Nothing Wavering

I’ve been thinking today about the following observation by Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

True discipleship is unfailing commitment, obedience to eternal laws, and love of God, first and foremost. Nothing wavering. The multitude who paid tribute with palms hailed Him as the Messiah. That was exactly who He was. They were drawn to Him, His miracles, and His teachings. But the adulation for many did not last. Some who earlier had shouted, “Hosanna,” soon turned and cried, “Crucify him.”

“Hosanna to the Most High God,” General Conference, April 2023

It does appear from the accounts in the Gospels that public opinion in Jerusalem turned rapidly against Jesus during the last week of His life. If the adoring crowd who welcomed Him with palm leaves and the angry mob who demanded that Pilate crucify Him a few days later were both representative of the people generally, then in a matter of five days, His approval ratings in the city had plummeted.

We see this all the time. Public opinion can be fickle, but discipleship demands that we stand firm and avoid being driven and tossed about “like a wave of the sea” (James 1:6).

In Nephi’s account of his family’s journey from Jerusalem to the American continent, his brother Lemuel always follows the lead of their oldest brother, Laman. When Laman became angry, Lemuel became angry, “he hearkened unto the words of Laman” (1 Nephi 3:28). No wonder their father urged Lemuel to become more consistent and self-directed. “O that thou mightest be like unto this valley,” he said, “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!” (1 Nephi 2:10). The family camped in the valley of Lemuel for a long time, but there is no evidence in Nephi’s record that Lemuel made progress on resisting peer pressure from his older brother.

Today, I will strive to be steadfast in my discipleship of Jesus Christ. I will listen to the opinions of the people around me, but I will avoid being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14) by remembering the primacy of my commitment to follow the Savior.