“The Lord Your God . . . Knoweth the Weakness of Man and How to Succor Them Who Are Tempted”
Doctrine and Covenants 62:1
1 Behold, and hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.
Elder Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjödahl wrote:
“Our Lord addresses the elders as their advocate [compare D&C 29:5], who knoweth the weakness of man, and how to succor those who are tempted. He suffered temptation. Not only did He pass through two great crises—one at the beginning of His ministry, in the desert, and one at its close, in Gethsemane—but His entire life on Earth was a trial, such as no other human being can comprehend. Can we imagine a man with an unstained character, pure, refined, unselfish, and beautiful in soul, compelled to live, for some time, in association with fellow-beings the very opposite of all this—morally crippled and deformed, full of bigotry, hatred, selfishness? If so, we can vaguely understand some of the sufferings of our Lord while on this earth. But, thank God! because of the temptations He endured, He can sympathize with His brethren and plead their cause. Someone has well said, ‘By His passion, He acquired compassion.’”
(The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. [1951], 371.)
