God the Father never says that He is proud of His Son, Jesus Christ. At least we have no record in any scripture
of the Father saying so. At the baptism,
the voice of the Father proclaimed Jesus with the words, “This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
Similar words are recorded by Mark (1:11) and also by Luke (3:22). Some time later, at the Mount of
Transfiguration, the Father introduced His Son, once more with the same words.
Following the crucifixion and resurrection, the Father heralded
His Son again, as Jesus Christ descended to teach an assemblage of believers in
ancient America. He used these words:
Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I
have glorified my name—hear ye him. (3 Nephi 11:7)
There is a pattern here in what is not said and what is said. Instead of an expression of pride, the Father
expresses His love for His Son and His joy in what Jesus has accomplished,
including bringing glory to the Father through His mortal ministry. No one ever honored his father more than
Jesus honors the Father, and no one ever loved a son more than the Father loves
His beloved Son.
It is not that the Father’s love exceeds and envelopes
pride. Pride has no part in the Father’s
love, for His son or for us. There is no
scriptural account, ancient or modern, of either Jesus or the Father expressing
pride in anyone, not in Abraham, not in Moses, not in David, not in Peter or
any of the Apostles, or in any prophet, ancient or modern.
The perfect love of our Heavenly Father and of His Son, Jesus
Christ, does not exceed pride; it overpowers it. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus
prayed to the Father, one of the holiest prayers of which we know. The prayer was witnessed by His Apostles and reported
by John. The Son concluded His profound prayer
to the Father with this request, “that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may
be in them” (John 17:26). Could anyone hope
for anything greater? The Father hears
His Son and grants His requests, including the Son’s plea that the Father extend
to us the same perfect love.
In comparison, the Lord has nothing good to say about pride,
not a positive word in the thousands of pages of His scriptures. He does say much to warn us about pride,
because it is the opposite of love. A
modern day prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, described pride this way:
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and
enmity toward our fellowmen. . . . We
are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. The proud make every man their adversary . .
.
Much evil flows out from pride. Only good extends from the love of God.
I neither claim nor express any pride in my sons and
daughters. I am, however, well pleased
by all of them, personally. Each is
beloved by me and by their mother. They often
observe the Savior’s admonition, “Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew
5:16) No pride is there, but much
goodness as they take the gifts they have received from the Father and bless
others with them.
