO SHED BLOOD.

“I promised that your journey would be easy and your burdens light and that it would be worth it, IF you do it my way.”