| Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Harriet, arrive at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. | 1 / 7 |
One of the great lessons from the last week of Jesus Christ’s life is the power of expectations.
In a devotional address at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked students a question about the ancients who witnessed Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem: “They were filled with eager anticipation — but were they anticipating the right things?”
The fact that their deliverer ended up on a cross confused Christ’s followers. But hindsight helps us see what His real mission was.
“Descending from the cross and saving Himself would have been impressive, and it may have persuaded some that He was more than a human being, perhaps even the Son of God,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “But the fact that He chose to walk the winepress alone and bring the ultimate sacrifice to the divine altar to rescue all of God’s children, even though He had power to save Himself, has become the supernal witness that He is indeed the Son of God — submissive to His Father’s will and committed to fulfilling His Father’s plan of salvation to the last breath.”
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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks to BYU students at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.Don’t judge too harshly those disciples “who were genuinely puzzled by this unexpected Messiah,” said Elder Uchtdorf, borrowing a phrase from Elizabeth Pool’s 1961 book, “The Unexpected Messiah.”
In fact, the Apostle taught us to consider this aspect of Christ’s life a model for our own when things don’t make sense.
“What do we do when the beautiful, universal, eternal ideals of the gospel clash with the painful, individual, mortal realities of life?” Elder Uchtdorf asked. “There are at least two things you should remember: Never give up on the ideal, and don’t disregard the real. Accept both.”
Elder Uchtdorf taught us to see reality through the framework in the books of Isaiah and Ecclesiastes.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55 8–9).
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven, and you are on earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:2, NIV).
Just as things look smaller from a higher elevation, “God invites us to follow His way to a higher and holier perspective,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “You will see the world and its challenges with different eyes. You will see things in the context of the whole creation and the plan of salvation. You will get a more complete and encompassing insight — in a way that is not possible when you are in the thick of things.”
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Students listen to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.Elder Uchtdorf said the simple practices of scripture study, daily prayer, and weekly worship help us elevate our perspective. And, he added, Holy Week is an appropriate time to consider our relationship with Christ by asking these questions:
- Will I show Jesus Christ I want Him to be my King?
- Will I invite Jesus Christ to have His triumphal entry into my life?
- Will I allow Jesus Christ to change my heart, to lift my vision, and to teach me His higher and holier ways?