How Would You Describe Hiim?

Today I want to discuss my favorite scripture: Ether 12:39. I love it because of the short and simple description Moroni gives of a visit he received from the Savior.

But before we get into that, let's look at how some other prophets, modern and ancient, have described Him:
     -Moses 1:11,13-15, 18. Moses was struck by how much power the Lord had. So much power that he had to be physically changed in order to withstand His presence. He also noted how being around the Lord made him more discerning and intelligent.
     -Mormon 1:15. The Lord visited Mormon when he was just 15 years old. His only description of the visit was to say that he "knew of the goodness of Jesus."
     -Isaiah chapter 6. When Isaiah saw the court of God in a vision he was overcome by the majesty of the place. Instead of attempting to describe the Lord and his power, Isaiah instead tried to describe the place and those that served the Lord, and by so doing show how powerful, great and good the premortal Christ was.
     -JSH 1:17. For years after his visit from the Father and Son, Joseph Smith tried to find the right words to convey his experience. In early accounts he used the words "brightness and fire" and notes that he was surprised that the forest didn't catch fire. Later, in the account given in Joseph Smith History, which was taken from History of the Church, he gave up trying to describe it and simply says their "brightness and glory defy all description."
     -The account of the Lord's visit to the Nephites over and over talks about his love and compassion for his people
     -D&C19:15-20. The Lord even calls Himself "the greatest of all."

Each of the prophets that have seen Jesus have focused on different aspects of the Savior when they tried to describe him, the aspects that most impressed them. Before you continue, I encourage you to stop and imagine what it would be like if Jesus were to speak to you face to face. What would you focus on? Would it be his love? His power? His glory?

Here's what Moroni says in Ether 12:39, a scripture that I imagine is often just passed over in our race to finish the Book of Mormon:

"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;"

Ever since I first noticed this scripture it has struck me that the aspect of Christ that most impressed Moroni was his "plain humility." Or in other words, it was easily apparent; it was simple; it wasn't an affectation. The Savior told Moroni about the Plan of Salvation and His part in it, and did so without an ounce of pride or self aggrandizement. This is amazing to me.


For instance, every time I read D&C 19:15-20, in which the Lord calls Himself "the greatest of all," I would think "Boy, He sure is full of Himself." I couldn't see the reason behind the statement. All I could hear was someone trying to tell me he was better than me and my own pride instantly responded.

But then I read Ether 12:39 and I was floored. I had always known and said that Jesus was perfect, but it hadn't ever occurred to me that that included being perfectly humble. It was simple and obvious, but it had somehow escaped me. The simple statement that Jesus is plainly humble put so many things into perspective. I realized that D&C 19:15-20, which had so bothered me, was a plea for me to repent so that I won't have to suffer as He did. The most important part of that scripture stopped being Christ calling Himself "the greatest of all" and instead became "glory be to the Father" because Jesus gave Him the honor and glory for the Atonement.

I considered discussing in this post what it means to be truly humble, but since I wanted it to be short and sweet this time and I've already gone longer than I intended, maybe I'll save that for a future one. (Plus the kids are running around the house making it hard to concentrate.)

For now, it's enough to say that I love Ether 12:39. The simple perspective it gives helped me form a deeper understanding of Christ's personality and strengthened my testimony of Him.