The following is part of an address shared by President Gordon B Hinckley nearly 20 years ago. He said: “When all is said and done, when all of history is examined, when the deepest depths of the human mind have been explored, nothing is so wonderful, so majestic, so tremendous as this act of grace when the Son of the Almighty, the Prince of His Father’s royal household, He who had once spoken as Jehovah, He who had condescended to come to earth as a babe born in Bethlehem, gave His life in ignominy and pain so that all of the sons and daughters of God of all generations of time, every one of whom must die, might walk again and live eternally. He did for us what none of us could do for ourselves.
I have a simple story I would like to recount. It is something of a parable. I do not have the name of the author. I hope it will be a reminder for all.”
“Years ago there was a little one-room schoolhouse where the boys were so rough that no teacher had been able to handle them. A young, inexperienced teacher applied, and the old director scanned him and asked: ‘Young fellow, do you know that you are asking for an awful beating? Every teacher that we have had here for years has had to take one.’
“‘I will risk it,’ he replied.
“The first day of school came, and the teacher appeared for duty. One big fellow named Tom whispered, ‘I won’t need any help with this one. I can lick him myself.’
“The teacher said, ‘Good morning, boys, we have come to conduct school.’ They yelled and made fun at the top of their voices. ‘Now, I want a good school, but I confess that I do not know how unless you help me. Suppose we have a few rules. You tell me, and I will write them on the blackboard.’
“One fellow yelled, ‘No stealing!’ Another yelled, ‘On time.’ Finally, 10 rules appeared on the blackboard.
“‘Now,’ said the teacher, ‘a law is not good unless there is a penalty attached. What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’
“‘Beat him across the back 10 times without his coat on,’ came the response from the class.
“‘That is pretty severe, boys. Are you sure that you are ready to stand by it?’ Another yelled, ‘I second the motion,’ and the teacher said, ‘All right, we will live by them! Class, come to order!’
“In a day or so, Big Tom found that his lunch had been stolen. The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about 10 years old. ‘We have found the thief and he must be punished according to your rule—10 stripes across the back. Jim, come up here!’ the teacher said.
“The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened up to his neck and pleaded, ‘Teacher, you can lick me as hard as you like, but please, don’t take my coat off!’
“‘Take your coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’
“‘Oh, teacher, don’t make me!’ He began to unbutton, and what did the teacher see? The boy had no shirt on, and revealed a bony little crippled body.
“‘How can I whip this child?’ he thought. ‘But I must, I must do something if I am to keep this school.’ Everything was quiet as death. ‘How come you aren’t wearing a shirt, Jim?’
“He replied, ‘My father died and my mother is very poor. I have only one shirt and she is washing it today, and I wore my brother’s big coat to keep me warm.’
“The teacher, with rod in hand, hesitated. Just then Big Tom jumped to his feet and said, ‘Teacher, if you don’t object, I will take Jim’s licking for him.’
“‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?’ Off came Tom’s coat, and after five strokes the rod broke! The teacher bowed his head in his hands and thought, ‘How can I finish this awful task?’ Then he heard the class sobbing, and what did he see? Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. ‘Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!’”
To lift a phrase from this simple story, Jesus, my Redeemer, has taken “my licking for me” and yours for you.
Declared the prophet Isaiah:
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: …
“… He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:4–5).
Even when Jesus’ disciples tried to dissuade Him ... so intent was He on fulfilling His mission for His Father and all of us, He reacted strongly as recorded in Mathew 16:21-23.
I picture all of Heavenly Father’s children, including Sister McDonald, myself and any reading this, together in a fort with Satan and all his followers outside the fort threatening to break down our gates and kill us all. We are very afraid. Satan sends a message that he will let us all go free if our Beloved Leader will come out to his evil followers so they can torture and take His life. Jesus Christ knew this was going to happen all along. So after praying to our Father in Heaven He walks alone, out the gate, out of the safety of the fort to those waiting to murder Him. Though Jesus’ entire life had been devoted to loving and serving those in need and living in strict obedience to His Father’s will His enemies carried out their wicked objective. He was a threat to their narrative and control over their fellow citizens.
Satan is a liar and wanted to destroy us as well. Heavenly Father won’t let him harm us physically but He allows the Wicked One and his followers to tempt us to do wrong and to join them in their soul-destroying cause. We need to stay inside the fort and not submit to Satan’s temptations to abandon it.
Our fort is not a structure as we might imagine one. Our place of safety, is the one we create and maintain by learning about Heavenly Father’s great plan, faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end; His great plan of peace and happiness for our brief time here and throughout the life to come.
The Saviour didn’t abandon us to maintain our fort alone. He miraculously resurrected, the first on earth ever to do so. He and the Father love us as individual children with all Their great hearts, might, mind and strength and stand ready to help us through all our challenges. We enable a greater measure of Their heavenly power when we pray in faith daily exercising faith in Christ’s atonement, learning of Him, regularly repenting of our sins, seeking to do as He did and gradually trying to become more like Him. If we do so we will be comfortable in His presence when we meet Him at the close of this life. If we recognize this as our life’s purpose we will receive God’s peace and greatest blessings throughout this life and the eternal life to follow.
Elder Bruce McDonald served 41 years as a fishery officer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He is the father of two sons and stepfather/grandfather to 34 more through his marriage to Sister Jana Hyer McDonald. He and his wife Sister McDonald currently serve as full-time Member and Leadership Support Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thompson.
