A paradox is a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or even absurd but, in reality, expresses a truth.
You may have noticed a few paradoxes in the scriptures. First, of course, are the obvious ones: Those who can see are blind, yet the blind can see. Those who can hear are deaf, yet the deaf can hear. Those who are hungry and thirsty hunger and thirst not. Kings and conquerors of men won’t inherit the earth; the meek will have this honor. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first, while the act of losing one’s life is what will save it. And the list of paradoxes goes on and on.
As we search the scriptures, we discover some much more subtle paradoxes, hidden in plain view. Jesus Christ’s life is full of absurd contradictions, starting with His birth. The creator of the world, the King of kings, was born not in a castle or palace as one would suppose; instead, He made His entrance in a stable among common farm animals. He was not bestowed with jewels or riches during His earthly sojourn but lived a scant, meager, obscure life. He, the creator of all things, was not treated as royalty. No, instead, men despised Him. He, God’s only begotten son, appeared as a poor, lowly man from an unremarkable part of the world, a man who washed the feet of simple fishermen—which, it should be noted, is a powerful paradox (the greatest among us is the least).
In His final hours of mortal life, He was illegally taken at night and dragged into a sham court. He mounted no defense. Though innocent, He was sentenced to death. He could have called down the armies of heaven, but He did not. Instead, He submitted and subjected Himself to the wrongful judgment of unrighteous men and the cruelest form of execution. In that hour, when outwardly it appeared all was lost, He pleaded, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). At that grim moment in time, we discover the greatest of all paradoxes. It is only by the sacrifice and death of the Savior that humanity has eternal life and will live forever.
As we follow Jesus Christ (see John 13:15), our lives may appear paradoxical to those around us, as did the life of the Savior. Some may mistake spiritual attributes as a weakness, but we gain spiritual strength and power through humility, meekness, temperance, and submission to our Heavenly Father’s will—not through our will. Although meekness may appear weakness to some, this paradox is the essence of any profound spiritual journey. And as we pass through the “eye of the needle,” we must unload our egos and earthly burdens to gain the most significant possessions of all—those things not tarnished over time and that last into the eternities.
May we have eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that believe. And may we lose—and consequently find—ourselves in following the example of our Savior.
