A great talk at church recently included a metaphor about Priesthood authority. How would you feel if a man driving an ice cream truck pulled you over for a traffic violation? He may have been well-intentioned, even a great guy. But no amount of good intention would authorize him to issue you a ticket, and any ticket he attempted to set upon you would be invalid. He does not have authority.I would like to stretch this metaphor a little further. Say this ice cream man does graduate from the police academy and join the force. But then he plasters a police sticker on his ice cream truck, transports criminals next to the Drumsticks and Creamsicles, and engages in high speed chases while a jingly version of "Pop Goes the Weasel" rings out from his 'squad car.' He has received authority, but perhaps he doesn't fully understand and accept it. In his confusion, he confuses everyone around him. And sadly, he never completely engages his newly achieved authority. It lies in him at half-strength; instead of a mouth-popping ice cream soda, he has in him a tepid cola thinned down by melted ice cubes.
So goes the Priesthood holder who doesn't realize, really, what he's got--where it comes from, what it means, how to utilize it. I would like to discuss possibilities wherein a perfectly honorable Priesthood holder might miss the mark.
Given the quantity of great information available on each point, I'll be addressing them in individual postings, beginning with:
Miss #1. The Priesthood is a metaphorical nicety that illicits a faith-based, self-fulfilling response in others.
First, an obvious point. If you are a member of the LDS Church and worthily hold the Priesthood, you believe that Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist themselves visited the early Church founders in order to confer the Priesthood power, which is the power of God and the authority to use it on earth. I only repeat this information because it occasionally gets shifted into the spiritual 'archives' of our minds and loses its semantic relevance. God the Father did not give us his Priesthood as an opiate for the rattled disposition of a man who's had an annoying cold for two weeks. It certainly helps that as well, but back to the metaphor--that's just the watery cola. There are facets and depths to the Priesthood far beyond it.
“I shall never forget the occasion,” said President Heber J. Grant, “when a friend appealed to me, upon learning that the doctor had announced that his daughter, stricken with diphtheria, would die before morning. He asked me to pray for that daughter, and after leaving his office I prayed with all the earnestness of my soul that God would heal that girl. While praying, the inspiration came to me: ‘The power of the living God is here on the earth. The Priesthood is here. Hurry! Hurry! … Go and rebuke the power of the destroyer, and the girl shall live.’“The doctor waiting upon that girl, said she could not live till morning; but when morning came he explained that he could not comprehend it, and that he believed the girl was going to get well. He could not refrain from expressing his surprise at the change in the girl’s condition over night. The power of the living God rebuked the destroyer.”
The power and authority of God had to come directly from heaven because it was nowhere on earth to be found. It came by the very hands of the ancients to whom it was entrusted. It is the same authority once held on this earth by Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Priesthood is the literal power of God, fitted to the capacity of man, and faith is the completed circuit through which it may freely flow.
Parley P. Pratt offered a physical interpretation of Priesthood power-- relevant, since the Lord told us "all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created" (D&C 29:34). This is fascinating stuff, but a thick current through which to travel. Wade slowly!
"To impart a portion of the Holy Spirit by the touch, or by the laying on of hands; or to impart a portion of the element of life, from one animal body to another, by an authorized agent who acts in the name of God, and who is filled therewith, is as much in accordance with the laws of nature, as for water to seek its own level; air its equilibrium, or heat, and electricity their own mediums of conveyance.
"This law of spiritual fluid, its communicative properties, and the channel by which it is imparted from one person to another, bear some resemblance, or analogy, to the laws and operations of electricity. Like electricity, it is imparted by the contact of two bodies, through the channel of the nerves."But the two fluids differ very widely. The one is a property nearly allied to the grosser elements of matter; not extensively endowed with the attributes of intelligence, wisdom, affection or moral discrimination. It can therefore be imparted from one animal body to another, irrespective of the intellectual or moral qualities of the subject or recipient. The other is a substance endowed with the attributes of intelligence, affection, moral discrimination, love, charity, and benevolence pure as the emotions which swell the bosom, thrill the nerves, or vibrate the pulse of the Father of all.
"An agent filled with this heavenly fluid cannot impart of the same to another, "unless that other is justified, washed, cleansed from all his impurities of heart, affections, habits or practices, by the blood of atonement, which is generally applied in connection with the baptism of remission.
"A man who continues in his sins, and who has no living faith in the Son of God, cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of any agent, however holy he may be. The impure spirit of such a one will repulse the pure element, upon the natural laws of sympathetic affinity, or of attraction and repulsion.
"An intelligent being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection, of will, wisdom, love, power and gift, which is possessed by God himself. But these are possessed by man, in his rudimental state, in a subordinate sense of the word. Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo; and are to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud — a germ, which gradually develops into bloom, and then, by progress, produces the mature fruit, after its own kind.
"The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.
"In the presence of such persons, one feels to enjoy the light of their countenances, as the genial rays of a sunbeam. Their very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy, to the heart and nerves of others who have kindred feelings, or sympathy of spirit. No matter if the parties are strangers, entirely unknown to each other in person or character; no matter if they have never spoken to each other, each will be apt to remark in his own mind, and perhaps exclaim, when referring to the interview — “O what an atmosphere encircles that stranger! How my heart thrilled with pure and holy feelings in his presence! What confidence and sympathy he inspired! His countenance and spirit gave me more assurance, than a thousand written recommendations, or introductory letters.” Such is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and such are its operations, when received through the lawful channel — the divine, eternal Priesthood."
In conclusion, you are no ice cream man. Get rid of the truck.
Priesthood, “The Power of the Living God”, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, 101
"Restoration," by Liz Lemon Swindle
Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology. Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1874. 95-102. Originally published in 1855 in Liverpool, England.
I've had a hard time understanding Ice cream men. I have often thought that although someone is being pulled over by an ice cream man it is better then not being pulled over at all. Because this person or persons were driving so recklessly that they were going to kill themselves or someone else. I thought it cant be a bad thing since the ice cream man momentarily has them stopped from there reckless behavior. However the conflict or worry I have had is that once the ice cream man is not around this person is going to go back to there reckless driving because they were never really held accountable and never really learned there lesson. Or never really felt a (police presence)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, Jason. We all have the responsibility to step up if one of our brothers or sisters is in danger. The only authority required for that is already given us--the authority to choose. And should those we endeavor to protect continue on their reckless course, *their* free agency cannot be taken from them and they'll be responsible for the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDeleteHowever an ice cream man has no authority to enforce punishment for broken city or traffic laws. If he did, the population would need to be wary of ALL ice cream men... which would consequently mean they were actually policemen, because the people recognized their authority to enforce punishment!
We can govern ourselves, and we can attempt to lead others. We can be good citizens of earth and protect one another whenever possible. What we can't do is wield the law without the permission of the lawgiver, or wield the power of God without his express authority.