From My Treasures

Treasure up in your mind continually the words of life. I love the treasures that are His words and those who use them to add to my treasure chest. These are some of my many treasures. They were written by George MacDonald, who understood that in God and Christ are hidden all treasures. MacDonald's writings greatly influenced C.S. Lewis, and have been a blessing in my life. 

The men of Nazareth could have believed in Jesus as their savior from the Romans; as their savior from their sins they could not believe in him, for they loved their sins.

They did not hear the prophet while they read the prophet!

His mighty works were not meant for such as they--to convince them of what they were incapable of understanding....

We want to be a free people, manage our own affairs, live in plenty, and do as we please.  Liberty alone can never cure the woes of which you speak.  We do not need to be better; we are well enough.  Give us riches and honor, and keep us content with ourselves, that we may be satisfied with our own likeness.

The design of God is other and better than the expectation of men.

He who delights in contemplating whereto he has attained is not merely sliding back; he is already in the dirt of self-satisfaction.  The gate of the kingdom is closed, and he outside.

Two men are walking abroad together; to the one, the world yields thought after thought of delight; he sees heaven and earth embrace one another; he feels an indescribable presence over and in them; his joy will afterward, in the solitude of his chamber, break forth in song;--to the other, oppressed with the thought of his poverty, or ruminating how to make much into more, the glory of the Lord is but a warm summer day; it enters in at no window of his soul; it offers him no gift; for, in the very temple of God, he looks for no God in it.

None but the pure in heart see God; only the growing-pure hope to see him.

God made man, and woke in him the hunger for righteousness; the Lord came to enlarge and rouse this hunger.  The first and lasting effect of his words must be to make the hungering and thirsting long yet more.

As soon as even service is done for the honor and not for the service-sake, the doer is at that moment outside the kingdom.

He is against sin; in so far as, and while, they and sin are one, he is against them--against their desires, their sins, their fears, and their hopes; and thus he is altogether and always for them.

It is the law of God that all that is destructible shall be destroyed.

I doubt that if a man can ask anything from God that it is bad.

The Lord knows what we need; we know only what we want.

Such questions spring from the passion for the fruit of the tree of knowledge, not the fruit of the tree of life.

Men would understand:  they do not care to obey--understand where it is impossible to understand except by obeying.

Our whole life, to be life at all, must be a growth in understanding.  What I cry out upon is the misunderstanding that comes from man's endeavor to understand while not obeying.

It is not obedience alone that our Lord will have, but obedience to the truth.

Multitudes will not even approach the appalling task, the labor and pain of being.

We are so ready to get upon some path that seems to run parallel with the narrow way, and then take no thought of its divergence!  What is there for us when we discover that we are out of the way, but to bethink ourselves and turn?

God knows good and evil, and, blessed be his name, chooses good.

The words of the Lord are the seed sown by the sower.  Into our hearts they must fall that they may grow.

The design of God is other and better than the expectation of men.

He will carry us in his arms till we are able to walk; he will carry us in his arms when we are weary with walking; he will not carry us if we will not walk.

The man who is proud of anything he thinks he has reached, has not reached it.  He is but proud of himself, and imagining a cause for his pride.

He would not choose to be less than his neighbor; he would choose his neighbor to be greater than he.  He can imagine no bliss, no good in being greater than some one else.  The thought of standing higher in the favor of God than his brother, would make him miserable.

So good a medicine is sorrow, so powerful to slay the moths that infest and devour the human heart, that the Lord is glad to see a man weep.

To  mourn is not to fight with evil; it is only to miss that which is good.

Is it not of the very essence of the (Gospel) hope, that we should be changed from bad to all good

The thought of righteousness will vanish in the fact of righteousness.

To be made greater than one's fellows is the offered reward of hell, and involves no greatness; to be made greater than one's self, is the divine reward, and involves a real greatness.  The reward is righteousness.

Every disciple of the Lord must be a preacher of righteousness.

To let our light shine, we must take care that we have no respect for riches.  To treat the poor man with less attention or cordiality than the rich, is to show ourselves the servants of Mammon.  In like manner we must lay no value on the praise of men, or in any way seek it. We must honor no man because of intellect, fame or success.

The man to whom business is one thing and religion another, is not a disciple.  The most futile of all human endeavors is, to serve God and Mammon.  But let us waste no strength in despising such men; let us rather turn the light upon ourselves:  are we not in some way denying him?  Is our light bearing witness?

Whatever makes her heart glad, she will have her neighbor share. (Annie)

But if our heart shine out, and none of our darkness, shall we not be in utmost danger of hypocrisy?  

If any one, hearing the injunction to let his light shine, makes himself shine instead, it is because the light is not in him!

You who have light, show yourselves the sons and daughters of Light, of God, of Hope--the heirs of a great completeness.  Freely let your light shine.  Only take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of men.  Let your light out freely that men may see it, but not that men may see you.

If I do anything, not because it has to be done, not because God would have it so, not that I may do right, not because it is honest, not that I love the thing, not that I may be true to my Lord, not that the truth may be recognized as truth and as his, but that I may be seen as the doer, that I may be praised of men, that I may gain repute or fame; be the thing itself ever so good, that I look to men for my reward, for there is none for me with the Father.

If I do it that I may be seen shining, that the light may be noted as emanating from me and not from Him, then am I of those that seek glory of men, and worship Satan; the light that through me may possibly illuminate others, will, in me and for me, be darkness.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus reminds His disciples that they cannot seek happiness the way the world does.  True joy is not found in self ambition, excuses, or self justification.  An enviable state of blessedness comes to those who mourn over their own sin.  "These are the ones I look on with favor:  those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word" (Isaiah 66:22). The kind of mourning that leads to repentance is truly blessed (2 Cor 7:10 "Godly Sorrow").

For hell is God's and not the devil's.  Hell is on the side of God and man, to free the child of God from the corruption of death.  Not one soul will ever be redeemed from hell  but by being saved from his sins, from the evil in him.  If hell be needful to save him, hell will blaze., and the worm writhe and bite, until he takes refuge in the will of the Father.

There is another misapprehension of the words of the messengers of the good tidings--that they threaten us with punishment because of the sins we have committed, whereas their message is of forgiveness and not of vengeance; of deliverance, not of evil to come.  

The sin he dwells in, the sin he will not come out, is the sole ruin of a man.  His present, his live sins--those pervading his thoughts and ruling his conduct; the sins he keeps doing, and will not give up; the sins he is called to abandon, and clings to; the same sins which are the cause of his misery, though he may not know it--these are they for which he is even now condemned.

The highest in man is neither his intellect nor his imagination nor his reason; all are inferior to his will.

The Lord cannot save a man from his sins while he holds to his sins.  

They will not accept, that is, act upon, their highest privilege, that of obeying the Son of God.  It is on them that do his will, that the day dawns; to them the day star arises in their hearts.  Obedience is the soul of knowledge.  By obedience, I intend no kind of obedience to man, or submission to authority claimed by man or community of men.  I mean obedience to the will of the Father.

The Greek word then, of which the word repentance....is made up of two words, the conjoint meaning of which is, a change of mind or thought.  There is in it no intent of, or hint at sorrow or shame, or any other of the mental conditions that, not infrequently accompanying repentance, have been taken for essential parts of it, sometimes for it very essence.

The word (Greek: eis) rather unto than for; that the word (Greek:  aphesis), translated remission, means, fundamentally, a sending away, a dismissal; and that the writer seems to use the added phrase to make certain what he means by repentance; a repentance, namely, that reaches to the sending away, or abjurement of sins.  I do not think a change of mind unto the remission or pardon of sin would be nearly so logical a phrase as a change of mind unto the dismission of sinning.  The message of John (the Baptist) to his countrymen, was then, and is yet, the one message to the world:  "Send away your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

We need fresh repentance every day--how many times a day, God only knows.  We are so ready to get upon some path that seems to run parallel with the narrow way, and then take no note of its divergence!  What is there for us when we discover that we are out of the way, but to bethink ourselves and turn?

God knows good and evil, and, blessed be his name, chooses good.

To love righteousness is to make it grow.

Give us riches and honour, and keep us content with ourselves, that we may be satisfied with our own 

As to his being the Messiah, that was mere absurdity: did they not all know his father, the carpenter?  His mighty works were not meant for such as they--to convince them of what they were incapable of understanding.  His mighty works were to rouse the love, and strengthen the faith of the meek and lowly in heart, of such as were ready to come to the light. 

Thou are but the well-known carpenter's son, and dost thou teach?

It is a small thing to a man whether or not his neighbor be merciful to him; it is life or death to him whether or not he be merciful to his neighbor.

Because They Knew Not God

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And changed the glory of God into an image made like to corruptible man…. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped the creature more than the Creator…” (Romans 1:21-23; 25).

When we in the church talk of Christ and "try" to be like Him, we, it seems to me, concentrate on the mortal Jesus and believe that we can become like Him by following His example. Little thought, except for those who actually search the scriptures and feast upon His words, is given to who Christ really is.

Who is this Jesus Christ?  Records tell us that He first came as Jehovah, then the mortal Jesus, and then the resurrected Christ. He will come again in all His glory.  He is the Son of God having received of His fulness (D&C 93).  He is the light of the sun, moon, and stars (D&C 88).

What does that mean?

All in all, Hubble reveals an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe or so, but this number is likely to increase to 200 billion and more as telescope technology in space improves.

So far, astronomers have found more than 3500 solar systems and are discovering new ones every year.  Given how many they have found in our own neighborhood of the Milky Way galaxy, scientists estimate that there may be tens of billions of solar systems in our galaxy alone, perhaps even as many as 100 billion.

In terms of the number of solar systems present in the universe, there are something like 300 billion stars in the Milky Way, so if 10 percent of them have planets, there are over 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.

An international team of astronomers has found that the universe contains at least 2 trillion galaxies, ten times more than previously thought.

The Milky Way is only 100,000 light years in diameter. A light year is a measure of distance, not time. It is the total distance that a beam of light, moving in a straight line, travels in one year. To obtain an idea of the size of one light year, take the circumference of the earth (24,900 miles), lay it out in a straight line, multiply the length of the line by 7.5 (the corresponding distance is one light-second), then place 31.6 million similar lines end to end. The resulting distance is almost 6 trillion (6,000,000,000,000) miles! Times that number by 100,000 and that is the size of one light year.

Genes are composed of DNA, and it is predicted that there are over 3 billion basepairs in the human genome.  Humans have approximately 10 trillion cells, so if you were to line all of the DNA found in every cell, it would stretch from the earth to the sun 100 times.

About 3 billion basepairs of DNA fit into a space, just 6 microns across. If you stretch the DNA in one cell all the way out, it would be about 2m long, and all the DNA in all your cells put together would be about twice the diameter of the solar system.

“And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would just be the beginning of the number of thy creations....” (Moses 7:30). Isn't it the height of arrogance to think our earth is the only one, or that we think we know God?

“He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; which truth shineth.  

This is the light of Christ.  

As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. 

As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.  

And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understanding; which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space--the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things” (D&C 88:1-13 emphasis added).

As Moses discovered "man is nothing" (Moses 1:10). But while "the glory of God" was upon Moses he could endure the presence of God. 

"And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless? And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth" (Moses 1:3-5 emphasis added).

The Lord then showed Moses just one thing:

"And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered" (Moses 1:8 emphasis added). 

But look what happened to Moses after the presence of God withdrew from him, and God's glory was no longer with him.

When Moses gained his strength of a man, Satan comes to him, and Moses, high on his experience with God's presence, decides to take on Satan by himself. At first Satan is civil with Moses and trys to convince Moses to worship him.

When Moses boasts that he is a son of God, and that he was just in the presence of God and beheld His glory, then Satan attacks.

What does Satan do? He, in a loud voice, says to Moses "I am the Only Begotten, worship me" (Moses 1:19). Moses thought he could dismiss Satan on his own, but found out how powerful Satan is when he relied on his own strength. Moses glimpses the evil, and this caused Moses to fear exceedingly and to see the bitterness of hell. Realizing his nothingness again, he calls upon God and in God's name Satan is dismissed.

What better example of repentance, and the constant need to repent! We endure in repentance to the end. Moses relied on his own strength for just a short time, but then experiencing his nothingness again, he repents and puts his trust in God. God then dismisses Satan and shows even more to Moses.

"And it came to pass that when Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son; And calling upon the name of God, he beheld his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God" (Moses 1:24-25).

After being back in the presence of God, Moses saw more of this earth and each inhabitant thereof. Moses asked by what power was this earth created. The Lord answers him:

"And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. 

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:37-39).

Moses caught a glimpse of God, but not all. We can learn that we too must repent and turn to God continually, raise our sights above the pulpit and desire to know God. We want to bring Him down to our level (hence our emphasis on the mortal Jesus), and make him like us, when He is anything but. 

By Proving Contraries Truth is Made Manifest

I have previously written about Timothy Merrill, one of the Lord's Watchmen in these last days. His most recent post on his blog owlofthedesert is an example of one of Tim's gifts of the spirit--the gift of manifesting truth through the use of 'what is' versus 'what should be.' 

I once asked the question--why is no one today inquiring into the tree’s “much evil fruit?" I have to correct this, because Tim is, and he is sharing what he has found, and is always comparing it to what the Lord has revealed. And by doing so manifests how precarious our situation is and will be, unless we give heed to God's word and repent and turn to Christ, relying wholly upon His merits and not any our own merits or good works.

Here it is Tim's post in its entirety.

Royal Flush

Several years ago my mom recounted to me a kerfluffle that had ruined a family gathering (I wasn't present for this one, lucky me, but I had no trouble picturing it).

Mothers mend many fences; often the most difficult are those that divide their children.

And so my mom described the argument that had spilled over into anger, hurt feelings, and tears.  Mind you, I like to think that my family members are bright, thoughtful, and faithful adults.

So you might expect the conflict erupted over something serious.  Nope. 

It was over Face Cards.

​As I understand it, one family brought playing cards to another's home, where face cards were not allowed.  Even though my family loves card games (Rook, Phase 10, Uno, etc.), some of them are opposed to using face cards (I know, I know; be patient; not everyone has learned the valuable lessons of the movie Footloose yet).

Why was it an issue at all?  Well, when a Prophet speaks . . . you know the rest.  And in 1974, President Spencer W. Kimball said, "We hope faithful Latter-day Saints will not use the playing cards which are used for gambling, either with or without the gambling."

1974?  I wasn't even born yet; but that was the last time I could find a General Authority talking about face cards.  And yet, we see the power of President Kimball's words: they linger over us a generation later like a ghost, haunting a family gathering 40 years later, causing contention as siblings argue over what is "right."

Huh.

Universal vs. Individual

I wonder if 90% of the problems in the Church could be resolved if we stopped imposing our personal values on each other.

We don't do a very good job of distinguishing between universal commandments given by God (like repentance, which the Lord asks us to preach publicly​) versus the preferences and personal inspiration we get as individuals, which is all-well-and-good for the one who receives it ― but, like chewing gum, shouldn't be passed around for others to enjoy.  (Chewing gum would include telling them to not use the term "Mormon.")

Isn't trying to get others to follow "my way" of following Christ the epitome of "teachings for doctrines the commandments of men"?

Now, a crazy old loon like me can't do too much mischief because I'm not in leadership.  If I suggested to the young women in my ward that reading rags like CosmoGirl is a waste of their time, that's just "my opinion."  Even if it were good advice, the girls could take it or leave it.

But when their bishop tells them to not wear two pairs of earrings, and threatens to withhold their limited-use temple recommend until they comply; well, then it's not just good advice ― it becomes a matter of moral certitude and conviction (which has nothing to do with earrings, and everything to do with obedience to authority).

Whose light are we holding up? 

Imagine a Frenchwoman in Paris who had recently converted to the Church scolding a couple of American missionaries for using vinegar since it contains a mild alcoholic proof.  Madame AntiVin tells the missionaries they are breaking the Word of Wisdom by using vinegar in their escargot marinade (which was something she had been told by a former priesthood leader).

Now that sounds crazy, right?  I mean, forget the vinegar: what about the fact they're eating escargot!  But let's pretend, for argument's sake, that Joseph Fielding Smith said it, then it would have the force of priesthood authority behind it.  Oh, now we're all ears!  Now I'm raiding your pantry to see whether you're being a faithful member; I scold Sister Jones for using apple cider vinegar in her crock pot; I become a bloodhound of the Prophet in the war against vinegar; all the while, I wear the leash as an honor.

Ridiculous?  Absurd?  Umm.  That is literally what happened with cola drinks during the 70s!  And it is happening now with the term "Mormon" and prayer-pronouns: each generation sees leaders creating new ways for us to judge the level of orthodoxy of our neighbors (instead of just loving them) by concocting these artificial lines; and those lines keep piling up like barnacles, generation after generation, until our ship (faith) is dead-in-the-water.

Hence the reason people don't have playing cards in their homes, or drink Coke, or wear purple shirts to Church, or watch Rated-R movies.

That's how the real mischief happens: when Church leaders teach for doctrines the commandments of men, making their personal views public, incorporating their opinions into "the gospel," until at last the gospel resembles their moral codes.

"But Tim!" someone says.  "They're special witnesses of Christ!  Of course they're supposed to tell us what to drink, and how to dress, and how to speak; of course their job is to tell us whether we can wear open-toed sandals to Church.  It's what we pay them for!"

Have we become, dear friends, The Church of Conglomerated Prophetic Opinions of Latter-day Saints?  Or are we anchored in the Doctrine of Christ?

Clark Burt reminded me of the importance of the Word of God, and the danger of substituting it with morality and moral codes (see, https://fingerofgod.blogspot.com/2021/08/teaching-in-saviors-way-teach-word-of.html).

Are we bashed about in the waves, tossed to-and-fro by the wind, as changes rain down from administration-to-administration?

This is what Paul warned us about:

   Be no more children,

   tossed to and fro,

   and carried about with

   every wind of doctrine,

   by the sleight of men,

   and cunning craftiness,

   whereby they lie in wait

   to deceive;

   [but] grow up into Him

   in all things, which is the head,

   even Christ.

(Eph. 4:15-15)

We're all seasick; the ship needs Christ at the wheel and the power of His grace and glory; the last thing we need is more admonitions about whether our playing cards depict a Joker or an Old Maid.

Go fish.

Peanut Allergy

Now, make no mistake: I am not a relativist.  I believe there are universal commandments that must be kept; they are absolute.  In other words, there are no exceptions.  Not even Jesus!  (See 2 Nephi 31:5).

This tells us something important (considering the fact we are all so different); it tells us that universal commandments are exceedingly uncommon and rare as hens' teeth.   Why?  Because they're decreed for everyone; they apply equally to everybody.

Take the example of a peanut allergy.  If I am allergic to peanuts, but the Church taught that I have to eat Reece's Peanut Butter Cups to be saved, do they make me ingest peanut butter and let me die?  No, the Church creates an exception.  But the exception itself reveals that the requirement is not essential. 

There are only a handful of universal commandments; everything else is just "good advice."  My favorite universal commandment is the one Jesus gave at the Last Supper: "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).  This applies to everyone ― regardless of race, gender, age, sex, nationality, etc.

Think of these things as the gospel "standards."  They do not change.  As Joseph Smith taught, "All must be saved on the same principles" (TPJS, p. 419).  So Adam and Abraham and Genevieve and Jenny are all subject to the same criteria.

Question:  Should instruction in the Church focus on the gospel standards (which include things like repentance, baptism and love), or upon moral living?

I want to suggest that the preaching of personal moral codes (like how to dress for Church and what sort of music to listen to) have replaced the preaching of the gospel.

My Frankenstein

​The main point I am trying to make is that contention is caused by the friction created between competing moral codes.

If that sounded confusing, let me explain.  We go through life accumulating a lot of spiritual baggage.  We adopt some of the moral codes ("traditions") of our parents; of our culture; and of our leaders, past and present.

Over time, what we find is we've cobbled together these pieces of morality into a Frankenstein we call "the gospel."  That's right, instead of focusing on the Savior's universal and eternal words, we get stuck over:

   - don't watch TV on Sunday

   - don't date until you're 16

   - when you pray, be sure to use the right pronouns

   [If you're Jehovah's Witness] don't celebrate your birthday or holidays

   [If you're Jewish] don't eat pork

   [If you're Catholic] you must say Mass in Latin

   [If you're Pentacostal you must speak in tongues to be saved

In the end, we must choose between the image of Christ or the Frankenstein we've created from our moral codes.

This explains the reason that my family (who are amazing, good people) can fight over playing cards; it happens every day when we exalt obedience to our personal moral codes (and the authorities from whom we adopted them) to be the supreme, greatest, and most important part of the gospel.

Soon enough, we might even start to believe that redemption is found in our obedience to these moral codes.

Instead of being found, you know, in the love of our Savior.

Note: "And ye have not his word in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye have eternal life: and they (His words) are they which testify of me" (John 5:38-39).

Teaching in the Savior's Way Christ's Use of Parables to Teach the Word of God

When His disciples asked "Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Why this distinction between His disciples and them, and who are them? He explains by telling His disciples that "whosoever hath, to him shall be given...and whosoever hath

not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matt. 13:10-13 emphasis added). 

He further tells His disciples that "in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed" (Matt. 13:14-15). 

Are we them?

When Isaiah was given his mission as recorded in Isaiah 6, the Lord said to Isaiah: "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..." (Isaiah 6:10 emphasis added).

The people referred to as them and this people reflect both ancient and latter-day Israel (Ephramite Gentiles) who rejected their covenant relationship with Jehovah, or in other words, they entered into the covenant (were baptized), but failed to repent.

Otherwise He would have used the term my people. When they grow alienated, they see things their way not His (Isaiah 55:8-9). Hence the words, "Go on hearing, but not understanding; Go on seeing but not perceiving." As Jehovah forewarns, a wayward people's typical response when a prophet appeals to them to repent is to harden their hearts and dull their senses. 

But there also exists a redeeming side to Isaiah's, as well as Christ's, words. "Seeing" with the eyes, "hearing" with the ears, "understanding" in the heart, and "repenting," at the same time, constitutes the Savior's formula for "healing" or salvation. Some people do repent and become the "holy offspring." Typifying them are Christ's disciples, who do hear, see, understand and repent, while at the same time others harden their hearts and do not repent.

Even though He spoke only parables to this second group, He spoke His parables to all, but purposely did not expound upon them except to His disciples. But in His parables He taught His Father's words and doctrine. 

"And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them his doctrine" (Mark 4:2 emphasis added). 

"And with so many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone he expounded all things to his disciples" (Mark 4:33-34 emphasis added). 

He emphasizes that He uses parables to teach God's words when He asks concerning the parable of the sower: "Know ye not this parable?" And if not "How then will ye know all parables?" (Mark 4:13).

His parables then are not just stories used to illustrate a point, but are His word and His doctrine, given to all of us as we are able to hear them. We may hear the parable, but we may not hear His word, His doctrine or of things to come, and therefore will not understand the parable. Why? Because we may have hardened our heart against the word, do not know His word, have not received His words and do not desire to. 

He answers the question "Why?" with a question: "Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word" (John 8:43 emphasis added). 

They that have, will hear, and they that do not have, will not hear. 

"And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they (His words) are they which testify of me" (John 5:38-39). 

Those for whom it is given to know the mysteries of God are those who receive the word of God and desire more of the word of God, and to those who harden their hearts against the word are those who will not receive more and will lose even that which they have. (Alma 12:9-10; 3 Nephi 26:9-11; cf. Mark 4:11) His words are not to be trifled with, but as 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)

There is another reason the Lord speaks in parables which is of vital importance to Latter-day Saints. It is a test for us--to try our faith. If every thing was clearly spelled out, there would be no test of faith, and this would destroy the purposes of the Lord. The Lord purposely withholds things, speaks in part, or in allegory, so that only those who diligently seek the truth will find it. At the same time, the scriptures contain enough ambiguity so as to satisfy some of us who may be content with what we have, and thus they do not hear. 

Take the Parable of the Coins (Luke 19:12-26) and the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) for example. Some are content with what they have (of His grace, of His words, of His spirit), that they refuse to receive more. These are they who took what grace He gave them, and refused to receive more, or put their faith in themselves and not in Christ, holding up their light and not His. These are they who are called to be the salt of the earth, the savor of men, but who lose the savor (D&C 101:39-40). These are they who wrapped the coin in a napkin or buried the talent in the ground. Both parables end with Christ saying that they who have, will receive more, and they who will not receive more, will lose what they have (Luke 19:26; Matthew 25:29). These parables have nothing to do with human goodness, talents, bookkeeping or abilities, but are, in the form of a parable, teaching His Father's words of receiving grace for grace (D&C 93:12-13; 20). 

Those who have ears to hear, let him hear! 

When this pattern--of some continuing to learn and others not--is perpetuated for a while, especially as to the prophecies of Isaiah, and those contained in the Book of Mormon, and then the Lord suddenly reveals something new, those in the act of seeking the truth will gladly receive it, having already gained some understanding of it, and being now desirous to receive more. Those not seeking the truth, on the other hand, will reject it, being unprepared to deal with many new things at once. 

The Lord knew that many would reject the words of Isaiah as well as reject the words of His Father which He had been commanded to teach during his mortal ministry. And He knew that the same would happen in His last dispensation, and that many of us would fail the test of our faith.

Nephi made this clear in 3 Nephi 26:6-11, when he said that "there cannot be written in this book even a hundreth part of the things (the words) which Jesus did truly teach unto his people," and the things which he wrote were but a lesser part of the things which Jesus did teach the people. 

He did this "to try their faith, and if it shall be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation." (emphasis added) Nephi wanted, however, to write them all "but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people." 

Even though the Book of Mormon contains the plainest writing found in any scripture on such subjects as the atonement, gospel ordinances, repentance and events of the last days, and, even though the Book of Mormon contains so many "plain and precious parts" as to constitute "the fulness of the gospel" (1 Nephi 19:3; D&C 20:8-9), it represents but the "lesser part" of what Jesus taught the Nephites (3 Nephi 26:8-11; cf. Mormon 8:12). Also not included are the things Nephi, Mormon and Moroni were "forbidden" to write (1 Nephi 14:28; 3 Nephi 26:11; Ether 13:13).

Considering that there exist even more "plain and precious parts" of the word of God than are presently in our possession, we might ask, what have we done with what we have, so that some day, hopefully soon, we will receive more? Do we look forward to receiving yet "other books" that are now withheld so that we might feast upon additional words of Christ? In fact, the Book of Mormon itself responds to these questions: "Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show you the greater things, the knowledge of which is hid up because of unbelief" (Ether 4:13; cf. 1 Nephi 13:40).

Do we suppose the Holy Ghost would confirm Isaiah's words to our understanding if we had not first kept Jesus' commandment to search them diligently?

In view of the abundance of scriptural evidence about additional records which we have not yet received, which of these two latter-day events would more fully correspond to the Mormon Gentiles' response, "A Bible! A Bible!"? Of the two ways which we can interpret this prophecy, do we accept what the Book of Mormon is actually telling us or do we subscribe to the current popular opinion? (It is other Christians who say this!) Our answer to this question will impact immensely which category we belong to--those who hear and desire more, or those who do not hear, and will lose what they have.

To those who asked Jesus about a parable, He asked:  "Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive?"