The Brother of Jared Sees Jesus Christ

By Diane L. Mangum

1

The brother of Jared had a humble and prayerful heart. He lived in the wicked city of Babylon. The Lord punished the people of Babylon by changing their language so they could not talk to each other. Jared’s family and friends were worried. Jared asked his brother to pray and ask Heavenly Father to let their language stay the same and to lead them to a good place to live.

2

The Lord answered the prayers of Jared’s brother. The Lord said that Jared’s family and friends should gather their flocks and that He would guide them to a promised land. The Jaredites traveled a long time until they reached the ocean. They set up their tents and lived on the seashore.

3

Four years passed, and the Lord came in a cloud to talk to the brother of Jared and chasten him because he had forgotten to pray. The brother of Jared repented and began to pray often.

4

The Lord told the brother of Jared that the people needed to build barges, or ships, so they could cross the ocean and go to a choice land. The barges were small and light on the water, like ducks on a pond. The ships were tight so no water could leak into them, but inside the ships it was very dark.

The brother of Jared prayed and asked how they could get light in their barges. The Lord told him to figure out how to solve the problem, and then the Lord would help him.

The brother of Jared gathered 16 stones that were clear like glass and went to the top of the mountain and prayed. He had faith that the Lord had power to do anything. He asked the Lord to touch the stones and make them give light.

5

The Lord reached out His hand and touched each stone. The brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord and fell down in fear and surprise. He did not know the Lord had a body.

The Lord saw the faith of the brother of Jared and allowed him to see His whole body. The Lord said, “I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ.”

When the Jaredites crossed the ocean their ships had light from the stones that had been touched by the finger of the Lord. The brother of Jared wrote his sacred experiences on metal plates. The plates were sealed until they came forth in the Book of Mormon.

Illustrations by Robert Barrett