Expert: Gene Black - 12/31/2008

Question
I'm unable to find anything online after a brief search.  How did the Lord touch the Brother of Jared's stones if he didn't have a physical body yet?  

Thanks for taking time to read and answer.  I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask that question, so I'm interested in hearing possible explanations for how that could have occurred.

Thanks.

Answer
Somewhere a general authority has probably given a better answer to this question than what I will here, but I'm unaware of where and when such an answer was given if one was.

It is important to remember though that personages of spirit are not beyond influencing things in the "physical realm", particularly if they do so by priesthood power. Consider the burning bush for a minute. In many respects, it's not that different from what took place here. Both occurred before the Lord's mortal birth, both involved causing a physical object to glow. In the case of the Brother of Jared, he saw the body of Christ due to his faith - otherwise the Lord would have remained obscured just as he was with the burning bush.

Also recall that Christ, as were others, were involved in the creation of the earth - obviously before they were born. I believe we can agree that the creation of the earth is a physical feat that far surpasses making a bush appear to burn or some rocks to glow.

One reference you may find useful when considering this though is in D&C 131:7

"There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;"

From this we see that Spirit is matter just as the physical things we see around us, only a different form of it.

Now I would speculate that touching the stones in and of itself would not make them glow any more than it would if the Brother of Jared had touched them himself. I believe the key to the stones glowing was priesthood power - power the Lord exercised on behalf of the Brother of Jared due to his faith.

I realize my answer here may be rather incomplete, so please feel free to ask additional questions if you'd like.

Thanks!

Gene