Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Joseph Smith on Jesus' Use of Isaiah 6 in the Parables

  

 

<16. Joseph’s Letter to the Elders.> Monday the 16th. at home. Dictated the followin[g] letter for publication in the “Messenger and Advocate.” [HC 2:312]

 

To the Elders of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I have shewn unto you, in my last, that there are two Jerusalems spoken of in Holy Writ, in a manner, I think, satisfactorily to your minds: At any rate I have given my views <up>on the subject. I shall now proceed to make some remarks from the sayings of the Savior, recorded in the 13th chapter of his Gospel according to St Matthew, which in my mind affords us as clear an understanding, upon the important subject of the gathering, as any thing recorded in the Bible. At the time the Savior spoke these beautiful sayings and parables, contained in the chapter above quoted, we find him seated in a ship, on the account of the multitude that pressed upon him to hear his words, <Mat. 13th.> and he commenced teaching them saying, [HC 2:264] “Behold a sower went forth to sow. and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up; some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth, and forthwith they sprang up because they had no deepness of earth, and when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had not root they withered away; and some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them; but other fell in good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold: who hath ears to hear let him hear. And the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? (I would here remark, that the “them,” made use of in this interrogation, is a personal pronoun, and refers to the multitude,) he answered and said unto them, (that is the disciples,) it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but unto them (that is unbelievers) it is not given, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not shall be taken away even that he hath.”

 

We understand from this saying, that those who had previously looking for a messiah to come, according to the testimony of the prophets, and were then, at that time, looking for a messiah, but had not sufficient light on account of their unbelief, to discern him to be their Savior; and he being the true Messiah, consequently they must be disappointed and lose even all the knowledge, or have taken away from them, all the light, understanding and faith, which they had upon this subject: therefore he that will not receive the greater— [p. 643] light, must have taken away from him all the light which <November 16 Joseph’s Letter to the elders, continued.> he hath. And if the light which is in you become darkness, behold how great is that darkness? Therefore says the Savior, speak I unto 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 not perceive.

 

Now we discover, that the very reason assigned by this prophet, why they would not receive the Messiah, was, because they did or would not understand; and seeing they did not perceive; for this people’s heart is waxed gross; and their ears are dull of hearing; their eyes they have closed, lest at any time, they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should be converted and I should heal them.

 

But what saith he to his disciples: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear; for verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen [HC 2:265] them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (source)