When Stones Glow

The Brother of Jared (known only by this epithet in scripture, because apparently his name was Mahonri Moriancumer, and that’s not a fun name to carve into metal plates) was on his way to the promised land. He’d built boats that were “tight like unto a dish” so that its residents could live entirely below deck for those times that water would cover them, but it occurred to him that it was going to be very dark in there, which, in addition to creating what must have been a horrendous vitamin D deficiency, would make it hard to steer.

The Brother of Jared went to God and posed this problem, to which the Lord answered, “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?” (Ether 2:23). No windows, he specified, and no fire. But other than that—what can I do for you? (This always reminds me of my dad, whose favorite mantra while I was growing up was, “You’re smart, you can figure it out.”)

The Brother of Jared reflected on this for a while and then went to work making sixteen shiny stones of glass. He took them to God, saying, “Look, I know this might be a stupid idea, and don’t be mad at me, but here’s my pitch: what if you touch them, and fill them with your light, and we’ll use that to cross the sea” (Ether 3:4). The Lord, invisible behind a cloud during this whole conversation, reached out and touched the stones, and they were filled with light.

I thought about this story in Sunday school the other day as we attempted to pull apart the priesthood from the traditions that surround it, a conversation that ended when someone said, “I mean, is there even a difference between the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthood on other planets?” (Technically a theological question in our church, just, you know, probably not a useful one.)

I thought about the Brother of Jared because obviously there are structures to the priesthood that are not eternal the way the priesthood is. I am personally of the (strong) opinion that not giving it to women is one of them (because, what, your telling me our Mother God doesn’t have godly power?) as is the distinction between the two priesthoods and all sorts of other things. Does baptism or the sacrament make water magic? I dunno. I don’t know for sure what is priesthood and what its container is, just like sometimes I can’t separate the feeling God gave me and the words that I translated it to. Just like I don’t always know what are the necessary God-made parts of rituals and what are the people messing around parts. I don’t always know what is gospel and what is church, but I’m in good company. After the initial the touch, Brother of Jared wouldn’t have known what was rock and what was God’s light.

What I know about the priesthood and promptings and ritual and the church is exactly what the Brother of Jared knew about the rocks: God touched it, so I’m here. I’m just following the light.

The Brother of Jared Holding Shining Stones, by Normandy Poulter.