Coriantumr’s Blitzkrieg in Helaman 1

 This is not the Coriantumr you are thinking of from the Book of Ether.  This Coriantumr is a Nephite who defects to the Lamanites and gets command of all the Lamanite armies in Helaman 1.  He did not survive the campaign, so his military career is a short one.  As we shall see, he exploits a key Nephite weakness, but his success is the very thing that makes him vulnerable and ensures his final defeat.

14 And it came to pass in the forty and first year of the reign of the judges, that the Lamanites had gathered together an innumerable army of men, and armed them with swords, and with cimeters and with bows, and with arrows, and with head-plates, and with breastplates, and with all manner of shields of every kind.

15 And they came down again that they might pitch battle against the Nephites. And they were led by a man whose name was Coriantumr; and he was a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was a dissenter from among the Nephites; and he was a large and a mighty man.

16 Therefore, the king of the Lamanites, whose name was Tubaloth, who was the son of Ammoron, supposing that Coriantumr, being a mighty man, could stand against the Nephites, with his strength and also with his great wisdom, insomuch that by sending him forth he should gain power over the Nephites—

Coriantumr is all the more dangerous to the Nephites because he dissented from them.  He knows where they are fortified and he knows where their weak points are.  We don’t know how long Coriantumr has been with the Lamanites though.  Perhaps his large and mighty physique would get him noticed quickly, but it would take time for his wisdom to come to the notice of the king.  Tubaloth seems to think that Coriantumr would be a great answer to the fantastic generals the Nephites have had thus far, like Captain Moroni, Moronihah, Lehi, Teancum, Helaman, etc. 

And yet, you can also detect Mormon is poking subtle fun at both the Lamanite king and Coriantumr in verse 16 when he says, “the king of the Lamanites…supposing that Coriantumr, being a mighty man, could stand against the Nephites, with his strength and also with his great wisdom..”  Coriantumr was not strong enough to stand against the Nephites all by himself (or even with an army), and we will see that he wasn’t very smart either.

17 Therefore he did stir them up to anger, and he did gather together his armies, and he did appoint Coriantumr to be their leader, and did cause that they should march down to the land of Zarahemla to battle against the Nephites.

18 And it came to pass that because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack that great city Zarahemla.

19 But it came to pass that Coriantumr did march forth at the head of his numerous host, and came upon the inhabitants of the city, and their march was with such exceedingly great speed that there was no time for the Nephites to gather together their armies.

20 Therefore Coriantumr did cut down the watch by the entrance of the city, and did march forth with his whole army into the city, and they did slay every one who did oppose them, insomuch that they did take possession of the whole city.

This is very bad.  The Nephite guards may have seen the Lamanites coming, but the danger came so fast that there was not time enough for Nephite armies to get there to stop them.  And then, the few guards there were got killed, so there was no one to warn the people the Lamanites were upon them.

21 And it came to pass that Pacumeni, who was the chief judge, did flee before Coriantumr, even to the walls of the city. And it came to pass that Coriantumr did smite him against the wall, insomuch that he died. And thus ended the days of Pacumeni.

Not only are the city guards killed, but Coriantumr also kills Pacumeni, one who could have organized a better resistance.  It is curious that Coriantumr seems to target Pacumeni specifically.  It is likely that he knew where to find the chief judge’s house or offices, since Coriantumr was a dissenter.  Coriantumr is taking a page out of Teancum’s book—get rid of the top leader in order to make it difficult for your enemy to get organized.

Notice the presence of a city wall shows us Zarahemla was fortified.  However, with no army to man the walls and keep the enemy out, the walls didn’t do any good.  And we see in the case of Pecumeni that city walls become deadly when the enemy is inside because walls prevent you from escaping except through the exits.  The fortifications can become a prison.

22 And now when Coriantumr saw that he was in possession of the city of Zarahemla, and saw that the Nephites had fled before them, and were slain, and were taken, and were cast into prison, and that he had obtained the possession of the strongest hold in all the land, his heart took courage insomuch that he was about to go forth against all the land.

Perhaps Coriantumr worried that his plan would fail.  It was certainly unexpected and daring.  Success in the first stage at Zarahemla seems to confirm to him that the rest of his plan was good and he should keep going. 

Now, the real question should be, “Was he justified in taking courage?”  To answer that, we have to look at the kind of forces his massive army has prevailed over.  So far, he’s taken out a few guards, he’s terrorized a bunch of civilians who don’t know the first thing about defending themselves, and he’s chased down and killed the chief judge.  Is that really something to be proud of?  In reality, he hasn’t yet faced a real army!

23 And now he did not tarry in the land of Zarahemla, but he did march forth with a large army, even towards the city of Bountiful; for it was his determination to go forth and cut his way through with the sword, that he might obtain the north parts of the land.

His next objective of cutting his way through to obtain the north parts of the land seems really strange.  What strategic significance could it have to him?  Coriantumr is a Nephite dissenter, so possibly he grew up hearing people talk about how important the north lands were as a fallback place of resort or refuge, so perhaps he thought it was important for the Lamanites to take that away.  However, he didn’t consider that something with strategic importance to the Nephites might not have equal strategic importance to the Lamanites as a Lamanite possession.  If anything, the north lands would be a strategic liability to the Lamanites.  He would have to maintain a corridor of Lamanite-occupied lands in order to supply it, and a corridor would be far too easy for Nephite armies to cut off, since they could attack it from two fronts.  If the Lamanites didn’t maintain a corridor, the north lands have to be supplied by forays through enemy territory, a very costly situation.  It would be most likely that Lamanite possessions gained in the north would be virtually unsupplied, leaving them vulnerable to the Nephite forces and with no way for the main lands of the Lamanites to maintain military authority over them.  In short, his objective was a foolishly chosen one.

24 And, supposing that their greatest strength was in the center of the land, therefore he did march forth, giving them no time to assemble themselves together save it were in small bodies; and in this manner they did fall upon them and cut them down to the earth.

giving them no time to assemble themselves together save it were in small bodies – Coriantumr’s best advantage was the sheer speed of his army’s travel.  It made it hard for the Nephites to tell what his next target was, and the places he invaded didn’t have time to muster more than a token resistance before they were wiped out.  To gather an army from a scattered countryside, you either need one messenger that can travel incredibly fast to reach all the places where fighting-age men can be found, or you need many messengers to reach the fighting men all at the same time with enough time for them to come together.  Or if you are summoning an already-collected army from elsewhere, your messenger has to get there and back with the army all in the time that the invader takes to arrive. 

It is very hard to see how Coriantumr could have thought that the Nephites’ greatest strength was in the center of their land and not on the periphery where the armies and most fortified cities were.  Perhaps he thought there were many more men of military age in the center than were part of the army on the periphery and reasoned that if he could kill as many potential Nephite recruits as possible he could decimate the Nephite army’s ability to be reinforced in a lengthy campaign.  However, this plan foolishly did not take into account where the Nephites’ greatest military strength was now—those trained armies at the periphery.

25 But behold, this march of Coriantumr through the center of the land gave Moronihah great advantage over them, notwithstanding the greatness of the number of the Nephites who were slain.

26 For behold, Moronihah had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the center of the land, but that they would attack the cities round about in the borders as they had hitherto done; therefore Moronihah had caused that their strong armies should maintain those parts round about by the borders.

27 But behold, the Lamanites were not frightened according to his desire, but they had come into the center of the land, and had taken the capital city which was the city of Zarahemla, and were marching through the most capital parts of the land, slaying the people with a great slaughter, both men, women, and children, taking possession of many cities and of many strongholds.

Again, we see that Coriantumr continues to wreak havoc among the civilian populace, and as he takes possession of Nephite cities he leaves part of his army there to maintain them, so after each victory, his innumerable army shrinks more and more.  During all of this, he still hasn’t faced an actual Nephite army, so his army remains just as inexperienced at facing trained opposition as when his invasion began.

28 But when Moronihah had discovered this, he immediately sent forth Lehi with an army round about to head them before they should come to the land Bountiful.

29 And thus he did; and he did head them before they came to the land Bountiful, and gave unto them battle, insomuch that they began to retreat back towards the land of Zarahemla.

When Coriantumr’s army finally faces a real Nephite army, their numbers are no longer as strong and unstoppable as they were at the beginning, and their inexperience against a real army becomes obvious.  They can’t stand up to the battering they get from Lehi’s (traditionally) elite force, so they retreat.

30 And it came to pass that Moronihah did head them in their retreat, and did give unto them battle, insomuch that it became an exceedingly bloody battle; yea, many were slain, and among the number who were slain Coriantumr was also found.

31 And now, behold, the Lamanites could not retreat either way, neither on the north, nor on the south, nor on the east, nor on the west, for they were surrounded on every hand by the Nephites.

32 And thus had Coriantumr plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain, and the Lamanites did yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites.

It is here that Coriantumr and the Lamanites discover that the blitzkrieg tactic had plunged them into greater danger than they could handle.  While Coriantumr had been so interested in taking away the Nephite refuge of the north lands, he had neglected to plan a good one for himself.  He considered his conquered city of Zarahemla a refuge, but it was too far away to reach, so his army was surrounded and he lost his life.

Also note that all the armor the Lamanites had doesn’t seem to have done them much good because the battle was “exceedingly bloody.”  The Lamanites had only fought unarmed, unarmored civilians up to that point, and possibly the Nephite armies have more experience fighting an armored foe and inflicting wounds through or around armor than the Lamanites do (assuming the Lamanites hadn’t trained for it before the campaign.)

33 And it came to pass that Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again, and caused that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace.

34 And thus ended the forty and first year of the reign of the judges. (Helaman 1:14-34)

The Lamanite army left in Zarahemla seems to have been no match for Moronihah’s experienced army, since it says Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again.

It might be argued that the Nephites should have retained all the Lamanite prisoners to prevent their coming again to battle and as workers to fortify the inner cities, but Moronihah continues his father’s merciful tradition of releasing Lamanite prisoners. 

So, at the end we see Coriantumr, who was thought to be such a wise man, turned out to be not very smart after all.  The only reason he succeeded at the beginning was because on the whole his plan was so foolish the Nephites never thought something like that would be attempted.  (Yes, folks, stupidity still has the potential to surprise us.)  Once the surprise was over, the Nephites were able to exploit the weaknesses of Coriantumr’s plan.  He killed and terrorized a lot of people, and he made it obvious to the Nephites that they needed to fortify in the center of the land as well, but his strategy left the Nephite military virtually unopposed, and his gains were only temporary.  

Another thing we see in this story is a lot of “supposing.”  Everybody is supposing things that don’t quite turn out to be accurate. 

·      The king of the Lamanites supposed that Coriantumr could stand against the Nephites with his strength and great wisdom and gain power over them.

·      The Nephites supposed the Lamanites would not attack Zarahemla, so they didn’t have enough guards there to defend them or even to warn them of attack.

·      Coriantumr supposed that the Nephites’ greatest strength was in the center of the land, so he thought that if he could blitz to the center and take cities out really quickly it would rid him of virtually all Nephite opposing forces.

·      Moronihah supposed the Lamanites would not dare to come into the center of Nephite lands to attack.

Who gets a chance to correct their faulty assumptions?

·      The Lamanite king doesn’t find out that Coriantumr wasn’t a good person to lead his armies until his beaten soldiers trickle in from Nephite territory.  If Moronihah hadn’t been merciful and let the Lamanites go, the king would probably wouldn’t have learned until even later.  As it is, when he finds out the truth, there is no opportunity to fire Coriantumr, regroup, and get a better plan.  The Lamanite invasion is over.

·      Coriantumr had a chance to correct his faulty assumption that the Nephites’ greatest strength was in the center of their land when he saw that there was no real army to oppose him as he blitzed through.  He should have wondered why he hadn’t seen any standing armies.  He should have made some kind of effort to find out where he might expect to meet real opposition.  Instead, he kept on working his plan, supposing that the Nephites were even weaker than he thought.

·      Moronihah, once he learned where the Lamanites had attacked and where they were heading, saw that his previous assumptions had been faulty, and he sent Lehi’s army to head the Lamanite army and brought his other armies up from behind.  We don’t know how he got his information, but somehow he found out the truth and acted on it.

This shows us that if we find signs that our assumptions are faulty, we should not dismiss them, but seek out more information.  We need accurate information in order to act wisely.  Coriantumr’s faulty assumptions led directly to his army’s defeat and his own death.  Moronihah’s faulty assumptions led to a large slaughter among his people, and only discovering the truth and acting on it enabled him to save who was left.

The Nephites learned is it was no longer enough to fortify and protect the periphery of the land.  Now the center of the land must be protected as well.   This has application to our families.  It is not enough to fortify and protect the family members who go out into the world for work and school because Satan finds a way to blitzkrieg through to the home itself, targeting those who remain, which may be a mother and young children. 

We noted earlier that when Coriantumr got possession of Zarahemla, the city fortifications became a prison to the judge Pecumeni when he wanted to escape.  This is worth thinking about.  Family rules and commandments can be like fortifications that keep a family safe, but if the people running things—parents or siblings who babysit--are oppressive and destructive, they can make those rules feel like a prison that must be escaped.

If you notice, Coriantumr wanted to obtain the north parts of the land, so he made a bee-line for Bountiful.  The north parts of the land were considered a refuge for the Nephites, a place they could flee to if pressure from the Lamanites got too heavy.  In our lives, the temple is our place of refuge to which we flee for some respite when life gets too much for us.  Satan knows that, and he will do whatever he can to try to deprive us of that refuge.  He will try to make us sin in ways that will make us unworthy to go. 

Finally, we learn that Satan is just as willing to attack in stupid ways as he is to attack in clever ways.  Even if his goals (and those of his minions) are ultimately foolish, that doesn’t matter to him because if he can’t win, he will still be pleased if he can cause widespread misery and suffering.

Lessons fromPahoran Jr. Versus Brothers in Helaman 1

Next to the story of Laman, Lemuel, and Nephi, the story of Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pecumeni in Helaman 1 ranks as one of the most effective warnings against sibling rivalry in the Book of Mormon.  

1 And now behold, it came to pass in the commencement of the fortieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there began to be a serious difficulty among the people of the Nephites.

2 For behold, Pahoran had died, and gone the way of all the earth; therefore there began to be a serious contention concerning who should have the judgment-seat among the brethren, who were the sons of Pahoran.

3 Now these are their names who did contend for the judgment-seat, who did also cause the people to contend: Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pacumeni.

4 Now these are not all the sons of Pahoran (for he had many), but these are they who did contend for the judgment-seat; therefore, they did cause three divisions among the people.

We don’t even know what their birth order was, but we can imagine one of them as an oldest child seeking to keep the authority he has wielded all his childhood.  We can imagine the others seeking to gain some ascendency so that they can have some additional respect among all the sons of the great chief judge.  This sibling rivalry became magnified to national proportions, since it caused three divisions among the people.  

5 Nevertheless, it came to pass that Pahoran was appointed by the voice of the people to be chief judge and a governor over the people of Nephi.

6 And it came to pass that Pacumeni, when he saw that he could not obtain the judgment-seat, he did unite with the voice of the people.

The single bright spot in this story is that Pecumeni, when he saw that he couldn’t win, united with the voice of the people and upheld his brother as chief judge.  There is a good example here of unselfishly celebrating the accomplishments of our siblings and supporting them, even if it feels like it is at our expense. (If only Paanchi had decided to do the same.)

7 But behold, Paanchi, and that part of the people that were desirous that he should be their governor, was exceedingly wroth; therefore, he was about to flatter away those people to rise up in rebellion against their brethren.

We are not given any of the reasons behind Paanchi’s anger.  He might have had good reason; maybe he was ticked at underhanded campaigning tactics. Or it may have just been pride and desire for self-aggrandizement that drove him.  At any rate, he could not accept defeat, and the text says he was “about to” flatter followers toward a rebellion. 

8 And it came to pass as he was about to do this, behold, he was taken, and was tried according to the voice of the people, and condemned unto death; for he had raised up in rebellion and sought to destroy the liberty of the people.

Pahoran’s (2) capture of his brother was according to precedent, as during the previous extended war with the Lamanites his father Pahoran (1) and Captain Moroni had to strictly enforce a law by which any found denying their freedom, or refusing to take up arms to defend their country, fighting against their country, were put to death.

Yet Paanchi and his followers probably took the view that it is one thing to be “about to” flatter people and start a rebellion, but it is quite another to actually do it.  It seems Pahoran took Paanchi’s premeditation and preplanning of rebellion as grounds to try him as a criminal as if the rebellion had actually occurred.  Mormon maybe has revealed to us here why Paanchi’s faction felt pushed toward criminal methods of trying to get what they want with assassination.  Before, they only wanted to rebel, but when Paanchi was taken and tried and condemned, they decided that he should be killed.

At this point we should also consider there may be strong family programming influencing both Pahoran and Paanchi’s actions.  Their father Pahoran (1) was once ousted from the judgment seat.  Pahoran (1) had to flee and then try to drum up support from the populace (and the army) to get enough backing to retake his judgment seat.  This experience would have made a deep impression not only on his mind, but the minds of his sons.  Furthermore, Pahoran (1) would certainly add to that impact by reinforcing to his sons the personal lessons that he learned about dealing strictly with rebels and how to rally popular support when ousted.

It is possible that both Pahoran (2) and Paanchi felt they were playing a part in a scenario similar to what their father went through, both making the assumption that it was time to use the lessons their father taught them.  Even though Paanchi did not have the voice of the people, he probably located himself in the story as the ousted-but-rightful judge who had to drum up support in order to claim his place.  Pahoran (2) probably located himself in the story as the judge who was strictly quelling rebellion.   Somehow they became prisoners to their father’s experience and couldn’t see how their situation might require different responses.  It may also be that their peculiar status in a highly visible family and relationship to each other was uniquely qualified to illustrate that law’s weakness or susceptibility to abuse.  The tragedy is almost Shakespearean.

9 Now when those people who were desirous that he [Paanchi] should be their governor saw that he was condemned unto death, therefore they were angry, and behold, they sent forth one Kishkumen, even to the judgment-seat of Pahoran, and murdered Pahoran as he sat upon the judgment-seat.

If Paanchi thought he was the rightful judge, then his followers probably considered the conflict an actual war and sent Kishkumen as a Teancum-like measure to assassinate the “enemy leader.”  Perhaps they saw it as eye-for-an-eye retribution, if Paanchi had been executed (although the text is not exactly clear on whether Paanchi actually was executed or not.  It only says he was “condemned unto death.”)  Or, the fact that their open opposition had been violently suppressed made them decide to take their opposition underground. But whatever they thought about the justice of their measures, it was wrong, and unfortunately, this brought assassination into the political arena during peacetime, and once brought in, it stayed.

10 And he was pursued by the servants of Pahoran; but behold, so speedy was the flight of Kishkumen that no man could overtake him.

11 And he went unto those that sent him, and they all entered into a covenant, yea, swearing by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran.

12 Therefore, Kishkumen was not known among the people of Nephi, for he was in disguise at the time that he murdered Pahoran. And Kishkumen and his band, who had covenanted with him, did mingle themselves among the people, in a manner that they all could not be found; but as many as were found were condemned unto death. (Helaman 1:1-12)

It’s the beginning of the awful Gadianton Robbers.  I ran across a website that synthesized Hugh Nibley’s thoughts on the Gadiantons’ essential nature as distilled from the Book of Mormon:

“Let us summarize the essential nature of what some have called ‘Gadiantonism’:

“Objectives.

(1) ‘Power and gain,’ the two being interactive: power wins gain and gain wins power for whoever has either.

(2) Control or overthrow of the government; using political office ‘to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory’ (Helaman 7:5).

“Methods.

(1) Secret agreements between individuals and groups. The Gadiantons are essentially an underground movement.

(2) Assassination. These two things, ‘secret combinations’ and ‘that men should shed blood,’ have been forbidden by God ‘in all things . . . from the beginning of man’ (Ether 8:19).

(3) "Payola": ‘Akish did offer them money’  (Ether 9:11); ‘letting the guilty . . . go unpunished because of their money’ (Helaman 7:5).

(4) Skillful propaganda and public relations: ‘flattering words.’

(5) The hate campaign: a steady output of charges, accusations, and rumors, in the manner of Amalickiah: Accuse--always accuse. Eagerness to accuse is from the devil, as Brigham Young often taught.

(6) Intimidation: ‘breathing out many threatenings,’ operating ‘by the hand of secrecy,’ wearing fearsome disguises (3 Nephi 4:7).

(7) Showmanship, e.g., the picturesque uniforms and romantic appeal to the young (3 Nephi 1:29).

(8) Tight control of members--death penalty for betrayal (Ether 8:14; Helaman 1:11).

“Attitude.

(1) The Gadiantons were totally partisan, the laws and interests of the combination taking priority over all other laws and interests.

(2) All were ambitious, hence the labor for power and gain: Cain is the type and model.

(3) The combinations were highly competitive, feuding fiercely among themselves.

(4) They sought to project a noble image, with much talk of rights and wrongs, high courage and upright character (the letter to Lachoneus).

(5) They professed piety and religion, swearing their forbidden oaths not by the demons but ‘by the God of heaven’ (Ether 8:14), ‘by their everlasting Maker’ (Helaman 1:11).

(6) They were paranoid, always attributing their troubles to the wickedness of others; never the aggressors, they are constantly seeking to avenge their wrongs. Vengeance is their watchword.

“Ecology.

(1) They flourish best in an affluent business society, and wither in times of poverty.

(2) They crystallize around ambitious individuals.

(3) They readily coalesce with king-men, would-be nobility, great families, ambitious local officials, and rapacious Lamanite overlords, i.e., with all who are opposed to popular government among the Nephites.

(4) They have destroyed every civilization in the New World in which they have been able to thrive.

(5) They cannot thrive or even survive without the acceptance and encouragement of the society in general. Being predatory and non-productive, i.e., parasites, they must have a complacent society to host and support them. Such a society is one which accepts as desirable the Gadianton goals of power and gain.

(6) They can become dormant for long periods of time and then, when circumstances are favorable, suddenly appear in full strength and vigor, their plans having been buried and preserved intact against the day of opportunity.

“The Gadiantons, terrible as they were, are treated more as a symptom than as a disease: the society that has them is sick, but they are like maggots that prey only on dead tissue; they simply exploit the evil situation that gives them their opportunity.” (http://josephsmith.com/wp-content/content/Joseph_Smith_Book_of_Mormon/Helaman6.htm. Adapted from Hugh Nibley’s Since Cumorah, pp. 370-2)

Some concluding observations and lessons from this story:

·      Sibling rivalry is a very bad thing among adults.  Even if national elections aren’t involved, it is still bad.  It forces relatives to take sides and can turn the family into a battleground.  Hostilities become even more deep-seated and can last for generations.  (The whole Nephite-Lamanite opposition is another example of this.)

·      It almost seems as if there is an element of offense and revenge that underlies what happens.  Paanchi was offended by Pahoran’s win, so he decides to rebel.  Pahoran is offended by Paanchi’s anger and planning to rebel, so he decides to take him and try him for treason and condemn him to death.  Paanchi’s supporters are offended by Pahoran’s brand of justice, so they decide to have Pahoran assassinated.  At any point individuals involved could have decided to just stop the cycle of offense and revenge, but no one did. 

·      Pahoran Jr. and Paanchi may have been prisoners of their father’s difficult experience.  Sometimes we learn the lessons of the previous generation too well to the point that we become unable to imagine alternative responses that might be more appropriate.  This is why it is so heroic and amazing when someone can break out of a cycle of family abuse, addiction, or divorce.

·      People are susceptible to be tempted into forming secret combinations when open opposition to the powers that be is violently suppressed. 

Jesus Cleanses a Leper and Suffers Some Consequences, Mark 1:40-45

40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter. (Mark 1:40-45)

In this story a leper comes to Jesus, asking to be cleansed. 

The way the leper risks the scorn and disgust of the people around him in order to get to Jesus tells us a little something about how people might feel coming to Jesus among Saints.  They might worry about not fitting in, about not being as good.  They brave rejection of society on the chance that they might be helped.  It tells us a little about how determined one has to be to come to Christ when the environment is disapproving or forbidding.  But we see it is all worth it.

That the leper asks to be cleansed is instructive to us.   The leper had spent much time calling, “Unclean!  Unclean!” to warn people away from him; it was the dearest wish of his life to someday be clean again.  His request to be cleansed can make us remember that without Jesus, we would all be unclean forever, outcasts from the presence of God, and that the hope to be cleansed of our sins and remain clean is one of the most important desires of our lives.

I love that the man knows that Jesus CAN cleanse him.  The question is WILL Jesus choose to cleanse him?  When we suffer disease, this idea of divine prerogative can help us in our faith.  God definitely CAN heal us.  The question is always WILL He?  If He chooses not to, can we maintain our trust in Him?

The neat thing to me is that Jesus’s compassion for the man caused him to touch him, knowing that he had not had normal human contact ever since he’d been diagnosed with the disease.  It is a compassionate act, and a healing one; the leprosy leaves the man.  It is a teaching miracle, meant to show Jesus’ power to cleanse and purify even the most virulent of diseases, and is meant to help people learn to believe Jesus can cleanse from terrible sins as well.  Just as Jesus’ touch cleanses physically, it cleanses spiritually. Jesus could not be contaminated.  Rather, He could sanctify.

In a different reading of this story, Jesus is not moved with compassion, but with indignation by the leper.  This is jarring, but we can understand why Jesus might be indignant—the leper is endangering others, risking contaminating others by violating the societal quarantine restrictions in the Law of Moses.  Healing the leper also saved others from being exposed to the same infection.  We can then understand why Jesus so carefully charged the man to go show himself to the priests.  The man broke the Law by coming in the city, so he was to demonstrate his healing by now keeping the Law and fulfilling all the forms set down for achieving reestablishment into society.  The forms made it official. 

Jesus had technically gone beyond the Law of Moses to touch the man, and perhaps He asked the man to keep quiet that He had touched him.  In spite of this, the man blazed the matter abroad and Jesus could no longer openly enter the city.  Perhaps Jesus had to go through a form of quarantine by staying out of the city for a while.  Still, people knew He hadn’t really been contaminated by leprosy, so they followed Him out into the desert places where He stayed.  One could say that from a certain point of view, Jesus took on Himself the penalty of the leper for a time, and this anticipated and testified of how Jesus would, in His atoning sacrifice, take upon Himself the pains and sickness and suffering of His people.

Jesus’ instruction to the man to not tell anyone what was done have always seemed to me to be odd.  He does this over and over when He does miracles, and so often He was disobeyed.  We know later He wanted His disciples to preach the gospel to every creature, so you’d think stories of miracles done would help that cause.  Sometimes it almost seems as if requiring silence was a ploy to get more attention in expectation that they would do the opposite.   But seeing it this way doesn’t work because we must believe Jesus spoke the truth, so we must suppose that somehow Jesus felt the cause of the gospel would not be helped by spreading stories of miracles.  How and why?  In thinking about it, I thought of a few problems that Jesus was seeking to prevent.

First, Jesus was trying to avoid self-aggrandizement.  He gave the glory to His Father, and He focused on His mission of saving souls.  He wanted people to believe in His saving power, but He didn’t want the wrong kind of publicity, and He didn’t want notoriety based on sensation.  He wasn’t a circus or an entertainer, and the spreading of miracle stories would have drawn people eager for sensation.  (We might ask ourselves, “In ways can I bring others to Jesus without drawing undue attention to myself?”)

Second, He needed freedom to move from town to town.  Preaching to a town at a time meant the numbers were controllable and He could be fairly confident of reaching just about everyone, and the weak or hesitant wouldn’t have to fight crowds to reach Him.

In short, Jesus was concerned that spreading the news would attract the wrong kinds of people and end up creating too great an obstacle for the right kinds of people to reach Him (“Right kinds” meaning “humble and repentant”).  We see later that He was justified in this concern; stories after this point speak of people who had to be pushy, or yell loudly, or tear up roofs of other people’s houses, or climb trees, or just squirm in close enough to touch His garment, and we can only dream of the people who might have been saved if they hadn’t been intimidated or discouraged by the huge press.  We see the huge crowds alarmed the Jewish leaders and they felt they had to keep an eye on Him and check His power with the people in any way they could, and He had to spend valuable preaching time parrying their attacks.

It is interesting that Jesus commanded the former leper to go show himself to the priests “as a testimony to them,” even as He commands him not to tell anyone else.  It sounds like Jesus privileges action and fulfilling the Law over telling of miraculous stories of change. 

The Law of Moses gave directions regarding how the priests were to diagnose skin diseases and declare someone cleansed or not, but it didn’t give any power to actually heal.  It was diagnostic, not therapeutic.  But having provisions for declaring a person clean shows that the Law had been given in implicit faith that the Messiah would come and heal people and healing was possible.  Who knows how long it had been since the leper-cleansing testimony provisions of the Law had been performed?  It would tell the priests in an unmistakable way that the Law was being fulfilled, even in little-known points, even in anticipatory senses.  They would see there was a healing power at work in the land, greater than the power of mortal priests.

Sadly, we have no mention that the leper went to the priests as a living testimony as instructed.  It is possible that he felt he could skip this step, reasoning that he knew he was healed so there was no point in being ceremonially declared healed.  There’s a lesson that is suggested by this speculation—it is important to go through all the forms required for repentance because they demonstrate our full willingness to submit to God.  Talk is cheap, and obedience is not.

The Unclean Spirit Cast Out, Mark 1:21-26

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21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. (Mark 1:21-26)

What was the nature of this unclean spirit that was in the man?  I think it was one that made the man feel that he was lost forever and change wasn’t possible for him.  It perhaps made him think that change wasn’t desirable either.  Yet the man still came to the synagogue to hear.

When Jesus taught the people in the synagogue, the man with the unclean spirit heard doctrines that made him think that it might be possible to change, but the unclean spirit still had a hold on him.  The result was that he felt that it was too late fro him and that Jesus’ words mocked him by offering salvation that he couldn’t have.  Jesus’ words offering hope tormented him because he didn’t think it was real.  “Let us alone!” he cried, “What have we to do with the, thou Jesus of Nazareth?”  We see here the man considered Jesus in a totally different class of being, thinking there was no way he could be anything like Him.  He felt there was no way he could change, and if he couldn’t change, then the only thing he could expect from the Son of God would be harsh judgment and destruction.  “Art thou come to destroy us?”

Jesus didn’t get mad or frustrated with the man; He knew it wasn’t really the man talking, but the evil spirit that had possession of him.  He told the evil spirit to come out.

It takes a while for it to happen.  The scriptures say the evil spirit tore the man and cried with a loud voice.  I don’t think it was a physical tearing though.  It was a spiritual tearing, as the man was torn in two different directions.  Part of him was desperate to respond to Jesus and His doctrine, but the natural man wanted to stay as he was.  The struggle was so great and poignant the man lost his composure and cried stormily.  But he chose to follow Christ.

I think this is a valuable account because there may be times in our lives when we think there is no hope for us and that if Jesus came He would just destroy us.  This story tells us that it is not us that torments us this way, but an evil spirit that seeks to prevent us from repenting and changing.  This story is meant to help us recognize that devilish influence and escape it.  It helps us by showing us that this man could change and there is hope for anyone else who felt as he used to.  

We can pray to escape evil attitudes and evil spirits.  I have done this before when I have found myself tormented by an evil attitude.  When I pray, the Lord blesses me to help me overcome it.

The Mustard Seed: Kingdom of God and Word of God

30 ¶And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:

 32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. (Mark 4:30-32)

This parable comes in the same chapter as the parable of the sower (seed in 4 different kinds of ground) and the parable of the seed growing secretly.  Previous to this I’ve only looked at this parable by taking it at face value—the kingdom of God = a grain of mustard seed.  But recently, I looked at it in context with the other parables around it which also involved planting seeds, and I thought, “What if in this parable the mustard seed = the word?”  (I'm not suggesting that this is the real interpretation; rather, I thought it might be interesting to see what else I might learn if I started from this assumption rather than the assumption that the seed = kingdom of God.)

If we assume seed means the word of God, we can see why a mustard seed would be used.  Mustard seed is so small.  You’d think the plant that would grow from it would be small too.  In the same way, the word of God, when heard with the carnal ears, seems unbelievable and easily dismissable.  It seems like it would never have any real effect on someone, or carry the least weight of all the things you could say.  But when the word of God is heard with the spiritual ears and nurtured, it grows into action and it becomes the thing that has the greatest effect in a person’s life.  It is productive of all sorts of good works to an extent that aren’t possible otherwise.