Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
I firmly believe that God provides all the information we need to be happy in life and to prepare for salvation and exaltation, albeit according to His own timeline, and contingent on our preparation and receptiveness. This belief helps me reconcile gaps in the scriptural record, and the iterative nature of revelation. Confusion and disappointment are replaced by curiosity and wonder at how God's work goes on unimpeded, though implemented by imperfect human vessels.
The Transfiguration as recorded in the New Testament is confusing to me, and only after a few days of study and consulting other sources have some of the basic pieces started to come together. Most significantly, the purpose of the Transfiguration, to bestow priesthood keys on Peter, James, and John, is only known through modern revelations received by Joseph Smith. I may never know why God did not deem it essential to record and preserve details of this conferral of priesthood keys on Peter, James, and John, or why gaps in our understanding of the Transfiguration persist today, but I do know that God has revealed enough to me do and become what I need to be to return to him.
One of my favorite details from the account of the Transfiguration in Matthew is that Jesus "bringeth [Peter, James, and John] up into an high mountain apart" (Matthew 17:1). Transcendent spiritual experiences require us to be elevated and separate from the mundane routine of our lives. Temples are tangible examples of a dedicated holy space, but I have also had profound spiritual experiences in nature, or simply studying alone in a quiet secluded place.
The transfiguration has all the trappings of a key, transcendent spiritual event, but we only know the purpose of that ascent into the mountain and the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter, James, and John through modern revelation. Joseph Smith taught that "The Savior, Moses, and Elias, gave the keys to Peter, James, and John, on the mount, when they were transfigured before him" and recored in his translation of Mark "And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses, or in other words, John the Baptist and Moses; and they were talking with Jesus" (JST, Mark 9:3).
Steven C. Harper in “Peter and the Restored Priesthood,” in The Ministry of Peter, the Chief Apostle explained: "The synoptic Gospels (see Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9) tell the story of Christ’s Transfiguration in the presence of Peter, James, and John. According to the account in Matthew, this occurred about a week after the Savior promised to give Peter keys of the kingdom. The Bible does not document the actual event of transmitting keys, but it records the Savior’s promise to do so in Matthew 16 and acknowledges in Matthew 18 that the Apostles have the keys. In between is the story of the Savior’s Transfiguration, a muddled story as we have it in the New Testament. In a summer 1831 revelation to Joseph, the Savior explained at least part of the reason for the muddling. He described elements of the Transfiguration experience that are not recorded in the Bible and told Joseph that he had still not received a full account of what happened on the Mount", "which account the fulness ye have not yet received" (D&C 63:20–23).
One question that came to mind while reading this chapter was, "Why did Jesus need to be transfigured?" Apparently even someone who has lived a perfect life like the Savior needed to be elevated above his mortal state to a higher spiritual plane in order to be in the presence of heavenly beings. The story of the Transfiguration is full of questions for me, and I wonder why Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery did NOT need to be transfigured when they received the priesthood from Peter, James, and John in May 1829? Perhaps it is because Peter, James, and John were overshadowed by a bright cloud, and heard the voice of Heavenly Father (Matthew 17:5). But then again, the voice of Heavenly Father had testified of Jesus at His baptism, and no one present was transfigured.
Jesus instructed the apostles to keep their transfiguration experience and accompanying vision private: "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead" (Matthew 17:9). This is the second principle that draw from the account of the Transfiguration. Not only is it important to separate ourselves in time and space to receive spiritual insights, but also to hold them sacred and keep them private until an appropriate time to share them. God communicates through the spirit the appropriate time and place to share closely held, personal experiences.
Because of Your Unbelief
After the Transfiguration, Jesus healed a man described as a lunatic. "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Matthew is 17:19-21).
I like to think of faith as knowing the will of God through the Spirit, taking action to realize it, and experiencing peace and certainty in my efforts. I know my faith is lacking if I am not taking action, or if I feel anxious, and as Jesus instructs, prayer and fasting can help fill in the gaps of unbelief. If I am fully persuaded of the eventual fulfillment of a promise or realization of a goal, I'm free to work hard without worry, even in the face of discomfort.
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