Warning: Remove Shoes; Sacred Ground Ahead

Come Follow Me (Ether, Part 1)

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of much of the Book of Ether. It's like a flip-book version of the rest of the Book of Mormon to me - as if Moroni is saying at this point: "Okay, just in case you've missed the point of my father's abridgement for lo, these many pages, let me give you a Reader's Digest version of a much longer time period, but in a much more condensed story."

And then, instead of hundreds of years over hundreds of pages, we get thousands of years over not even three dozen pages. I'm just saying, a ride warning should be issued for the book of Ether. Also, a neck brace.

But then there are these two chapters... these two glorious, incredible chapters - 3 and 12 - which tell of two face-to-face encounters with Jesus Christ Himself:

• In chapter 3, Mahonri Moriancumr pierces the veil which protects us from the glory of God in our fallen state - and converses with Jesus millennia before His birth in Bethlehem.

  
  

• In chapter 12, Moroni speaks face to face with the resurrected Jesus Christ.

In spite of multiple readings over my lifetime, I feel to take my shoes off as I enter these two chapters. It is sacred to encounter a conversation with a human being and God. But it's also sacred to learn the conditions which qualified these humans to enter the presence of God's glory in their fallen human state. Sacred - and instructive.

In chapter 3 Mahonri Moriancumr (abbreviated as MM going forward) presents the Lord with his solution to the lighting problem in the barges which would spend nearly a year in and out of water. Is it possible he read the record of the flood? Check out Genesis 6:16 - particularly the footnote for the word "window." Was part of MM's personal study for this problem - scripture study?

It's obvious MM knows his solution is outlandish. It's obvious he knows the Fall has rendered him 100% unqualified to be in the glorious presence of his God. He knows what will be required for his request to be granted. He knows what he is asking is - for the current conditions - impossible. He. Knows.

But he asks anyway.

"...Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; ...

"And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness;....

"Behold O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of man." (Ether 3:3-5)

MM [modern vernacular recap]: I know I can't be in Thy presence, and Thou cannot be in mine; but that's what I need. I need You to part the veil and touch these stones. That's all I've got. That's what I've come up with. I know I'm not worthy as I am, but that's what I need, and since You asked, and I know You can do anything which will help us...

And miraculously, Jesus complies.

And while I like to think that absolutely nothing surprises Jesus ever, I sense a certain element of surprise in Jesus' reaction to MM's fear, don't you?

"And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?" (Ether 3:7)

When Jesus realizes MM saw His finger touch the stones, He says the thing - the Beautiful Thing which He tells every person for whom He would perform a miracle when He was in the flesh. Jesus always, always, declares - "because of thy faith."

And besides telling MM He's never seen such faith in one of His children, He also makes this thunderous statement explaining:

"...for were it not so [the exceeding faith of MM] ye could not have seen my finger." (Ether 3:9)

Which begs the question: is faith a natural law?

When faith is sufficient, must God comply with mortal requests?

I seriously don't know the answer to this question. And I know many, many people who righteously, diligently, faithFULLy petition the Lord, receive a "no."

But reading this chapter begs the question - what does it mean when the Lord could not be kept within the veil, because of the faith of the brother of Jared?

And how do you develop that kind of faith?

(Hint: probably not solid answers, but more musings in Part 2...)