I was not able to get a lot of reading in today as I drove from Jackson to Omaha; however the thought process in regards to the scripture I have chosen has definitely been stirring.
3 NEPHI 21:10
10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
In this verse, the Savior talks about his servant Joseph Smith. He speaks of how Joseph will be "...marred because of them (those opposed to his teachings)" and yet they will not hurt him. In fact, "...I will heal him," He goes on to say. This is interesting because Joseph received lots of persecution at the hands of mobs and angry citizens, and he did get "marred," as they say: bruised, hurt, damaged. How then is he "...not hurt." Possibly, the wounds of the body, physical hurt, was not a concern for Joseph. The following excerpt is taken from Doctrine & Covenants 135:1-3...
To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o'clock p.m., by an armed mob-painted black-of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.
John Taylor and Willard Richards, two of the Twelve, were the only persons in the room at the time; the former was wounded in a savage manner with four balls, but has since recovered; the latter, through the providence of God, escaped, without even a hole in his robe.
Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!
Caught up in the work of The Lord even to the point of physical disregard, Joseph was not hurt and ultimately healed in Jesus Christ. His last words, "O Lord my God!" Speak to his acceptance of death and embrace of life through the atonement. Anyway, that's how I see it...
~Kipling
Thank you for posting your commentary on 3 Nephi 21:10 and including Doctrine & Covenants 135: 1-3.
ReplyDelete"I thought they weren't allowed to kill" was a class comment by a 10 year old as the martyrdom of Stephen was related in a Primary class. The teacher went in another direction and I have pondered what an answer might be. The Savior had a Nicodemus (John 7:50); Peter and the Apostles had Gamaliel (Acts 5:34-40), but Stephen had no one to stand and curb the murderous rage of a mob. (Paul was not yet proven a choice son of God). The description of the martyrdom of believers in Zeezrom's country as Amulek and Alma were forced to watch and even the death of Laban at the angels command have caused me to take some solace in that same scripture in 3 Nephi, and the comment in your post suggesting that the Resurrected Lord sees death differently than I have thought of death.