ME&C: Eternal Life (Mosiah 16)

After working long hours and facing the prospect of working many more before the week is out, I had little inclination to read the Book of Mormon, let alone think about it with enough focus to post about it.

But one verse has been a source of strength for me over the past couple days.

"He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." (v. 9)

In Doctrine & Covenants, we learn that endless punishment does not mean punishment without end, but rather God's punishment, as God is endless.

So following that same logic, Christ has a light that is God's and a life that is God's. And because Christ has taken upon him a celestial life, there can be no more death. The possibility of eternal life ends death's hold.

A simple yet profound truth that is the capstone of Abinadi's sermon.

ME&C: The Power of Submission (Mosiah 15)

Remember Abinadi's sidestep in chapter 12? Now that he's built some momentum, he turns the verses quoted to him by Noah's priests into a culmination of his prophetic message--peace can only be preached by those who submitting their will to the Father and follow his Son.

Spoiler alert: the priests don't stack up so well.

I've never studied Abinadi's address so carefully, and it's a masterpiece of oratory and intricate theology. But of course I'm going to talk about only the tiniest part.

I alluded to this above, but the act of submission has no equal when it comes to spiritual empowerment. To a large degree, I speak from theory and observation, not practice.

Speaking of Christ: "...he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. And thus God breaketh the bands of death..." (v. 7-8).

Christ's submission of his will to the Father's resulted in the bands of death being broken. That's a big deal!

I'm at a juncture in my life where things may work out exactly like I'd hoped, or they may veer off into the unknown. I hope I have the courage to follow Christ in submitting my will to follow my Heavenly Father's purpose regardless of the events that transpire in the next six months.

ME&C: The Allure of the Ugly (Mosiah 14)

Good thing the theme of this blog series is "Marginalia, Ephemera, and Commentary." Otherwise, I might feel bad concentrating on such a small part of the majestic Isaiah 53, quoted in this chapter by Abinadi.

I've recently been contemplating my career and life goals. As I apply to numerous prestigious programs in the hopes of once again immersing myself in the study of literature, I've had to think long and hard about the real purpose behind its study (and the study of all humanities, really).

One common thread of thought concerning the study of the humanities and the arts is that we study them to learn more about beauty so that we can increase beauty's presence in the world. While that may be a good reason for some folks, part of verse 2 from this chapter underscores why it's not a good reason for me.

Describing Christ: "...he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him."

My interpretation of this scripture has always been that Christ was not visibly recognizable as the Only Begotten Son of God. You couldn't see "Messiah" in his biceps or "prophet" in his chiseled visage. And since we're talking about Isaiah here, my interpretation is as good as most folks, so we'll keep moving in that direction. :)

If I focus my life on seeking after the outwardly beautiful, I will waste my years without getting any close to Christ (and notice the "I"s in those statement--they're not meant to be categorical).

Dave, how do you figure that? Christ is in the beautiful, too!

That's absolutely true. But here's my reasoning. While beauty may please my senses and my spirit, ugliness, pain, and sin are the wages the world must overcome to return to our Father in heaven.

In this chapter, Christ receives "a portion with the great...because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (v. 12).

Christ was great because the "knowledge" he gained through his great and unique sacrifice did "justify many" before the judgment seat (v. 11). He gained that knowledge by descending below all, incurring the griefs, bruises, and stripes alluded to in this chapter.

And so, while this post may haunt me in the aftermath of 7 potential rejection letters, I can't help but pour out my own soul in the study of the ugly, the painful, and the sinful. In studying the painful words of the downtrodden and the ugly words of the haughty, I can better understand the sin that results from both, and therefore better succor the sinner (and better chart my own path to salvation with fear and trembling).

Studying these things is one small way I attempt to follow in Christ's footsteps and catch a glimmer of his supreme sympathy. One small method of discipleship peculiar to my own disposition.

Rather than beauty, I seek the transcendent. Transcendence comes only in the midst of trial and tribulation. And so I bid beauty adieu, wishing her well, and jump earnestly into the midst of the world's despair.

ME&C: Wonder, Amazement, and Anger (Mosiah 13)

Abinadi describes a potent mix of emotions as he describes King Noah's court's reaction to the initial part of his sermon.

"Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger." (v. 8).

There are very few times in my life that I've simultaneously felt wonder, amazement, and anger. Sitting in my 12th grade English class on September 11 watching the footage of the World Trade Center. Reading about the Newtown, CT shootings. And some of the like.

I've wracked my brain for most of the day to come up with a situation where I've felt those three emotions that didn't revolve around senseless violence committed against innocents, to no avail.

I think the Lord and his prophets feel those same emotions when confronted with the widespread evil in the world. When I'm confronted with evil in less concentrated or less dramatic forms, I often feel amazement ("How could they be so stupid?") or anger ("How could they do that!?"), but I rarely feel wonder. Amazement results when players in a game do something we didn't think possible. Wonder occurs when the players transcend the possibilities of what we thought possible.

For King Noah's priests, amazement comes from the audacity of Abinadi's message and his courage standing firm even after the king has decreed his death. Anger comes from the accusations of incompetence, treachery, and priestcraft.

Wonder, though, is the most telling emotion. It is the result of the Holy Spirit not whispering, but roaring that what Abinadi says is not only true, but a direct message from deity. The eternal perspective that the Spirit forces through the fog of the priests' iniquity requires them to confront their deeds in a new, stark light that cannot be denied.

With the light of eternal perspective, that status quo is no longer tenable. The game has changed, and the priests have one last chance to choose the side of good or evil.

ME&C: Abinadi, Master of Disguise (Mosiah 12)

First, one of my favorite "funny" bits in the scriptures.

In verse 1: "And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying--Abinadi, go and prophesy..." (emphasis added)

Looks like Abinadi's strengths lay more in his powerful preaching than in his powers of disguise. I know I'm not to only one to have seen this, but it still cracks me up.

Reading the rest of this chapter, though, I'm more inclined to think verse 1 reveals Abinadi as a type of Christ rather  than a camouflage-challenged prophet. Christ was hidden in plain sight for 30 years of his life. People had to have known whispers and rumors about his birth and the peculiarities of his youth, but they chose to do nothing. When Jesus started proclaiming himself the Son of God, he might have surprised some Galileans and Judeans, but there was probably a sizable population whose surprise was feigned.

I think the same thing happened with Abinadi. There were likely folks who recognized Abinadi, but they probably hoped his "foolishness" was no longer a problem and that he was skulking back to their glorious civilization to take his place in a royally-appointed tax bracket.

Along those same lines, I always take great pleasure in trying understand the why behind some of the tricks the scholars and priests of Jesus' time tried to play on him. Why did they quote that particular scripture? Why was this question a trap?

For some reason, though, I've never asked why the priests of King Noah quoted Isaiah 52 to Abinadi to test his prophetic credentials:

"And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reighneth

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;

Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem; 

The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the the salvation of God?" (v. 20-24)

So the priests are saying that, according to scripture, prophets bring happy news that unites rather than divides. Real prophets sing songs of joy, for after all, all shall see salvation and Jerusalem is already redeemed. Our society is great and righteous, and yet you come preaching fire and brimstone, trying to rile up the contented masses. Therefore, you are not a great prophet.

King Noah's priests attempt to wrench the context of these verses to transform them into a trap. If Abinadi interprets the scripture, contention will arise, and the priests' interpretation of the scripture will allow them to discredit Abinadi.

But Abinadi doesn't fall for the trap.  Instead, he says, "Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet ye desire to know of me what these things mean?" (v. 25).

Shrewd sidestep, and the only way Abinadi succeeds in continuing his message without a bout of exegetical contention that would send the discussion on an irrecoverable tangent.

Looks like Abinadi was crafty after all.