What Went Ye Out Into the Wilderness to See?

When the prophets or the scriptures repeat something it should certainly get our attention. I was struck by the way repetition was seen in yesterday morning’s session of general conference in two different ways. First, the messages of Elder Soares and President Nelson were similar. Elder Soares spoke about following the Prince of Peace and taught, “As the Lord’s peculiar people and promoters of His peace, we cannot afford to allow these tricks of the evil one to take place in our hearts. We cannot carry such a corrosive burden that destroys feelings, relationships and even lives…. One of the most evident signs that we are drawing closer to the Savior and becoming more like Him is the loving, patient and kind way with which we treat our fellow beings, whatever the circumstances.” Similarly, President Nelson spoke about being peacemakers and said, “In situations that are highly charged and filled with contention, I invite you to remember Jesus Christ. … As we follow the Prince of Peace, we will become His peacemakers…. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.” Both encouraged us to follow the Prince of Peace in our relationships and suggested that our discipleship is defined by how we treat others. Surely the fact that two apostles would invite us to treat one another better in the same session is evidence of the importance of the message. The other way that we saw repetition from this conference was the fact that President Nelson gave similar invitations only one year ago in conference: “My call today, dear brothers and sisters, is to end conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life. Bury any and all inclinations to hurt others—whether those inclinations be a temper, a sharp tongue, or a resentment for someone who has hurt you….We are followers of the Prince of Peace. Now more than ever, we need the peace only He can bring. How can we expect peace to exist in the world when we are not individually seeking peace and harmony?... I plead with you to do all you can to end personal conflicts that are currently raging in your hearts and in your lives.” For him to take two opportunities in a year to invite us to seek peace and harmony with those around us instead of contention and anger is surely an indication of its utmost importance for us today.

                I was also struck by a different source of repetition as I read the words of the Savior in Luke 7 yesterday. After messengers from John the Baptist came to see Him, He turned to the people and questioned them about John. He questioned, “What went ye out into the wilderness for to see?” He suggested one possible answer: “A reed shaken with the wind?” In other words, He was asking them if they went out in the wilderness just to see the plants or the beauty of nature there? Of course not—they were there for John. He asked a second time: “But what went ye out for to see?” He offered a second possible answer: “A man clothed in soft raiment?” John was indeed wearing soft raiment, for camel’s hair is apparently incredibly soft. But the answer again is of course not—they didn’t go to see John because of what he was wearing but to hear him. He then repeated his question a third time: “But what went ye out for to see?” This time Jesus finally gave the real answer: “A prophet?” He continued, “Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet” (Luke 7:24-26). I believe Jesus was inviting the people to ponder deeply on what John had said and why they had listened to him. And the implied question was why they were not then following His words, for John had pointed them to Him, the Messiah who was to come after. They had listened to John, they had considered Him a prophet, but now they were not receiving the One that John had prepared them to receive, even the Savior.

            Perhaps then we can apply the Savior’s question to ourselves as it relates to general conference, now that it is over. He might say to us, “What went ye out to the conference center to see?” Why did we watch and listen to conference? A first superficial answer might be, “To see a building beautifully decorated with flowers?” Of course not; we came to hear, not to see the conference center or how it was decorated. When asked again—“What went ye out to the conference center to see?”—a second inadequate answer might be like this, “To see the men and women who would speak and be called, looking at their outfits for conference and checking whether President Nelson would be sitting on a chair.” Of course not; we came for the messages about the Savior, not to see how the people looked. When asked a third time—“What went ye out to the conference center to see?”—our answer should be like that of Jesus’s: to see a prophet. And so, if we went to see and hear the words of a prophet, then we must now follow the words of that prophet. We must go and work to become more loving, patient, and kind, shunning all contention and discord, as a prophet has invited us. Otherwise, like those who listened to John but failed to follow Jesus, it will have been in vain.