Finding Christ

Share

My sister worked briefly a few years back with the children's Sunday School in our congregation. She told me one day about a fascinating experience involving one of the young boys who taught me a lesson even though he was too young to know much of anything at all. This is Wyatt's Tale.

As she recounts it, the topic of the day was about personalities in the scriptures. Eventually it became Wyatt's turn to tell everyone who his favorite character was from the Old Testament. Wyatt was maybe five years old at the time, but in any case was young enough that he was barely old enough to be in the group and couldn't read the scriptures by himself if he wanted to. Without any hesitation, in his tiny boy voice, he cheerfully announced his favorite Old Testament character: "Jesus!" My sister paused. She realized that although he doesn't appear per se with that name, the Old Testament truly is about Jesus.

Jesus really does appear in all the scriptures. It is the tale of the atonement that stretches through the pages of the holy scriptures, of how God would send his only begotten son, Jesus Christ as he would be called in Greek, to help men return to the presence of God after their sins and transgressions. Not only does he appear, but he is also the central character. Even after His brief appearances in the New Testament, and leading up to it throughout the old, the prophets and apostles have spoken and written about Him since the beginning of the story told in Genesis.

A friend of mine tells of an experience that illustrates how hard it is for people who read the scriptures to find Christ. He placed a series of pictures, figures, and artifacts representing scriptural stories and figures into a sack and then asked members of his Seminary class to reach in, withdraw an item and then explain its significance to the class. Everyone reached in, withdrew an item and told of people and places and events that everyone else at least cursarily knew. When the last person reached in, he reported that the bag was empty. My friend told him there was one more item, but that it was at the bottom. It was a 4"x6" reprint of a painting of Jesus. My friend pointed out how strange it was to him that we could read the scriptures allegedly with real intent and still miss the Savior.

If you read the scriptures and miss the message of the Messiah, you kind of miss the point. The prophets have written to testify of the Savior, to turn people's hearts to Him and to prepare their minds for when He would come. How important is it therefore that all these things be made manifest to all the children of men that they may know that no man may dwell in the presence of God except through the atonement and merits and mercy of Christ who will make intercession for all the children of men.

Wyatt taught me something that Sunday. Sure, I have my favorite stories, prophets, and events, but as long as I'm not focusing on the Savior, I miss the point of the scriptures. They exist to show men to what source they may look to receive eternal life. Too often, we get caught up in our mortal life, in its thrills, its frills, its rewards, its pains, and miss the fact that those who believe in Christ might with surety hope for a better world, not just here, but in eternity wherever, however, and with whomever we find ourselves after we shuffle off our mortal coil. We let that coil hold us back instead of allowing Christ to propel us forward.

As we read our scriptures, attend our worship meetings, and talk with our friends about what matters most, may we find Christ. Sometimes we may have to reach deeper and think harder, but the prophets teach us that since all things testify of God and His plan to redeem us through a Messiah that all those who seek shall find and rest shall be their reward. I testify that there is a point to this life, that we exist because God willed that it so be. I testify that there is a Christ who will make intercession for all those who learn of Him and serve Him and look to Him through their lives for correction and direction. I testify that the prophets wrote to testify of Christ and His mission, merits, and mercies. I promise you that as you seek Him, you will find Him, and that He will strengthen your feeble knees, hold you up when you are weak and uphold you at the last day. Jesus is my favorite person in the Scriptures, and I hope He will also be yours.