The Dimensions of Jesus
A few months ago, I watched a video that featured an Evangelical Protestant pastor who was in the process of reading the Book of Mormon. He was reading 3 Nephi about the destruction of the more wicked cities during the time that Jesus was crucified. He was puzzled that the loving Jesus of the New Testament was meting out a terrible judgment and destruction of wicked people. I can understand that if all you see in Jesus is love and mercy, it would be difficult to accept that he would be associated with thunder, lightning, fire, and earthquakes. The resulting death and destruction were excruciating for those who survived.
If we consider the actions of the Savior of the world to be motivated by love and mercy, how can we possibly attribute the destruction of the Nephite cities to Jesus? If we can’t wrap our heads around these actions, we do not understand love and mercy. I know that sounds harsh, but we do not understand much about the nature and priorities of the Father and the Son. I do not want you to imagine that my explanations are correct, but they are the best I can do now.
Going back to our pastor friend, I find it hard to imagine how he could believe Jesus as only the God of mercy if he had read the Book of Revelation. In the Revelation, Jesus is represented as having a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth, meaning that his words will either save or destroy us. The destruction described in the Revelation is often depicted as utter devastation that consumes the world, and it does precisely that. Is not the causation of this calamity Jesus? He is the final judge and helps us enter the kingdom of glory where we will be most comfortable.
The destruction of the world is precisely what must happen so that the Kingdom of Heaven can come. Is it an act of love to have wickedness perpetuate and linger in the world, which results in eternal punishment, or to cause the destruction that terminates the suffering of wickedness and gives the survivors a better chance at righteousness? God does not destroy people who have any possibility of using their agency to change. We do not have the capacity to judge who those people are, but Jesus does.
If we consider Jesus to be a perfect being, and he is, he must be multi-dimensional. In fact, he must be in every dimension of existence. He must understand and have experienced all heights and depths so that he can judge righteously. If Jesus were like the one conceptualized by our pastor friend, he would be one-dimensional, and he is not.
Jesus did not have to do evil to understand it. He was without sin while being subjected to temptation. For example, during his 40-day fast, Satan came to tempt him. Jesus was prepared and did not succumb. This shows me that he understood evil in all of its forms, including temptations to give in to physical desires, vanity, and earthly treasures. I cannot think of a sin that does not fall under one of these categories.
What does this mean for us? We must become multi-dimensional like Jesus by accepting the grace he offers us. We will never be in a position to judge others in the same way he does, but we need to learn how to judge righteously. If we are to become like him, especially in an eternal way, we must prepare while in mortality. We can strive to love as he loves and follow the path he invites us to walk. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the only one who can open the veil into the presence of the Father.
Ironically, we become multidimensional when our “eye is single to the glory of God.” When we seek his glory, it makes us whole and eventually perfect, as Jesus commanded when he said, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” The instructions to accomplish this are found in the temple ordinances and covenants.
I hope you will take some time today to think about the love and grace Jesus offers us as our Savior and Judge and try to be more like him.