A SUFFERING SERVANT

 

Chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah contain the greatest Messianic prophecy identifying the Messiah as ‘the Suffering Servant’. This was the Saviour’s role in earth life. This prophecy is also dualistic in nature, meaning it speaks of two men in very similar roles.

In this prophecy Isaiah says the Saviour’s visage was “marred more than any man” when He suffered for the sins of mankind and was crucified on Calvary (Isaiah 52:14).

When visiting the Nephites, the Saviour Himself made it clear that there shall be another servant in the latter days who shall accomplish ‘a great and marvelous work’. Even though there will be many who will not believe him, the Saviour said this servant shall be ‘marred’ because of them and be persecuted throughout his life until they succeed in killing him. This latter-day servant is Joseph Smith. (3 Nephi 21:9,10; Old Testament Student Manual, commentary for Isaiah 52:13-15).

I am amazed at how similar Joseph’s earthly life was to that of the Saviour’s. When in the Liberty jail, Joseph cried out in misery to God, the Lord told him that hell shall rage against him (D&C 122:1-2). This truly proved to be true.

Right from the beginning Joseph was aware that he was destined to be “a disturber and an annoyer of Satan’s kingdom” (JSH 1:20). Two years prior to his death he said that ‘envy and wrath of man have been his common lot all the days of his life and that ‘deep water was what he was wont to swim in, which had become second nature to him’ (D&C 127:2). That is a description of one hard life….

This is how he saw himself:

“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain, and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women – all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there” (Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith, p 304).

Not only did Joseph have to contend with the unbelievers but he often had to struggle with opposition within the Church: “In early 1844 a group of apostates in Nauvoo, Illinois, declared the Prophet Joseph Smith to be a fallen prophet and tried to start a rival church. Some even held secret meetings, during which they plotted to kill him” (See Glen L. Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise [2002], 357-62).

I am certain that Joseph felt it was all worth it when the Saviour sealed upon him his exaltation a year prior to his death:

“For I am the Lord thy God and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity, for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father…..Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins….”  (D&C 132:49,50)

A mission achieved, a life well endured……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph in Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

 

 

 

THE POWER OF BECOMING

 

If you want proof of what God can do with you, look no further than Joseph Smith.

In 1856 Emma Smith said this about Joseph’s literacy skills:

“When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it as he dictated each sentence, word for word and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out ….and one time while he was translating he stopped suddenly, pale as a sheet, and said, “Emma, did Jerusalem have walls around it?

“When I answered, “Yes”, he replied, “Oh! I didn’t know. I was afraid I had been deceived.” He had such a limited knowledge of history at that time that he did not even know that Jerusalem was surrounded by walls. He could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter; let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon.”   (Edmund C. Briggs, ‘A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856’, Journal of History, Jan 1916, p 454)

Emma acknowledged that Joseph possessed only rudimentary literacy whilst translating the Book of Mormon which was published in 1830. Fast forward 14 years to Joseph’s explanation of an anomaly in the English New Testament:”

“I have an old edition of the New Testament in the Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and find it to be the most [nearly] correct translation, and to correspond nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last fourteen years.

“It tells about Jacobus, the son of Zebedee. It means Jacob. In the English New Testament it is translated James. In the 21^st [verse] of the fourth chapter of Matthew, my old German edition gives the word Jacob instead of James…..the Latin says Jacobus, which means Jacob; the Hebrew says Jacob, the Greek says Jacob and the German says Jacob; here we have the testimony of four against one.

“I thank God that I have got this old book; but I thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the oldest book in the world; but I [also] have the oldest book in my heart, even the gift of the Holy Ghost.”   (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 349)

So instead of Peter, James and John, we in actuality have Peter, and Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee. But what really blows me away is that Joseph had the New Testament in four different languages.

Here we have an almost illiterate man who could barely compose a letter to a man, reading Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek 14 years later. No formal education but something far greater…..the Holy Ghost: the testator, the revealer of truth, a member of the Godhead.

The Saviour calls the willing and the pure in heart and makes them great and capable of doing His work. He proved that when He told Joseph, an uneducated man who could barely read and write, that He would give him the words to translate the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 27:20). No education needed.

You cannot possibly read the Doctrine and Covenants and not see that Joseph would have become polished in his speaking and writing having had the companionship of the Holy Ghost to receive the revelations which he recorded. That superior intelligence of the spirit must have rubbed off greatly.  

Parley P. Pratt once said that the Holy Ghost invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man (Key to the Science of Theology, p 101). I am convinced he did this with Joseph.

The Saviour has sacrificed His all for us to be tutored, shaped, moulded and refined through the gift of the Holy Ghost so we can become like Him and inherit eternal life. He deserves all the honour and glory for what we eventually become. To Him belongs the credit for the riches of the Gospel through the man called Joseph Smith.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph by Ken Corbett)

IN DERISION

 

I wonder if Joseph Smith really understood angel Moroni when he told him that his name will be had for good and evil among all nations and that his name will be spoken of as such among all people (JSH 1:33).

I have seen many strong, valiant people fall away from the Church because of Joseph Smith. When their  expectations of his perfection failed them, they concluded the Church could not be true. They disregarded the testimonies they had of the Book of Mormon and spiritual witnesses  they had that led them to the pulpit to bear their testimonies month after month.

This is how the world can mislead you…..some inactives believe that Joseph was not a true martyr because he attempted to protect and save himself from the mob that killed him. A true martyr, they reason is someone who voluntarily goes to his death. This is today’s meaning of the word ‘martyr’ (see the Dictionary).

The word’s origin is Greek, however, and it literally meant a ‘witness’: “He assumes the obligation to be a witness, knowing full well what that dangerous duty entails” (“Against the Christian Door” by Andrew Knaupp). Therefore, a martyr is really someone who will not deny his religious beliefs even as Joseph didn’t when he went to Carthage as ‘a lamb to slaughter’ knowing full well he would not return (D&C 135:4).

I investigated the Church when I was 17. I never had a problem with the first vision or with Joseph Smith. I believed it all. It took some 30 years for me to question that testimony when I saw my friends leaving. I went looking for evidence that Joseph Smith was indeed the prophet that I believed him to be rather than looking for proofs that he wasn’t one, like my friends did. You find what you look for.

I started recording impressive proofs of Joseph Smith’s prophetic validity as I studied the scriptures. My list is still going because I find it so fascinating. It is extensive and impressive. If only people would listen to the whisperings of the spirit rather than the whisperings of the world.

My list however, was not what solidified my testimony of Joseph. It came when I had started my list and I had to do a history assignment for my degree. I chose to write about Church history. I read many things on line about Joseph and polygamy, in particular, to the point of alarm. It drove me to my knees in tears begging God to understand.

What happened is something I did not expect. During my prayer I was “shown” Joseph’s heart. I could literally see and understand what was in it. I knew that all that Joseph did was from the goodness of his heart. I also saw the early Church members around him all dressed in white. I could feel how much they loved him and held him in high regard, blaming him for nothing.

Now when I am confronted with someone’s derision of Joseph, I tell them that God himself would have to come down and tell me that he is a bad man. The spiritual witness I received is iron clad.

When in the Missouri jail, Joseph cried out in misery to God, and the Lord answered: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee; while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel and authority and blessings constantly from under thy hand.” (D&C 122:1-2)

I am happy to be one of the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, who believe……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith's Last Dream by Jon McNaughton)

 

THE FAVOURED WEAK

 

 

“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven….that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets: The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones…..” (D&C 1:17-19)

Surely the Lord could not have found anyone weaker than Joseph Smith. An uneducated boy from a poor family, a farmer no less…..yet obedient and  humble and brought up to be God fearing. One might ask why the Lord would choose ‘the weak things of the world’ to do such important work.

Herein is the wisdom of our God. The answer lies in the definition of ‘weak’ in this context. The ‘weak things of the world’ are lacking professional skills, prominence and means recognized by worldly standards.

The reason why God would use such men to accomplish His purpose lies in verse 19. Those who are esteemed by the world do not seek to honour God but seek the honour for themselves. The world would also, in turn, give them credit and honour instead of God. Many would be at risk of being deceived in this way by the persuasions of men and would learn to rely on ‘the arm of flesh’ rather than God.  

I am convinced that Joseph Smith was sent to a poor family so that he could not receive an education because it was imperative that an uneducated man translate the ancient record that became the Book of Mormon. How else could the Lord prove His partnership with him in bringing this book to light?

None other but a weak, uneducated man would admit to this partnership. An educated and qualified man recognized for his intellectual and academic abilities would claim credit for such a work.

This the Lord proved when he instructed Joseph to take some of the translated manuscript of the gold plates to a ‘learned man’ as per Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 29:11,12) outlined in great detail in chapter 27 of 2 Nephi.

The ‘learned’ and educated man was Professor Charles Anthon who certified the translation as being correct and true but when Martin Harris told him that Joseph was instructed by an angel to find the plates, the Professor tore up the certificate saying there was no such thing as ministering of angels and asked for the plates to be brought to him for translation, ‘because of the glory of the world and to get gain’ (2 Nephi 27:16). Imagine what claim to fame would Professor Anton obtain if he had got his hands on the golden plates? He most certainly would not have worked in collaboration with Moroni….

According to Nephi, the Lord said to the ‘unlearned man’ who had no skills to translate: “I am able to do my own work, I WILL GIVE YOU the words which you shall read” (2 Nephi 27:20). And He did. Because of it Joseph gave glory to God and he paid a heavy price for it too. The ‘weak’, yet willing and  favoured of God.  

The Lord still uses ‘the weak and the simple that the fulness of His gospel might be proclaimed unto the ends of the world’ (D&C 1:23). When I look back on my missionary days as a young convert I fully understand this scripture. Young, no secondary education, barely understanding the full significance of the Church, no prominence in anything except a burning testimony and a deep faith in God.

As a young missionary I carried my testimony from door to door as I proselyted for 18 months and  had success in leading people to acceptance of the truth. We were so young and inexperienced and imperfect yet people listened to us. I am so grateful for that experience because it taught me that I am nothing without Him. I was my greatest convert.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: I Will Go Before Your Face by Kenneth Turner)

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

 

 

I was intrigued with Joseph Fielding Smith’s quote I used in my last post about the Light of Christ being withdrawn from the world.

One comment I received to this post was about the Light of Christ being a conscience and that everyone is born with it, so the suggestion was, how could it be taken from the earth? I pondered all day about it and did some research which made me understand this at a greater level. This is what I found in the Gospel Library Topics and Questions:

“The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost.”

The definition continues to point out that ‘conscience’ is only one manifestation of the Light of Christ but certainly not the only one. Another manifestation is that the Light of Christ is an influence for good in the lives of all people. I think this is what Joseph Fielding Smith was referring to.

And here is the sad part…..conscience can be lost……just as much as the Light of Christ as an influence……through consistent sinning and yielding our hearts to evil. The scriptures are clear: he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received (D&C 1:33). This I believe, is the condition of our world. The conscience has been lost to many besides the influence of the Spirit of Christ.

Other names for the Light of Christ are identified in the scriptures as: the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ or the Light of Life. And….it should not be confused with the Holy Ghost.

All these names denote immense power. A thorough description of the Light of Christ is found in D&C 88:6-13. Reading these scriptures leaves me in awe of the man we call Jesus Christ, Redeemer, Saviour, King of Kings, Son of God, Creator of Heaven and Earth…..

Basically, His light is in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the earth. He is the light which shines, which gives us light and enlightens our minds and our understanding, the light which gives life to all things, and which is the law by which all things are governed.

I cannot conceive such power in my mind but I can feel it in my heart. I stand in awe of Him now and forever.

I cannot fathom

The greatness of Thy Godhood.

I can scarce contain who You are

In the hollow of my lacking heart.

I am so small

And you are so vast;

Endow me with wisdom,

Endow me with might,

Help me to comprehend

Beyond the ages of the wise.

 

-  CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Creator by Chris Brazelton)