Neither Do They Understand

How is it that ye do not understand? (John 8:21)

In all my searching of the word of God, I had not focused on what the Lord has revealed about  understanding His words. The nuances of the word understand are plentiful and complex, and add more to receiving the word of God. 

When Christ asked, "Why is it you do not understand my word?" (often found in passages like John 8:43), He was not simply questioning our intellectual capacity to grasp the literal meaning of His words. His question delves much deeper, pointing to a spiritual and moral inability to truly comprehend His message. 

The way the word understand is used in scripture, also points out either the lack of or the presence of personal revelation. I propose that without personal revelation, we cannot completely understand how the words of God are connected and how the words themselves are a form of personal revelation. 

The mortal Jesus asked this question often of those who did not understand the words or the source of His words.

"Why do ye not understand my speech?" He answers His own question. "Even because you cannot hear my word" (John 8:43 emphasis added). We do not understand because we do not hear His word. See why Christ taught in parables.

"Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?" (Mark 8:17-18 emphasis added). 

"Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive...?" (John 7:18 emphasis added). 

"Are ye also yet without understanding?" (Mathew 15:16).

"Have ye understood all these things?"(Mathew 13:51).

The emphasis on understanding suggests to me that there is more to it that just cognition. There are many nuances to what it means to understand, and the scriptures layer many of these nuances to give us a more complete picture of what it means to understand.

Scriptural word links to the word understand are: heart, mind, hear, see, teach, perceive, wise, wisdom, light, truth, spirit, view, knowledge, hidden treasures, mysteries, search, give voice, voice of God, prayer, reason, enlightened, hearken and of course, repent. 

The following are a few examples of the layers of understanding. 

Our Father would not reveal to us what we are not capable of understanding, so we must be capable of understanding what He has revealed. And understanding what He has revealed leads to understanding what He is yet to reveal. 

"For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them...Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people"(Mosiah 12:26-27 emphasis added)? 

King Benjamin reminds us we must hearken unto the voice of God and open our ears that we may hear, and our minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to our view. (Mosiah 2:9 emphasis added).

Wisdom and knowledge are also equated with understanding in Job, Proverbs and the Psalms:

"So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:2-6 emphasis added). Even understanding comes from God.

"What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Corinthians 14:15 emphasis added).

Reason is also linked to understanding.

"And now come, saith the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the elders of his church, and let us reason together, that ye may understand; 

Let us reason even as a man reasoneth one with another face to face. 

Now, when a man reasoneth he is understood of man, because he reasoneth as a man; even so will I, the Lord, reason with you that you may understand" (D&C 50:10-12 emphasis added).

But the Lord makes a distinction between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men. "And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught" (D&C 76:9-10 emphasis added).

By the power of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God" (D&C 76:12 emphasis added).

"And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9-10).

"Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark" (2 Nephi 32:4 emphasis added).

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man" (Matthew 15:8-11 emphasis added), and is the best measure of whether we understand.

The mortal Jesus only spoke in Parables to those who did not understand. 

"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive" (Matthew 13:13-14 emphasis added).

"For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding" (2 Nephi 31:3 emphasis added).

In the Parable of the Sower the Lord tells us that "...he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23 emphasis added).

In summary, when Jesus asked, "Why is it you do not understand my word?" He was highlighting a fundamental spiritual disconnect. It wasn't about a lack of intelligence, but a spiritual and moral resistance to God's truth, rooted in their hearts, their traditions, and their relationship with God (or lack thereof). True understanding of God's word, starts with a willing heart, a genuine desire for truth, and the power of God to understand.

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians. 13:2). Now many would think this means being charitable or having more charity. We cannot have this charity, which is the pure love of Christ, without being filled with His pure love, and only after praying for it with all our heart. Can you understand the difference?

Those who are Christ's disciples, do hear, see, understand and repent, and are filled with His love.

When "understand" is used to mean "seeing the whole picture," it implies a holistic and comprehensive grasp of the word of God, with all its connections and layers of meaning forming a crystal clear picture.

Here's a breakdown of the nuances associated with this specific meaning:

•  Interconnectedness: It's not enough to know the parts; one must see how they relate, influence, and depend on each other. You understand the gears, but you truly see the whole picture when you understand how they mesh to make the clock work.
• Contextual Awareness: The "whole picture" includes the past, present and future. For example, scriptural use of types connect the past, present and future. 
• Implications and Consequences: When you understand the whole picture, you can often foresee potential outcomes, implications, and consequences that might not be obvious when only focusing on parts.

In essence, "understanding as seeing the whole picture" is about  knowing and wisdom, not just knowledge. It's the ability to hold complexity in mind, discern patterns, and appreciate the intricate relationships that define a complete reality.

Let's look at a one example.

First it will help to distinguish between knowing and knowledge. I use the two as in once you have gained the knowledge, i.e. diligently searched the word of God, then you come to know that what you have learned is true by personal revelation from God. This is the Spirit of Revelation.

The example I want to use is the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work. I will not use citations but will instead paint a picture for you. This is just a sketch, however, to show you just how layered and nuanced the Lord's words are. 

We see first, just from the phrase, that it is the Lord's work, and that it is great and marvelous. As we search the words, work, great and marvelous, we will see and understand that there are many events associated with the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work. We can also link the words great and terrible to the Lord’s work because some events are terrible such as devastating destruction of people, places and Satan's system (Babylon), prior to the Lord’s coming. These events, whether marvelous or terrible, preceed the Lord’s coming. 

One event is the division of the people either on one hand or the other, and that this division is irrevocable. The division is caused by the word of God. Remember the Lord describing his words as a two-edged sword? Those that believe his words will be found on one hand, and those who don't believe His words will be found on the other. These events are prophesied by Christ, Nephi and Isaiah among others. 

Since those who believe His words will repent and those who do not believe His words will not repent, we see the division as being caused by our failure to repent.

Besides this irrevocable division, other events associated with the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work include the commencement of His work in these last days (also called the day of the Gentiles). His work commenced when His Gospel was restored in its fulness in this last dispensation to Joseph Smith. 

Another event associated with the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work is the coming forth of the Book of Mormon by the fulness of the Gentiles. We start to see in the picture that there are actors, groups of people, or the 'players' in these events. We are identified with team Gentiles in the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work. 

Another event is the Lord bearing His arm in the eyes of all nations. His arm in this case is the Lord's latter-day servant, also called David or an Elias (one who prepares for the Lord's coming like John the Baptist) who plays a key role in the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work. This servant is described in detail by Isaiah. Christ refers to this servant as does Joseph Smith. 

One of the events associated with this servant is bringing forth additional records such as the sealed plates of the Book of Mormon and the records of the Brother of Jared. This event seals the irrevocable division between those who believe His words and those who do not, especially among the Lord's people who are the fulness of the Gentiles. In fact some of the Lord's latter-day people fight against the servant. This is because they had not received the words of God given to them and were not prepared to accept these new records.

The majority of the House of Israel, however, do believe these new records and the Lord’s servant, with the assistance of others (yes, we are told who these others are), gathers, in a new exodus, the repentant Jews, Lost Tribes and Lehi's descendants to the lands of their inheritance. These are described as the Old Zion (Jerusalem) and the New Zion (Jackson County). The repentant Gentiles will then be numbered among the House of Israel. 

At the time these are being gathered, the modern-day king of Assyria and those who enter into an alliance with him, will cause chaos and destruction throughout the world, but commencing first among those who professed to know Him (us). This Assyrian king and his armies will eventually be destroyed when he/they attempt to make war on both the old and the new Zion.

Zion is established and the Lord comes again in all His glory to dwell with His people in Zion. Enoch's Zion also comes to join with the new Zion

Events of the past are used to describe endtime events. What has been shall be. The 10 tribes being taken captive by the Assyrians, and the Jews being taken captive by Babylon, are types to describe the Lord's people's failure to repent in these last days as being the catalyst which brings about the reign of terror by the latter day Assyrian king.

While there are 30 events associated with the Lord's Great and Marvelous Work, I have only drawn this sketch using just a few of these events. The complete picture is layered and detailed and deserves the terms Great, Marvelous and Terrible! Hopefully this sketch will cause you to want to see the complete painting, keeping in mind that it is painted by the greatest of Masters.

You can get a more complete picture by reading these, and many other posts in this blog:

Jesus' First Prophecy

The Gentiles in Prophecy

My purpose here is to urgently direct you to His words. Time is not on our side, and in order to be prepared and found on the right side of the division, we must quit treating His words lightly! They deserve our undivided attention. 

The Lord will hasten His Work and we are told how we can prepare for His hastening His Work by being prepared in all things, and by having a more perfect understanding of His words. Once we understand and have been warned we are to warn our neighbors. 

Now I ask you, can you see the artwork painted by His words? 

I don't think you will want to be asked by your Savior "Why is it that you do not understand my words?" 

By the way, another picture can be drawn using His words which will show us in great detail why it is we don't understand, and why it is that we will not repent, but will reject the fulness of His gospel.