“Chapter 1: Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Thomas S. Monson (2020)

“Chapter 1,” Teachings: Thomas S. Monson

Chapter 1

Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer

“Jesus is the Savior of the world. He is the Redeemer of all mankind. He is the Son of God. He showed the way.”

From the Life of Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson was called to be a “special [witness] of the name of Christ in all the world” at the young age of 36 (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23). For more than five decades, in public and private settings throughout the world, he witnessed of the Savior’s divine mission. He taught powerfully about the Savior’s atoning sacrifice—His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross, and the offering of His life. He testified of the reality of the Resurrection—of the Savior’s victory over death and how it ensures everlasting life for all and brings comfort and peace. Echoing the Savior’s words to Lazarus, President Monson testified that as we “come forth” from sin and disbelief, the Savior will change our very hearts and natures (John 11:43).

“[Jesus Christ] is a teacher of truth—but He is more than a teacher,” President Monson said. “He is the Exemplar of the perfect life—but He is more than an exemplar. He is the Great Physician—but He is more than a physician. He is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel, even the risen Lord, who declared: ‘Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. … I am the light and the life of the world’ [3 Nephi 11:10–11]. ‘I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father’ [Doctrine and Covenants 110:4].

“As His witness, I testify to you that He lives and that through Him, we too shall live.”¹

Jesus Christ “is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel.”

Teachings of Thomas S. Monson

In Gethsemane, Jesus Christ suffered “both body and spirit” to atone for our sins.

We know that we lived before our birth into mortality. In our premortal state, we were doubtless among the sons and daughters of God who shouted for joy because of the opportunity to come to this challenging yet necessary mortal existence [see Job 38:4–7]. We knew that our purpose was to gain a physical body, to overcome trials, and to prove that we would keep the commandments of God. Our Father knew that because of the nature of mortality, we would be tempted, would sin, and would fall short. So that we might have every chance of success, He provided a Savior, who would suffer and die for us. Not only would He atone for our sins, but as a part of that Atonement, He would also overcome the physical death to which we would be subject because of the Fall of Adam.

Thus, more than 2,000 years ago, Christ, our Savior, was born to mortal life in a stable in Bethlehem. The long-foretold Messiah had come.

There was very little written of the boyhood of Jesus. I love the passage from Luke: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” [Luke 2:52]. And from the book of Acts, there is a short phrase concerning the Savior which has a world of meaning: “[He] went about doing good” [Acts 10:38].

He was baptized by John in the river Jordan. He called the Twelve Apostles. He blessed the sick. He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. He taught, He testified, and He provided a perfect example for us to follow.

And then the mortal mission of the Savior of the world drew to its close. A last supper with His Apostles took place in an upper room. Ahead lay Gethsemane and Calvary’s cross.

No mere mortal can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane. He Himself later described the experience: “[The] suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” [Doctrine and Covenants 19:18].²

No relating of a prayer touches me so deeply as the prayer offered by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I believe Luke describes it best:

“He … went … to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

“And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” [Luke 22:39–44].³

At the last moment, He could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things. In doing so, He gave us life beyond this mortal existence. He reclaimed us from the Fall of Adam.

To the depths of my very soul, I am grateful to Him.⁴

Jesus Christ was crucified and then resurrected, gaining victory over death and securing our salvation.

Following the agony of Gethsemane, now drained of strength, [Jesus] was seized by rough, crude hands and taken before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. He was accused and cursed. Vicious blows further weakened His pain-racked body. Blood ran down His face as a cruel crown fashioned of sharp thorns was forced onto His head, piercing His brow. And then once again He was taken to Pilate, who gave in to the cries of the angry mob: “Crucify him, crucify him” [Luke 23:21].

He was scourged with a whip into whose multiple leather strands sharp metals and bones were woven. Rising from the cruelty of the scourge, with stumbling steps He carried His own cross until He could go no farther and another shouldered the burden for Him.

Finally, on a hill called Calvary, while helpless followers looked on, His wounded body was nailed to a cross. Mercilessly He was mocked and cursed and derided. And yet He cried out, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” [Luke 23:34].

The agonizing hours passed as His life ebbed. From His parched lips came the words, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” [Luke 23:46]. … His lifeless body was hurriedly but gently placed in a borrowed tomb.

No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel:

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen” [Luke 24:5–6].

Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. …

The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” [Job 14:14]. To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” [1 Corinthians 15:21–22].⁵

“Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death.”

The Savior’s Resurrection provides peace and comfort.

Over the years I have heard and read testimonies too numerous to count, shared with me by individuals who testify of the reality of the Resurrection and who have received, in their hours of greatest need, the peace and comfort promised by the Savior.

I will mention just part of one such account. [Some time] ago I received a touching letter from a father of seven who wrote about his family and, in particular, his son Jason, who had become ill when 11 years of age. Over the next few years, Jason’s illness recurred several times. This father told of Jason’s positive attitude and sunny disposition, despite his health challenges. Jason received the Aaronic Priesthood at age 12 and “always willingly magnified his responsibilities with excellence, whether he felt well or not.” He received his Eagle Scout Award when he was 14 years old.

[One] summer, not long after Jason’s 15th birthday, he was once again admitted to the hospital. On one of his visits to see Jason, his father found him with his eyes closed. Not knowing whether Jason was asleep or awake, he began talking softly to him. “Jason,” he said, “I know you have been through a lot in your short life and that your current condition is difficult. Even though you have a giant battle ahead, I don’t ever want you to lose your faith in Jesus Christ.” He said he was startled as Jason immediately opened his eyes and said, “Never!” in a clear, resolute voice. Jason then closed his eyes and said no more.

His father wrote: “In this simple declaration, Jason expressed one of the most powerful, pure testimonies of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard. … As his declaration of ‘Never!’ became imprinted on my soul that day, my heart filled with joy that my Heavenly Father had blessed me to be the father of such a tremendous and noble boy. … [It] was the last time I heard him declare his testimony of Christ.”

Although his family was expecting this to be just another routine hospitalization, Jason passed away less than two weeks later. An older brother and sister were serving missions at the time. Another brother, Kyle, had just received his mission call. In fact, the call had come earlier than expected, and … just a week before Jason’s passing, the family gathered in his hospital room so that Kyle’s mission call could be opened there and shared with the entire family.

In his letter to me, this father included a photograph of Jason in his hospital bed, with his big brother Kyle standing beside the bed, holding his mission call. This caption was written beneath the photograph: “Called to serve their missions together—on both sides of the veil.”

Jason’s brother and sister already serving missions sent beautiful, comforting letters home to be shared at Jason’s funeral. His sister, serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission, as part of her letter, wrote:

“I know that Jesus Christ lives, and because He lives, all of us, including our beloved Jason, will live again too. … We can take comfort in the sure knowledge we have that we have been sealed together as an eternal family. … If we do our very best to obey and do better in this life, we will see [him again].”

She continued: “[A] scripture that I have long loved now takes on new significance and importance at this time. … [From] Revelation chapter 21, verse 4: ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’”

My beloved brothers and sisters, in our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning: “He is not here: for he is risen” [Matthew 28:6].

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory!
[“He Is Risen!” Hymns, no. 199]

As one of His special witnesses on earth today, … I declare that this is true.⁶

Jesus Christ can change us as we follow Him.

As you and I walk the pathway Jesus walked, let us listen for the sound of sandaled feet. Let us reach out for the Carpenter’s hand. Then we shall come to know Him. … He speaks to us the … words, “Follow thou me,” and sets us to the task which He has to fulfill for our time. He commands, and to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings that they shall pass through in His fellowship; and they shall learn in their own experience who He is.

We discover He is more than the Babe in Bethlehem, more than the carpenter’s son, more than the greatest teacher ever to live. We come to know Him as the Son of God. He never fashioned a statue, painted a picture, wrote a poem, or led an army. He never wore a monarch’s crown or held a scepter or threw around His shoulder a purple robe. His forgiveness was unbounded, His patience inexhaustible, His courage without limit.

Jesus changed men. He changed their habits, their opinions, their ambitions. He changed their tempers, their dispositions, their natures. He changed men’s hearts.

One thinks of the fisherman called Simon, better known to you and to me as Peter, chief among the Apostles. Doubting, disbelieving, impetuous Peter was to remember the night when Jesus was led away to the high priest. This was the night when the throng “began to spit on [the Savior], and to cover his face, … to buffet him, … and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.” (Mark 14:65.)

Where was Peter, who had promised to die with Him and never to deny Him? The sacred record reveals, “And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.” (Mark 14:54.) That was the night when Peter, in fulfillment of the Master’s prophecy, did indeed deny Him thrice. Amidst the pushing, the jeers, and the blows, the Lord, in the agony of His humiliation, in the majesty of His silence, turned and looked upon Peter.

As one chronicler described the change, “It was enough. … [Peter] knew no more danger, he feared no more death. … [He] rushed … into the night … to meet the morning dawn. … This broken-hearted penitent [stood] before the tribunal of his own conscience, and there his old life, his old shame, his old weakness, his old self was doomed to that death of godly sorrow which was to issue in a new and a nobler birth.” (Frederic W. Farrar, The Life of Christ, Portland, Oreg.: Fountain Publications, 1964, p. 604.)

Then there was Saul of Tarsus [later called Paul]. … One day he met Jesus, and behold, all things became new. From that day to the day of his death, Paul urged men to “put off … the old man” and to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph. 4:22, 24.)

The passage of time has not altered the capacity of the Redeemer to change men’s lives. As He said to the dead Lazarus, so He says to you and me: “Come forth.” (John 11:43.) Come forth from the despair of doubt.

Come forth from the sorrow of sin. Come forth from the death of disbelief. Come forth to a newness of life. Come forth.

As we do, and direct our footsteps along the paths that Jesus walked, let us remember the testimony Jesus gave: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. … I am the light and … life of the world.” (3 Ne. 11:10–11.) “I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.” (D&C 110:4.)⁷

Our Savior’s heart is filled with love.

In our sacrament meetings we frequently sing the hymn:

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. …

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. 
[“I Stand All Amazed,” Hymns, no. 193]

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me and the love Jesus offers you. I think of the love he provided in Gethsemane. I think of the love he provided in the wilderness. I think of the love he provided at the tomb of Lazarus; of the love he demonstrated on Golgotha’s hill, at the open tomb, and, yes, when he appeared in that sacred grove with his Father and spoke those memorable words to Joseph Smith. I thank God for his love in sharing his Only Begotten Son in the flesh, even Jesus Christ, for you and me. I thank the Lord for the love he demonstrated by providing his life, that we might have life eternal.

… Jesus is the Savior of the world. He is the Redeemer of all mankind. He is the Son of God. He showed the way. You may recall that Jesus filled his mind with truth; Jesus filled his life with service; Jesus filled his heart with love. When we follow that example … and literally fill our minds with truth, fill our lives with service, and fill our hearts with love, we may qualify to hear one day that statement of our Savior, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21).⁸

Suggestions for Study and Teaching

Questions

Ponder President Monson’s teachings about the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane (see section 1). What are your feelings as you reflect on the Savior’s sacrifice for you? What can we learn from the Savior’s prayer in Gethsemane?
President Monson said the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is “the most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history” (section 2). What blessings come to us because of the Savior’s Resurrection?
What can we learn from President Monson’s story in section 3? How has the reality of the Resurrection helped you feel “the peace and comfort promised by the Savior”?
President Monson emphasized that Jesus can change us (see section 4). What must we do so the Savior can change us? How has your life been changed by Him?
Review President Monson’s teachings about the Savior showing His love (see section 5). When have you felt the Savior’s love for you? How can we more fully recognize the love Jesus offers us? How can we show our love and gratitude for Him? How can we “fill our hearts with love”?

Related Scriptures

Isaiah 25:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; 2 Nephi 25:12; Mosiah 15:18; Alma 5:48; 38:9; 3 Nephi 27:27; Doctrine and Covenants 88:15–16; 93:33–34

Teaching Help

“Sincere expressions of Christlike love have great power to soften the hearts of [those] who are struggling with the gospel. Often these individuals simply need to know they are needed and loved. … It could be something as simple as asking them to participate in an upcoming lesson—to share an experience or feelings about a scripture” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way [2016], 9).