"[Elder Octaviano Tenorio of the Seventy] told me his young son had been reading the Book of Mormon and, as parents often do when their children are reading any book, he asked the boy, 'Who do you like most in that book, who is your hero?'
"Elder Tenorio said he expected his son to name Nephi, Ammon, King Benjamin, Moroni, or some other great person in the book. Instead, this five-year-old boy said, 'Daddy, there is only one hero in the Book of Mormon. That's Jesus. He is the one everybody went to for help.'
"That taught me a great lesson," said Elder Pinegar. "Here was a child who, in his purity, grasped in just a few moments what the Spirit was able to communicate. I've thought of that story and find myself asking, 'When we teach from the Book of Mormon, what do we teach? Do we teach of Ammon's defense of the king's flocks, or do we teach about where Ammon's power came from? Do we teach about Ammon's courage, or do we teach of his humility, such as when he said, 'I have no power; this is the power of the Lord" --- the greatest of all.
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A little astronomy lesson . . . or is it more than that?
In the third chapter of Abraham we find "Abraham learns about the sun, moon, and stars by means of the Urim and Thummim" (chapter heading).
"And I [Abraham] saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it.
"And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those . . . .
"And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons . . .
" . . . which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets . . . .
" . . . And he said unto me, Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights . . . .
"If two things exist, and there be one above the other, there shall be greater things above them; therefore Kolob is the greatest of all the Kokaubeam that thou hast seen, because it is nearest unto me."
To be frank, this is a bit deep for me. But it gets my attention, it galvanizes my spirit to note that Kolob is something special --- nearest to the throne of God, set to govern all the others, after the manner of the Lord, or the exact likeness, and is the greatest of all.
I hear echoes of Isaiah, " . . . the government shall be upon his shoulder . . ."; the "Son [is] the brightness of [Father's] glory, and the express image of his person" (Hebrews 1); He, Jehovah or Jesus "was in the beginning with the Father" (D&C 93), and "was in the bosom of the Father" (D&C 76).
The astronomy is, for now, a bit out of my reach, but the familiar personage of the Savior---well, I can see Him here and relate to Him and rejoice in Him. Can you too?
In addition to being a great star, Kolob is a parable or a metaphor for Jesus, the greatest of all.
When you look closely at the Milky Way and all its massive splendor, and realize that there are billions of such galaxies, and "That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created"---even by Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ---it is comforting to know that He is good . . . as well as magnificent and all-powerful. He is good, and He is loving, and He is aware when a little sparrow falls on the most distant of those planets.
Indeed, He weeps over the follies of His brethren---you and me.
"And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
"And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations."
In other words, if you could grind this earth into powder and separate and count the particles of powder---and multiply the process by millions of earths like this, you still would not come close to the total number of His creations.
This is Someone you want to be on the right side of, Someone to be reckoned with, Someone you want to please and make pleased. Indeed, He is the Greatest of All. And yet He said, "my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).
So, Joseph, in pain in Liberty Jail, "The Son of Man hath descended below [all these sufferings]. Art thou greater than he?"
"Beautiful Savior"
by Author Unknown, 1677
Translated by Joseph A. Seiss, 1823-1904
1. Beautiful Savior,
King of Creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love Thee,
Truly I'd serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.
2. Fair are the meadows,
Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer;
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
3. Fair is the sunshine,
Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels in the sky.
4. Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!
Jesus is fairer . . . is purer . . . is greater . . . is finer . . . .
As Napoleon said, He is the epitome, the ideal man, the sublime, the Almighty. Best to get on the good side of Him, don't you think?
There is more to explore on this. What a delightful journey! --- across His universe . . . .
Steve
That was a great reminder that in our family studies of the Book of Mormon we should be teaching more about Him and how all things point to him. Thanks Brother Cook! :)
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