I have often wondered what it might have been like to live at the time of the Saviour, and to have been in His presence. I also wondered if I would have been among those who recognized Him for who and what he was. When describing the world He lived in, Robert Matthews spoke of
“the spiritually barren and parched condition of a people led by proud and insistent Pharisees, [wealthy] and powerful Sadducees, exclusive rabbis and learned scribes, . . .” (Robert Matthews pg 84, BEHOLD THE MESSIAH)(1)
There were many who were in the presence of Christ while He lived on the earth, without recognizing Him. He simply wasn’t what they expected him to be. In John we read that “He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto his own and his own received him not.” (John 1:10,11)
John the Baptist taught a group of Jewish leaders that the Messiah was not only already on the earth – but living and walking among them, and yet they had not recognized him. So it is fair and reasonable to wonder if we might be any different. And yet. . . . . . . There were those who DID recognize Him. They testified “we have found Him! We have found the Messiah!”
Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathanael were among the first who declared that.
Simeon at the temple recognized him when he was only an infant.
Anna at the temple recognized the baby in Mary’s arms.
Elizabeth recognized him before he was born.
The magi who travelled from the east knew who He was when they found him.
The shepherds who were the very first to visit him knew who he was.
All of these people had two things in common – * THEY were SEEKING Him. They were familiar with the scriptures which spoke of Him, they knew the signs to watch for, they knew the time was at hand. And. They. Sought Him.
There is a difference between knowing the Saviour and knowing about him. We must first learn about Him it is true, and we can do that by reading or listening, but in order to KNOW him, *we must want to know him. *We must actively SEEK to know him. *We must obey his commandments. *And we must be given a spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ may only be known through Revelation.
If we had lived in Jerusalem and walked the same streets as did the Saviour, and saw him in the mortal flesh we would not have known that He was the Messiah unless the Holy spirit whispered it to our spirit. The same crucial witness that we require was required of them too. That witness of course, is personal revelation. (2)
So merely being in His presence does not mean FEELING THAT ONE IS IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST and vice versa – FEELING the presence of Christ, does not have to mean BEING in His physical presence. In fact, they couldn’t be more exclusive and independent.
image: You are Mine by Liz Lemon
There are days when I can truly say “I have found the Messiah!” – and my joy is so full that I literally cannot contain it. It leaks out my eyes. On those days there is nothing I’d rather do than be in His service and feel His arms around me, and I want to try my best to be a “window to His love”(4). Then there are other days when life gets busy and I lose myself in the temporal demands of my day, and although I don’t lose my way, I may not feel that same wonderful closeness that I yearn for.
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi shares a dream. In it he was led to a “Tree whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.” And he “did go forth and partook of the fruit thereof; and [he] beheld that it was most sweet, above all that [he] had ever before tasted. Yea, and [he] beheld that the fruit was white, to exceed all the whiteness that [he] had ever seen. And as [he] partook of the fruit thereof, it filled [his] soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore [he] began to be desirous that [his] family should partake of it also, for [he] knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.” (1N 8:10-12)
We know from Nephi that the tree represented the love of God. Everyone has the love of God, because God loves us all. But not all of us can FEEL the love of God. What is the difference? Action. Our action. Lehi partook of the fruit of the tree – the fruit of the love of God. What is the fruit of the love of God? Apostle David Bednar says that the “fruit is a symbol for the blessings of the Atonement.“(5) And what is the Atonement? It is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to help us overcome sin, adversity, and death. He paid the price for our sins, took upon Himself death and was resurrected. So as Lehi PARTOOK of the fruit of the tree, so must we PARTAKE OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE ATONEMENT.
David Bednar said “partaking of fruit of the tree represents the receiving of ordinances and covenants whereby the Atonement can become fully efficacious in our lives.” (4) The love of God is there. Just like the tree. You don’t have to do anything to make it real. It is what it is. Whether you know its there, whether you care if its there – makes no difference. It IS there. And the fruit – it is there too. But in order to benefit from the fruit, in order to taste it and to be nourished by it – one must partake of it. One must EAT it. Just like Lehi did.
Like many of you, I have felt His spirit. I have partaken of the blessings of the Atonement, received the ordinances and covenants that make the Atonement efficacious in my life – and it IS like the fruit Lehi described. He said that it “was desirable to make one happy, . . . . .” and that it “filled [his] soul with exceeding great joy”. When one feels that kind of joy, one really does think immediately of those we love. Like Lehi, we begin to “be desirous that our family should partake also“.
That must be what it feels like to be in the presence of Christ. I think that – because there is nothing else quite like it. Lehi described it as being more sweet than anything he had ever before tasted, with a whiteness that exceeded anything he had ever before seen, and that it was desirable above all else. Those are very vague attempts at description. It is as if it defies description. As if words just cannot convey. There are times when what we feel simply cannot be put into words. Those are the times, that feelings leak out of our eyes. At those times, we can say “ahhhhh, this is what I have heard about. No wonder they couldn’t describe it.”
It is my hope that we might all feel that feeling at some point. I absolutely know that we can. If we DESIRE to know Him. If we SEEK to know Him. And if we willingly PARTAKE of the fruit of His love.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
footnotes
- quote from Robert Matthews, pg 8 BEHOLD THE MESSIAH
- also from Roberta Matthews BEHOLD THE MESSIAH
- Cherie Call – song WHEN I SANG
- Julie de Azevedo – song WINDOW TO HIS LOVE
- Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod
- Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life , on stained glass by Robin Luch