True Discipleship When the Doctrine is Hard
Staying when the message is difficult.
True discipleship is not forged in times of ease but revealed in the furnace of confusion, discomfort, and sacrifice. It is in moments when God’s commandments clash with our understanding, or when His doctrines stretch beyond the limits of our reasoning, that the quality of our discipleship is most clearly manifest.
“This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
In John 6, the Savior offers a doctrine so jarring, so offensive to the natural mind, that many who had once followed him walked away. They had followed Him for His miracles, His wisdom, and even for bread—but not for this. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (v. 53). To the hearer unacquainted with spiritual symbolism, this was grotesque. To the faithful, it was a test.
Jesus does not soften the blow. He does not apologize. Instead, He turns to the Twelve and asks, “Will ye also go away?” It is the question of the ages—asked not only then, but now.
Peter’s response embodies true discipleship:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Even without full understanding, Peter chooses to stay—because he knew who Jesus is, even if he doesn’t fully understand what Jesus is saying.
The Higher Law – “But I Say Unto You”
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17–48) is another proving ground. Jesus confronts the religious status quo—not by negating the law, but by transcending it. He says, “Ye have heard that it was said…” and then lifts the bar: “But I say unto you…”
He was not simply giving a new law. He was revealing a higher one—one rooted in the heart, in the Spirit, in inward transformation. This would require faith, humility, and submission from a people trained to revere Moses. To follow Christ in this higher law was to surrender not only one’s will, but one’s religious comfort zone. Many could not.
Faith Before Understanding
In Hebrews 11, we read of men and women who acted before the understanding came:
- Abraham went out “not knowing whither he went.”
- Noah built an ark “by faith, being warned of God of things not seen as yet.”
- Moses forsook Egypt, “enduring, as seeing him who is invisible.”
- And Adam “made all things known unto his sons and his daughters,” having first obeyed “not knowing the reason,” until an angel declared, “This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten.”
Obedience precedes understanding. This is the pattern of discipleship.
Where Do You Stand?
Today, the Lord still issues commandments and doctrines that may stretch our understanding—gender roles, prophetic counsel, the law of chastity, Tithing, the Word of Wisdom, the restored doctrine of priesthood keys, or even modern policies and procedures. Each generation of Saints must face their own version of “Will ye also go away?”
True discipleship is not measured by how much we agree with—it is measured by who we trust when we don’t yet understand.
The Call of Joshua
Joshua’s cry is still the cry of covenant discipleship:
“Choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
It is a declaration of loyalty. Not to every whim of culture. Not to popular opinion. Not to what is easy. But to Jesus Christ, His gospel, and His authorized servants, even when the message is hard.
Will You Stay?
In a world where many are walking away from faith, from commandments they cannot reconcile with current views, from prophets they do not understand—will you stay?
Will you echo Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Will you trust that He has the words of eternal life, even when they offend your sensibilities or stretch your understanding?
True discipleship is found in staying—not because you have all the answers—but because you know the voice of the Shepherd, and you will follow wherever He leads.