I Will Crown Him Again With Sheaves

This past week in preparing for a lecture, I took some time to read through D&C 79.  It's not necessarily a section that we read all that often, and it occurred to me that it might not even be among the sections covered in the Doctrine and Covenants Sunday School lessons.  But sometimes the smallest and seemingly least important chapters of scripture contain some of the most valuable lessons for us to consider.

D&C 79 is a small revelation directed toward an early convert named Jared Carter.  Similar with a number of the other small revelations, it is a mission call, instructing Brother Carter to "go again into the easter countries, from place to place, and from city to city, in the power of the ordination wherewith he has been ordained, proclaiming glad tidings of great joy, even the everlasting gospel" (D&C 79:1)  The Lord then makes a couple of promises to Brother Carter, which I'll write about a little further down.  In terms of illuminating revelations, it is a rather common and ordinary missionary call; that is, until you spend a little bit of time learning about Brother Carter and his conversion to the Church.

Among the promises given to him was this: "And inasmuch as he is faithful, I will crown him again with sheaves" (D&C 79:3).  Now this isn't all that uncommon.  Missionary work is often associated with the image of a harvest, and the fruits of that labor with sheaves of wheat.  Further, like most early brethren, Brother Carter had already served a short mission between September 1831 and February 1832, wherein he had enjoyed a significant amount of success.  Accordingly, we might just simply read this section, chalk it up to one of the numerous sections where the Lord promises to bless His missionaries, and move along.  In fact, I have done that with this section before.  But this time the phrase "crown him again with sheaves" stood out to me, and particularly the word again.  I don't know why, but as I read that phrase, something said to me that this was a man who had felt like he had lost something and the Lord was reassuring him of future blessings.

In my study of history I have become convinced that there is great value in learning about the stories of individuals.  People matter.  What they have experienced, and what they have felt during the course of their life matters.  And people's lives and thoughts and experiences and feelings matter not only to the historian wanting to understand the wording of a specific revelation, but they matter to the Lord and influence how He speaks to them.  So without much digging, I found a copy of Jared Carter's Journal on the Church History Library's catalog, and discovered that my initial impression had indeed been correct.  In joining the Church, Brother Carter had sustained substantial losses in terms of his personal relationships.

Jared Carter had first heard about the Book of Mormon and the Church in January 1831 while he was on a business trip.  He wrote of this experience, "It caused me much astonishment to fill my mind after reading awhile in the Book of Mormon and praying earnestly to the Lord that he would show me the truth of the book, I became immediately convince[d] that it was a revelation of God and it had such an influence on my mind that I had no mind to pursue my business" (Quotations taken from Jared Carter Journal, Church History Library).  He immediately returned home and informed his wife Lydia about the Book of Mormon, only to find that she "did not think as I did concerning the [gospel and the Book of Mormon], but she told me that she thought it was delusion and was unwilling that I should go to visit the people [the Saints]."  Undeterred by Lydia's skepticism, Jared continued to pray to know God's will and was again "convinced that it was my duty to go and see the Church of Christ."  This time when he spoke to Lydia, her heart was softened and she was "entirely willing that I should go."  On this trip to Kirtland, Brother Carter became fully convinced of the truth of the gospel and was baptized by Hyrum Smith and then subsequently enwrapped in "the influence of the spirit of God."

His experience at Kirtland was so profound that Brother Carter returned home full of confidence that he would be able to convince his friends, family, and neighbors of the validity of the gospel and the Book of Mormon.  But to his dismay, he discovered that "Most of all of them began to abuse me and [my] wife."  Some of Brother Carter's "best friends" turned so quickly upon him as to become his "worst enemies," leaving him with only a few friends who treated him with friendship and decency.  Furthermore, his former friends began to use all of their efforts to dissuade Lydia, telling her that Jared was caught in delusion.  Despite their abuse of both her and her husband, Lydia struggled to believe in her husband's new faith, once again leading Jared to go to his knees in prayer, asking for divine aid.  Through the instrumentality of Jared's missionary, Hyrum Smith, Lydia was brought to the beginnings of faith and followed her husband as he gathered with the Saints.  And ultimately she was likewise baptized into the Church.  But in the process of his conversion, Jared Carter had lost many significant friendships, doubtless causing him to wonder at times if the eternal reward had indeed been worth the price he had paid.

It is in this context that the Lord spoke to Him and made significant promises, promises that perhaps only Jared Carter knew to be as personal and intimate as they truly were at the time.  The Lord said, "And I will send upon him the Comforter, which shall teach him the truth and the way whither he shall go; And inasmuch as he is faithful, I will crown him again with sheaves.  Wherefore, let your heart be glad, my servant Jared Carter, and fear not, saith your Lord, even Jesus Christ" (D&C 79:2-4).  Only the Lord knew how difficult it had been for Jared Carter to lose his relationships with his friends and even some family members.  Only the Lord knew how much Jared Carter had needed divine comfort in the wake of these losses.  But the Lord knew these things; He knew Jared Carter's heart and his desires, and He spoke forth promises that had the power to assuage those pains.  What had been lost could be restored and added upon because of the Savior's atoning sacrifice.

So it is in our lives.  Through the Prophet of the Restoration, the Savior issued this promise: "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful.  By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it" (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 296).  As we are faithful, there truly is comfort, and comfort which comes by way of truth and understanding, as well as divine direction.  As we are faithful, our losses will be made up to us, and we will be crowned again with sheaves for our labors and efforts in the Kingdom.  Because of this, we need not fear and we can be exceedingly glad.

Brett