One hundred and sixty-three years ago today, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were shot and killed in jail in Carthage Jail at Carthage, Illinois. Willard Richards and future prophet John Taylor were with them. Taylor was wounded, while Richards escaped harm. I cannot express in adequate words the events of that day, and so I will not try. I will, however, provide you with a link to an Ensign article describing what happened.
One of the things I most struggled with when I joined the church was my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Indeed, I was baptized without a confirmation of his divine appointment. But I did have a strong testimony of three other important things: that families could be sealed for all eternity, that the Book of Mormon came from God, and that President Gordon B. Hinckley was a prophet of God. These three things were the fruit of what Joseph taught, which was enough for me. After all, Joseph could not have translated the Book of Mormon without divine assistance; a living prophet could not exist if the church had not truly been restored by Joseph; and the doctrines Joseph taught could not have been true had he not served the Lord.
Over the years, these three things formed the frame of my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ultimate foundation all were built upon was Christ; I knew in all ways these things served our Savior. And so I never particularly sought a testimony of the prophet, because I had a testimony of his works, of the fruit he bore.
As I sat and pondered what I should write regarding his death, I realized that I do, in fact, have a testimony of the prophet that has been ten years in the making. In my daily interactions with the gospel, in the varied things I have learned about Joseph Smith, my testimony has grown bit by bit. I never sat down and wrestled with the Lord regarding the subject. Indeed, this must be how many people born into the church have their testimony grow – line upon line.
So I can truly say that I have a testimony of the prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that he served the Lord while he was on the earth, and I know he restored Christ’s church in this dispensation. I know he was a man, and like all men, he made mistakes. But I truly believe he sought to serve the Lord in all he did.
Sometimes I wonder if the greatest testimony of Joseph’s faith came in and through his martyrdom. Had he built up the church for money (although the church struggled financially) or power (though he never accomplished much in worldly terms, nor set himself up as a lord or tyrant), then the structure would have crumbled with his death. And what kind of a person gives himself up to die for selfish goals? None. Joseph Smith surrendered himself to the militia mob because he knew that he was doing the Lord’s work, and was ready to return home to his Heavenly Father. The members of the church also knew that the Lord’s work must continue, must not be stopped by the death of even the prophet, and so they continued in faith. Yes, some fell away at this great atrocity, but many endured the trials that followed the martyrdom.
We are fortunate in this day and age to no longer worry about facing death because of our religious beliefs – at least, not in the United States. We are blessed with many freedoms, but surely this above all others. Should that ever change, we can only hope that we, too, would rather stand up for what we believe in and face even death instead of denying our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
So let us remember the Prophet Joseph this day. Even those who don’t believe he was called as a prophet must at least admire his willingness to die for what he believed in. As for me, the Holy Ghost has told me, in many different ways, that he truly was called of God.
Related Articles:
Joseph Smith: Prophet, Seer, and Revelator