In response to the Lord’s invitation to propose a solution to the problem of light in their vessels, the brother of Jared creates sixteen small transparent stones, like glass. He carries them to the top of a mountain and asks God to touch each stone to make it shine. God does so, and the brother of Jared sees His finger. When God asks if the brother of Jared saw more than this, he responds, “Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.”
He sees the Lord, who identifies Himself as Jesus Christ. Jesus then shows him “all things,” and commands him to write what he has seen but to keep it private.
Chapter Outline
- Sixteen stones shine when touched by the finger of God (v. 1-6)
- The brother of Jared declares his faith and sees Jesus Christ (v. 7-16)
- Jesus shows the brother of Jared all things (v. 17-28)
My Takeaways
- Christ is the light who can illuminate our minds and help us overcome the darkness.
- Knowledge provides the foundation for belief.
- God’s ways are higher than our ways, so His goals are often different from ours.
- Approach God in prayer with confidence and with reverence.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Sixteen stones – Ether 1:1-6
We Know that Thou Art Holy – Ether 3:2-5
2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O…
“That They May Shine Forth in Darkness” – Ether 3:4
Humans hate uncertainty. We want to be able to accurately predict the future. We want to be able to explain things that seem mysterious. We don’t like being left in the dark. As the Jaredites prepared to embark on a journey of unknown duration across the ocean, the brother of Jared became concerned about two…
Great Power Which Looks Small
When something looks small, it may simply be that we have failed to recognize its significance. The brother of Jared said that God’s great power looks small to us. We can ask Him to help us see the true grandeur of apparently ordinary things.
❖ Jesus appears to the brother of Jared – Ether 1:7-16
Being the Father and the Son
Jesus is both the Father and the Son in at least four ways: 1. He submits His will to His Father and He offers us new life. 2. He created the earth, then lived on it. 3. He is completely unified with HIs Father 4. His mortal body was subject to His spirit
Because Thou Knowest These Things… – Ether 3:11-13
11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak? 12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. 13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and…
❖ Jesus shows the brother of Jared all things – Ether 1:17-28
That This Man Might Know – Ether 3:17-18
17 And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the…
Having this Perfect Knowledge of God – Ether 3:19-20
19 And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing…
Old Testament Foundations
The Image of God
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27 How much are we like God? We see daily evidence of how far we—and the people around us—fall short of perfection. So how can we think we have anything in common with a perfect Being?…
Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
To ancient Israel, the Lord declared, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, Mosiah 13:23). He subsequently elaborated on this commandment: You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you…
What Is the Urim and Thummim?
Shortly after the Lord confounded the language of people at the tower of Babel and scattered them “upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9), a group of people led by a man named Jared and his brother traveled to the American continent. As they prepared to board barges to cross the sea, the…
New Testament Parallels
“If Thou Wilt”
The leper expressed both uncertainty and certainty: “If thou wilt” (I don’t know if you’re willing to heal me), “thou canst make me clean” (I know you’re able to do it). True faith includes a belief that God can heal us and an willingness to defer to Him.
Letters to the Seven Churches
John wrote letters to seven congregations of the church. In those letters, he described the Savior, gave feedback, and listed some blessings of exaltation. Taken together, the letters can motivate us to repent and receive the blessings God offers us.
“Whatsoever He Saith Unto You, Do It.”
Should you follow arbitrary instructions from a random person? Of course not. But you might follow seemingly arbitrary instructions from someone you trust. Mary was willing to believe in words that Jesus hadn’t yet spoken, because she trusted Him.
Spirit
Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Luke 24:39 Thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, a prophet known as the brother of Jared saw and spoke with Him. After pointing out that He looked like a human being, Jesus explained: Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and…
Church History Connections
He Who Liveth
Today is Easter Sunday, when Christians all over the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His triumph over death. “I am he who liveth,” said the Savior when He appeared to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (Doctrine and Covenants 110:4). The Come Follow Me lesson manual…
Daughters of Christ
After King Benjamin taught his people about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, they fell to the ground and pleaded with the Lord to forgive their sins. In response, they received an assurance from the Holy Ghost that their sins were remitted, and they were filled with peace and joy (Mosiah 4:2-3). They subsequently turned their…
All Posts Referencing Ether 3
- No Immaterial Matter (11/11/2025)
- Your Most Holy Places (11/1/2025)
- Seeing the Face of God (8/27/2025)
- Being Bound (7/24/2025)
- “Behold, I Am Jesus Christ” (4/15/2025)
- Girt with Truth (3/29/2025)
- “The Rod of My Mouth” (3/6/2025)
- Great Power Which Looks Small (11/16/2024)
- Being the Father and the Son (5/19/2024)
- The Own Due Time (1/20/2024)
- Jesus Is the Christ (1/7/2024)
- Letters to the Seven Churches (12/7/2023)
- Faith Halls of Fame (11/11/2023)
- “If Thou Wilt” (2/28/2023)
- “Whatsoever He Saith Unto You, Do It.” (2/11/2023)
- Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness (4/22/2022)
- 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10 (2/16/2022)
- The Image of God (12/18/2021)
- Spirit (11/10/2021)
- He Who Liveth (4/4/2021)
- Daughters of Christ (3/10/2021)
- Truth (1/8/2021)
- “That They May Shine Forth in Darkness” – Ether 3:4 (11/13/2020)
- Gazelem – Alma 37:23 (7/24/2020)
- “He Hath Lied Unto Us” – Alma 10:28, Alma 12:3 (6/12/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
- Why Did Ammon Consider Himself Unworthy to Baptize? (12/18/2019)
- How Can I Be a Better Listener? (5/12/2019)
- What Can We Learn from the Prayers Recorded in the Book of Mormon? (3/28/2019)
- What Can We Learn About Coming Unto Christ from the Brother of Jared? (2/15/2019)
- How Does the Savior Invite Us to Come Unto Him? (2/12/2019)
- What Is the Urim and Thummim? (1/17/2019)
- Because Thou Knowest These Things… – Ether 3:11-13 (4/1/2018)
- That This Man Might Know – Ether 3:17-18 (6/5/2017)
- Having this Perfect Knowledge of God – Ether 3:19-20 (6/4/2017)
- We Know that Thou Art Holy – Ether 3:2-5 (6/3/2017)
- The Body of My Spirit – Ether 3:14-16 (2/15/2016)
- We Are Unworthy Before Thee – Ether 3:2-5 (12/1/2015)