Wild Branches, Tame Branches

I've just started reading the 5th Chapter of Jacob, "The Allegory of the Olive Tree", which is really a story of reconciliation. I think the allegory can mean different things to different people depending on their perspective. In one sense, it represents a macroscopic picture of the history of the world, and the Lord's dealings with the House of Israel and the Gentiles. But there are also lots of little gems all the way through that show you the loving personality of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of his Atonement.

The thing that impresses me today is the great power of the Atonement to change us from wild, unproductive branches, into tame branches that bring forth good fruit. To me, the roots of the tame olive tree represent the new and everlasting covenant that God made with Adam, and that he has renewed in each dispensation, with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The roots also represent the covenant family, and the ancestors who faithfully endured in the covenant, and have now entered their exaltation. The branches represent their posterity, some of whom wander from the Lord and His gospel. But the Lord is under covenant obligation to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, etc. to reach out to and save their wandering posterity. So he does all that he can to preserve the any of the branches that respond to His ministering service. Ultimately, though some of the branches wander, He brings them back into the family, grafting them back in to the tree, and making them one with their covenant ancestors.

At the same time, the Lord wants the new and everlasting covenant to bless not only the covenant family, but all of his children in all of the world. The wild branches represent the Gentiles: people who have not entered into the covenant with the Lord, and the roots of the wild trees may represent their Gentile ancestors, culture, traditions, etc. The Lord provides opportunity for wild branches and wild trees to be blessed by the covenant---He grafts wild branches into the tame olive tree, making them one with the covenant family, and allowing the strength of the roots---the power of his gospel covenant, and his holy Atonement---to work in the wild branches until they bring forth good fruit, and are one with the covenant family. And when he takes tame branches from the tame olive tree, and grafts them into the roots of the wild trees, similar things happen: the goodness of the covenant in these young and tender branches somehow changes the wild roots so that they too bring forth good fruit.

Mercy, healing and change are available through covenant with Jesus Christ, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord of the vineyard. His Atonement is powerful enough to changes our natures, from being wayward, rebellious, and unproductive to being tender, productive, and fruitful. And the power of his Atonement can bring about a beautiful sense of oneness with our families, living and dead, all blessed by the new and everlasting covenant.

See that I have commanded that none of you should go away

We learn from the scriptures that Jesus stands "with open arms to receive [us]" (Mormon 6:17). For me that has been easy to believe as it relates to other people (i.e., he stands with open arms to receive them), but harder to truly believe as it relates to me.

I am often weighed down by my own shortcomings, and my consistent failure to do everything I know I should do, 100% of the time. I know this is not a unique indictment and essentially applies to all of us, but sometimes, my great weakness gets to me.

I felt that way during a recent visit to the San Diego Temple. As I participated in an endowment session, surrounded by fellow church members, all dressed in white, I began to feel a bit out of place, as a flood of my personal failings and weaknesses came to mind. I thought, "I am grumpy when I should be pleasant. I am selfish and self-centered, when I should be selfless. When I serve, I often do so with a desire for notoriety and recognition. I am insincere when I should be sincere. I am doubtful when I should be full of faith..." I felt overwhelmed by all the good things that others are, and that the Lord is, but that I am not.

Then, these words from The Book of Mormon came to my mind: "see that I have commanded that none of you should go away..." (3 Nephi 18:25). I hadn't read this scripture for a long time, but the Holy Ghost brought it to my remembrance word for word, and I honestly felt in that moment that I had heard the voice of the Lord, in the sense that I had received a message from Him that was tailored for me in my moment of need. I began to sense His great love for me; that even with my all great weaknesses, he doesn't want me to go away. Instead he says "come unto me, that ye might feel and see." (3 Nephi 18:25). He wants me to keep showing up, to keep begging for mercy, and to let Him use His atoning power to transform my weakness into strength (Ether 12:27)

The scriptures are full of Jesus' invitations to "come unto me", and I always knew He meant it in a general sense, but now I see that the envelope has my name on it: " Josh, come unto me!"

Book of Mormon Witnesses

This is a post from December of last year, just after I started reading the Book of Mormon again---it was on an old blog of mine, but I wanted to include it here as well:

December 31, 2009:

I've just started reading the Book of Mormon again, and listening to a podcast of BYU's Book of Mormon Roundtable Discussions (available here). One of the things mentioned in the Introductory podcast is that when you combine the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris), and the Eight Witnesses (Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith), you have twelve individual witnesses of the Book of Mormon's validity and divine origin.

Another interesting point is that the testimony of Eight Witnesses nicely complements the testimony of Three Witnesses. The Eight saw the plates with their own eyes in broad daylight. Joseph Smith showed the plates to them; they hefted them, turned the leaves, and examined the engravings with their own eyes. The testimony of the Eight is completely derived from what they were able to observe naturally through their physical senses---almost a scientific observation, confirming that the plates did, in fact, exist, and looked exactly like Joseph said they looked.

In contrast the testimony of Three Witnesses was derived from a spiritual experience---the three testified that they saw the engravings on the plates "by the power of God, and not of man." An angel from God came down from heaven and showed them the plates, and they heard the voice of God testify of the truthfulness of the record and the translation.

Critics who believe in God, but have trouble accepting the Book of Mormon could claim that Joseph fabricated what looked like gold plates and deceived the Eight into thinking that they had actually seen an ancient record. But what then of the testimony of the three, who claim to have heard the voice of God declaring that the record was true and the translation correct, and to whom the plates were shown, not by Joseph Smith, but by an angel? And those critics who deny God and the supernatural could claim that the Three were simply hallucinating must somehow explain how Joseph came up with the heavy gold plates that were shown to eight men in broad daylight. In this way the physical testimony of the Eight, and the spiritual testimony of the Three are mutually reinforcing and and strengthen each other against attack from various perspectives.

The text of the Testimony of the Three Witnesses is especially compelling to me (read it here), in part because each man who so testified never denied his testimony, even when that testimony required leaving possessions and family behind, and even when they were disaffected with the Prophet Joseph and could have recanted their testimony in order to hurt him or the Church. Each went to his grave affirming that what he had said years before was true.

Of course none of this proves to anyone that the Book of Mormon is true. But hopefully these Book of Mormon witnesses create enough room to believe that we are willing to try the experiment and find out for ourselves. I'm looking forward to renewing my own witness of the book as I start reading again.

That book is true!

I was sitting in our Stake Center watching Priesthood Session of Conference last night, when I heard Elder Russell M. Nelson speak about missionary work, and our sacred obligation to preach the gospel to all the world. He spoke about traditional missionary opportunities that we can all have by expanding our circle of friends and being open and positive about our membership in the church and willing to share and invite others to "Come and see." He also spoke about taking advantage of all the new internet opportunities to share the gospel---facebook, blogging, mormon.org profiles, etc.

My thoughts immediately turned to blogging, and I felt like it might be a good idea to start sharing things I learn every day during my study of The Book of Mormon. I served a mission in south Texas several years back, but since then I haven't taken the chance to share my testimony often. I've retreated into a fearful pattern of "better not say anything", and I'd like to start to break the silence. The truth is that I do know that The Book of Mormon is true. There are so many insights packed into its pages---ideas, suggestions, and counsel directed specifically to me, in unmistakable ways. So many others could say the same. Moroni, the book's final author, said "I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing" (Mormon 8:35), and so it is. And the only satisfying explanation for it all is the explanation Joseph Smith gave for it. Yes, that book is true!

So, each day, I'm going to share something I learned from The Book of Mormon during the day, and in some small way, share my witness that what was written "by the hand of Mormon" really is the word of God!