Warnings against Hypocrites, with Attention to Spiritual Manifestations

D&C 50 was given in response to Joseph Smith’s inquiry about various spiritual manifestations and phenomena among the new members in Kirtland. The strange and indecorous nature of these things caused members to wonder what was of God and what was fake.

6 But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment.

7 Behold, verily I say unto you, there are hypocrites among you, who have deceived some, which has given the adversary power; but behold such shall be reclaimed;

8 But the hypocrites shall be detected and shall be cut off, either in life or in death, even as I will; and wo unto them who are cut off from my church, for the same are overcome of the world.

9 Wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that which is not in truth and righteousness before me. (D&C 50:6-9)

This gives us part of the answer from the Lord—there were some members who were faking spiritual manifestations, and their performance was deceiving others and giving Satan power. There were also false manifestations (from a source not of God).

The Church’s publication, “Revelations in Context” has a chapter called “Religious Enthusiasm Among Early OhioConverts,” and it gives some historical perspective on how the religious culture of the day contributed to the problem.

As part of the Second Great Awakening, people thirsted for more from religion than was in their churches, so there was a surge in religious zeal, and revival meetings were part of that, with great interest in spiritual manifestations. People responded to preaching passionately, with prophesying, shouting, crying, dancing, shaking, rolling, etc. Christians at large were divided over these manifestations—some were suspicious and others saw them as genuinely from God. The Mormon message about spiritual gifts appealed to many people who were taught in Ohio.

The story of Levi Hancock can help illuminate the problems and worries these manifestations created in the church. Levi heard news of the Mormon missionaries, and a bare recitation of what they were preaching gave him a wonderful feeling such that he decided to go listen because he could feel it was the truth. He was baptized, but he and the other converts in Kirtland were soon left without experienced leadership. They had no experience in the church, few Books of Mormon, and no exposure to Joseph Smith’s previous revelations about church order. Some started to introduce elements of enthusiastic worship.

Then three elders of the Church came, and their manner of doings in worship services was very strange (See the linked article for more details). Levi was perplexed and worried he was not as pure as them because they seemed honest and sincere, but Levi’s manifestations were very different from theirs.

So we see one problem with false (wrong sourced) or faked manifestations is that they make sincere and worthy members feel insecure about their own spiritual status and worthiness. When this sort of thing persists and isn’t corrected, it causes sincere members to expect manifestations of a false type and overlook the true manifestations. That is exactly what Satan would like. He would love church members to miss the true manifestations and look for something else so he can suggest all sorts of crazy, dramatic, non-edifying things and have people accept them uncritically.  He would also like to convince members it is okay to pretend they had a manifestation when they haven’t. And the more dramatic, the better, especially if it is to prove how pure and Spirit-led they are and increase their status and reputation in the church. The lie Satan would tell is, “There’s no way anyone can tell whether you are faking it or telling the truth. They are predisposed to think you’re telling the truth anyway, so go ahead.”

Thus, the above verses directly address the issue of hypocrites pretending to spiritual manifestations. The Lord knows who is faking it or pretending and who is not. He warns that hypocrites will be detected, which crushes Satan’s lie of “no one can tell.” The Lord also warns hypocrites they will be cut off and brought to judgment. Someone who prefers to pretend to spiritual manifestations or listens to manifestations from a false source will definitely miss the real ones that would guide and warn them. Eventually they will do something so obviously wrong they must be corrected and receive discipline, but by then it may be very difficult for them to humble themselves and repent, since they will have built their self esteem, worth, and ego on their “enhanced spirituality.”  That’s what brings them to be cut off from the church, if they can’t humble themselves.

What about those who were fooled by the hypocrite and false manifestations? Verse 7 says, “such shall be reclaimed.” The rest of D&C 50 gives helpful principles about how the Spirit preaches the truth, edifies, brings light, is understandable, and many other principles to help increase discernment so that members can chase darkness away.

Verse 9 has a warning for everyone to beware, lest they do something “not in truth and righteousness.” Thus we are to be completely honest and upright and never to pretend to spiritual manifestations and share nothing that does not shed light and edify. We may have manifestations that are for our own edification alone and which are not meant to be shared.

Having had some experience with these things, I am personally grateful for these verses.

A Nephi's broken bow versus Laman and Lemuel's bows without springs

And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food. . . .

Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, having been afflicted with my brethren because of the loss of my bow, and their bows having lost their springs, it began to be exceedingly difficult, yea, insomuch that we could obtain no food. (1 Nephi 16:18, 21)

I find it rather telling that here Nephi’s brothers are so angry with him for breaking his bow, and yet their bows don’t work either. If Nephi can be blamed for breaking his bow, then Laman and Lemuel are just as blameworthy for allowing their bows to lose spring. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black.

It is probable that Laman and Lemuel’s bows lost spring first, but they weren’t too worried about this because Nephi’s bow still worked. But as soon as Nephi’s bow broke, there was nothing to fall back on, and became a serious loss with everyone’s lives at stake.

This issue with the bows sort of sounds like it could be a great teaching analogy for moral strength. When a bow loses its spring, the string isn’t tight enough to propel an arrow. Range and penetrating power is substantially decreased. And of course, when a bow breaks outright, an arrow can’t be sent any distance at all.  Some souls are too slack to be as effective as they should. Some other souls are under so much pressure that they break and can’t act at all. Which is worse? It’s hard to say. They are both tragedies in their own way.

The story of the bows could also teach us something about how we deal with stress. If we’re too slack, we don’t do as much as we could. If we’re too rigid, we may break under pressure. We have to have an optimal level of flexibility—just enough strength and steadfastness to be firm, but also enough adaptability to not break.

Personal note: It’s nice to be back. I was in England on vacation for a couple weeks.

Character of the Jewish Elders in Jerusalem in Nephi’s day

There’s an interesting series of observations we can make about the Jewish elders in Jerusalem from the details Nephi provides in his interactions with Laban and Zoram.

First, when Nephi finds Laban drunk, we get this:

7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.

8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban. (1 Nephi 4:7-8)

Laban is in a drunken stupor. Fact.

Then when Nephi is dressed as Laban, we get this detail:

And he spake unto me concerning the elders of the Jews, he knowing that his master, Laban, had been out by night among them. (1 Nephi 4:22)

So Laban has been out by night among the elders of the Jews, and he got falling-down drunk. Is it logical to think that Laban was the only one of the gathering who got drunk? Probably not. That means it was a party of drunk people. And these are the elders of the Jews. They are supposed to be the righteous ones, the decision-makers, the wise ones, the ruling body.  But they are getting together to party and get drunk.  That is definitely the wrong kind of elders’ quorum party right there.

Then we get some other interesting info in some other verses:

24 And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren, who were without the walls….

26 And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me.

27 And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I went forth unto my brethren, who were without the walls. (1 Nephi 4:24, 26-27)

If Zoram had known about the drunken character of the elders’ parties, he would have found this Laban’s sudden interest in retrieving the plates and taking them to “brethren outside the walls” odd, unusual, and suspiciously out-of-character.  Drunken loutish bully has suddenly turned pious and wants to give/show archived scriptures to someone outside the city?  Hmmm…

But Zoram doesn’t seem to have any idea that this is out of character, which means it may be possible that Laban had concealed what was happening with the elders.

What does this add up to? Hypocrisy among the elders.  Meeting to party and drink themselves into a stupor while everyone else thought they were taking care of important business and making momentous, important decisions. They were taking the status of their position and using it to cloak their self-indulgence and decadence.  It seems that part of their wickedness was the fact that they were hiding it and not repenting of it. (This could also explain why Laman and Lemuel later argued against Nephi that the Jews at Jerusalem were righteous and Lehi had judged them unfairly.)

Would these elders be able to handle a real crisis when it comes up? Probably not. They were destroying their character instead of building it up.

I think the lesson for us today is to avoid hypocrisy. If we say we’re busy because we’re engaged in something important, we’d better be doing important stuff and not mucking about wasting time. We'd better be repenting and not hiding our sins.

The importance of sincerity to conversion

Helaman 3:24-26 describes how thousands of people decided to unite themselves to the church and the record even calls it tens of thousands.  The church prospered exceedingly and the priests and teachers were astonished beyond measure.

Only two years later (v33), pride begins to enter the church and Mormon uses interesting language—“ not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God” (emphasis added).  That indicates he is a little skeptical of the level of conversion of some of the people who joined the church in such great numbers.

In v34, we learn the proud members begin persecuting their humble brethren in the church.

By Helaman 4:1—five years after so many people joined the church—there were many dissentions in the church and a contention among the people with lots of bloodshed.  So those who were not sincere in the church could not maintain the façade.  Mormon does not state this, but it is easy to see that joining the church for any other reason than true conversion and commitment to Christ is not a firm foundation.

I think Mormon’s observation of the mass conversions is telling: 

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.  (Helaman 3:27)

Sincerity is the key work there.  Some among the number of converts may not have been sincere, and they would not be the ones receiving the Lord’s mercy. The Lord is not fooled by empty profession and vain posturing and parading.

For those who have to go through persecution from the proud and insincere, Mormon says,

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked  (Helaman 3:29)

For those who are sincerely converted, it is like taking a strait path through a gulf of misery to be surrounded by hypocrites in the true church and to suffer at their hands. The only way they can stay steadfast is to lay hold on the word of God and keep going.  

I hope we never fall into pride and hypocrisy and persecution of our fellow members.  Also, in every church ward I have been in I have been blessed to be around sincere members who are doing their best.  I hope that if we ever find ourselves in a ward where members are not so sincere we can hold on our way and stay the course.

Betrayal With a Kiss

48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. (Matthew 26:48-51)

We know it was really skunky of Judas to use a kiss as an act of betrayal and elsewhere in the Gospels we see Jesus was disturbed by this too, but why did Judas decide to use a kiss?  Why not point and shout, “That’s him, boys, the one who is kneeling!” or something like that?

I think it was because Judas wanted to maintain the appearance of being friendly.  He hoped that Jesus and the other disciples not connect the kiss with Jesus’s capture.  (We don’t often catch this point because in video dramatizations time is compressed so that it seems like the Jews come practically on Judas’ heels.)  He wanted the arrest to come as a complete surprise and he didn’t want to be seen as the cause and facilitator of it.  In short, it was hypocrisy.

Clearly it didn’t work.  Jesus knew what was happening, and the apostles knew about it soon too, though we’re not sure at what point they heard or figured it out.

Are there those today who are trying to betray Christ under the guise of a kiss of fellowship?  Yes.  The message of this story is that their part in the betrayal will be made known.  They may bring trouble on the Saints, but with the Lord’s help, the Saints will rise above it.  No unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord.