The brother of Jared’s experience upon Mount Shelem is the perfect allegory for everything the living prophets and apostles have taught and now teach about the Temple and the home-centered, Church supported curriculum. Think of it. The purpose of the brother of Jared’s allegorical trip to the Temple wasn’t just to worship the Lord and commune with Him, or even just to see Him. The purpose of the brother of Jared’s sacred encounter with the Lord was to light the stones in order give light to the barges in order to cross the ocean in order to inherit the Promised Land and raise up seed unto the Lord, a righteous nation, the greatest nation on earth. What might the sixteen small stones that the Lord illuminated with the touch of His finger represent, especially if we compare the Jaredite barges to our homes, and the Promised Land to the Celestial Kingdom, Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father?
After the brother of Jared saw the spiritual finger of the Lord and fell to the earth, the Lord commanded him to arise and asked him why he had fallen. The brother of Jared replied that he saw the Lord’s finger and was afraid that the Lord would smite him, because he didn’t know that the Lord had flesh and blood. Imagine the faith of the brother of Jared who had often prayed to and communed with the Lord but didn’t know that he had a body. This reminds me of the faith of many of my fellow Christians who believe in God without knowing that He is a God with a body, parts, and passions. Their surprise may be like the surprise of the brother of Jared when they finally learn that God has a body.
It is also interesting that the brother of Jared thought that the finger of the Lord that he saw was of flesh and blood. The Lord’s Spirit Body was so real and substantive that the brother of Jared mistook it for flesh and blood. It is also apparent that the brother of Jared had deep respect and reverence before the Lord. He knew of the Lord’s power and he was even afraid that the Lord might smite him for his ignorance. Consider how the brother of Jared approached the Lord in humility, and how the brother of Jared was changed by his sacred encounter with the Lord:
O Lord, and do not be aangry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee
We know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are bunworthy before thee
Because of the cfall our dnatures have become evil continually
Thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been amerciful unto us
Look upon me in pity
Turn away thine anger from this thy people
I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood
As with many of the great revelations that we have received through prophets throughout time, the brother of Jared received much more than he originally bargained for. The brother of Jared hoped to resolve the problem of lighting the barges for their journey, but the Lord, who is ever eager to instruct those who come unto Him in faith, blessed the brother of Jared with much more than the solution to the problem of lighting the barges. Think of this same pattern in connection with the Prophet Joseph Smith who sought forgiveness for his sins and to know which Church to join. Joseph Smith was prepared to act upon the Lord’s answer and to follow whatever the Lord wanted him to do, and thus the Lord revealed unto Joseph Smith much more than that for which he originally asked. We see the same pattern with Nephi’s vision. The Lord has much more and much better answers than we have questions.
The Lord explained to the brother of Jared He would take upon Him aflesh and blood, and that no one had ever come before Him with bsuch exceeding faith as the brother of Jared had. The Lord explained that it was the exceeding faith of the brother of Jared that enabled him to see His finger. He then asked the brother of Jared if he had seen more than his finger. The brother of Jared waxed bold before the Lord, and answered:
One thing that I find remarkable about the brother of Jared’s bold request is that just moments before, he was trembling before the Lord for fear of being smitten. The closer that the brother of Jared drew to the Lord, the greater his confidence and faith in the Lord. Concerns about weakness, unworthiness, fallenness, and iniquity, and feelings of fear and doubt were banished after the brother of Jared arose and asked the Lord to show Himself unto him. Before the Lord could reveal Himself to the brother of Jared, however, the Lord asked him an important question:
This is a similar question to the question that the Spirit of the Lord posed to Nephi during the preparatory interview for a great vision:
And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what adesirest thou?
And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father asaw.
And the Spirit said unto me: aBelievest thou that thy father saw the btree of which he hath spoken? (1 Nephi 11:2-4)
Nephi believed. The brother of Jared believed. Faith precedes the miracle. The brother of Jared’s reply reminds me of Enos’ interview with the Spirit of the Lord:
Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and acanst not lie. (Ether 3:12)
And I, Enos, knew that God acould not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. (Enos 1:6)
As a result of his exceeding faith, the Lord revealed Himself to the brother of Jared:
And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord ashowed himself unto him, and said: bBecause thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my cpresence; therefore I dshow myself unto you.
Behold, I am he who was aprepared from the foundation of the world to bredeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the cFather and the Son. In me shall all mankind have dlife, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my esons and my daughters.
And never have I ashowed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man bbelieved in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own cimage? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
Behold, this abody, which ye now bbehold, is the cbody of my dspirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. (Ether 3:13-16)
The brother of Jared received much more than his original request. Yes the Lord touched the small, clear stones one by one and endowed them with light. But the Lord wanted to reveal much more to the brother of Jared than the mere solution to the problem of lighting the barges. The Lord wanted to reveal Himself and His purpose to the brother of Jared. He wanted to reveal Heavenly Father’s plan to redeem His children and lead them to eternal life. He wanted to teach the brother of Jared his true identity and purpose. I believe that the same principle applies to our own prayers and petitions to the Lord.
For example, we may seek a solution to a difficult problem in our lives, or the answer to a heartfelt and specific prayer. We may wrestle with a difficult trial or struggle to metaphorically construct and light our barges. We may metaphorically scale an exceedingly high mountain with our metaphorical sixteen small stones in search of an answer and a solution. As we do so, I know that the Lord will most certainly answer and help us to find the solution. But He can and will do much more than that. In His own time and in His own way, He will reveal Himself to us, redeem us, bring us into His presence, and eventually show Himself unto us. He will teach us of His character and attributes, His life and mission, and His identity and purpose. He will bestow greater gifts than those that we seek. If we believe in Him, and if we believe Him, He will make us His sons and His daughters and grant us Eternal Life, the greatest gift of God.
The Lord will also teach us who we are as children of God, created after His own image, after the body of His Spirit. I find it instructive that the Lord first lit the stones with the touch of His finger, then revealed Himself and His purpose and His true identity, as well as the brother of Jared’s true identity, and then revealed much, much more to the brother of Jared. The sequence of these revelations and responses to prayer is significant because it demonstrates the Divine hierarchy of truth or the Divine priorities. The Lord will help us in and through our trials, afflictions, temptations, and challenges, just as he helped the brother of Jared. But as He does so, His Divine priority is ever to help us to know Him and to know ourselves:
And this is alife beternal, that they might cknow thee the only true dGod, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast esent. (John 17:3)
This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. (D&C 132:24)
For behold, this is my awork and my bglory—to bring to pass the cimmortality and deternal elife of man. (Moses 1:39)
As we overcome the world and come to know the Lord, then He can show unto us all things. When the Lord showed Himself to the brother of Jared, and when the brother of Jared was brought into the presence of the Lord, what did the Lord teach him? The Lord taught the brother of Jared His true identity and purpose:
The Lord taught the brother of Jared the potential of Heavenly Father’s children:
He taught the brother of Jared his true identity as a son of God:
He taught the brother of Jared the true identity of all of Heavenly Father’s children:
Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image
This abody, which ye now bbehold, is the cbody of my dspirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit
He taught the brother of Jared about His future appearance:
Even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh
The Lord certainly taught the brother of Jared many other things, but Moroni couldn’t write it all. Moroni abridged the Jaredite record to share with us the most important things, the things that we need to understand in order to know the Lord like the brother of Jared did. After sharing these most essential things, Moroni - in a style not unlike that of his father Mormon, interjects with his own editorial comments:
And now, as I, Moroni, said I could anot make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he bshowed himself unto the Nephites.
And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto him.
And because of the aknowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the bveil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had cfaith no longer, for he knew, nothing ddoubting.
Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could anot be kept from within the veil; therefore he bsaw Jesus; and he did minister unto him. (Ether 3:17-20)
In this editorial aside, Moroni teaches us why the Lord showed Himself and ministered unto the brother of Jared: all this, that this man might know that he was God. Moroni also teaches us that this kind of knowledge, to know God, is the end or purpose of faith, and that this perfect knowledge of God enabled the brother of Jared to pierce the veil.