Communication requires effort on the part of both the giver and the receiver. Sometimes, a speaker or an author works very hard to make listening or reading as easy as possible. When Nephi says, “My soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn” (2 Nephi 25:4), he is affirming his commitment to make learning easier by working harder as the teacher. But sometimes, words are intentionally difficult to understand, requiring more effort from their recipients.
After teaching principles or sharing parables which were difficult to understand, Jesus sometimes said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (See Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Mark 7:16; Luke 8:8; Luke 14:35.) John used the same phrase multiple times in the Book of Revelation. (See Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9.) On one occasion, after referencing Daniel’s apocalyptic visions, the Savior added, “whoso readeth, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15). In other words, He invited His students to learn for themselves instead of having everything explained to them in detail.
Mormon used the same expression after describing the destruction which coincided with the Savior’s crucifixion:
And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets.
3 Nephi 10:14
Mormon was certainly capable of listing those prophecies and connecting them to the events he had just described, but instead he invited his readers to do the work of searching and making those connections for themselves.
As Joseph Smith labored through his translation of the Bible, he came to a set of books known as the Apocrypha. The name comes from the Greek word apokruphos (ἀπόκρυφος), which means “secret” or “hidden.” God told Joseph not to translate those books, not because they lacked value but because He wanted readers to uncover the value for themselves:
Whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;
And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom;
And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited. Therefore it is not needful that it should be translated.
Doctrine and Covenants 91:4-6
Today, I will be a better listener and a better reader. I will remember that acquiring knowledge is an active process, not a passive one. I will be grateful for good teachers, including ancient and modern prophets, who make it easier for me to learn eternal truths, but I will remember that I must also make an effort in order to understand all that God wants me to know.
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