The Ministry of Reconciliation

Well, thank you. It is dangerous when you read somebody else's evaluations on a pulpit, but I appreciate that introduction from Ryan. I have a hard time forgiving Ryan for moving out of my ward and I appreciate the kind of things that he shared.

I'm really grateful to be able to share a few thoughts with you today. I was sort of intimidated by the brief that they provided for this lecture, which was essentially whatever I want to talk about from the scriptures, which is so open-ended as to be intimidating. And so I hope that there are some things that you can learn and that we can discuss together as we talk about some passages from the scriptures. And they did give me a lot of time to think about this, so I've been mulling over this in my mind for a few months, perhaps more than is healthy. And so let's sort of dive in and talk about a few things.

I want to focus on something the scriptures call, “The ministry of reconciliation”. I get this term from 2nd Corinthians 5:17–18, where Paul says the following as he talks about conversion and the changes the gospel brings:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”

What is the “ministry of reconciliation”? Paul suggests that it comes after conversion or as a consequence or responsibility after conversion. But what does it entail? How does that motivate how we live our lives and how we live the gospel? And, at a place like BYU, how might it change how we approach the larger world around us?

The World Around Us

We find ourselves in a time of difficulty. I am neither historically naive enough nor historically expert enough to claim that our situation is the worst (or best) it’s ever been. And there are a number of dimensions along which the world is better off than it has been in the past—progress on children’s safety and nutrition, the position of groups without power, access to technology and medicine, etc. I am not one who heralds the end of times by saying that the world is in a darker state than it ever has been before.

At the same time, I think it is undeniable that we find ourselves in a time of trouble. We experience markedly higher levels of division and uncertainty than we have faced before. Our relationships with other countries and people have become strained in ways that they were not when I was a student here at this university years ago. We face a number of difficulties across parts of life—wars in foreign lands, political unrest at home, the specters of violence, intolerance, discord, and hate that seem to be humanity’s heritage since the very beginning. Our times seem to fit the Lord’s description of the latter-days in D&C 88:91 when He states: “And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.”

These topics are core ideas that I study and have devoted my professional life to evaluating and addressing. My work explores racialized prejudice, extremism, political conflict, and now the new (and uncertain) technological tools we face can be used to help us overcome—rather than worsen—the social and political divides that separate us. In some ways, this is not surprising to anyone who knows me well or who has traced my childhood and development—as a child, I was deeply distressed by any family conflict, going so far as to interject myself between my parents anytime they would have any type of disagreement.

Knowing myself and the state of the world at present, I find myself in a position that many in our faith can relate to and find myself asking a question that many of you have heard and read before:

“In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done?” (JSH 1:10)

This is a question echoed by the humble Zoramites who approached Alma, the multitudes following Jesus in the New Testament, the followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost, and in many other parts of the scriptures and our history. What should you and I do in the face of these challenges and difficulties? What does the gospel of Jesus Christ require us to do if we take seriously that Christ has entrusted us with the requirement to act as a light on a hill and as the salt of the earth, and as saviors on Mt. Zion?

Answers from the Scriptures

If you feel uncertain, frustrated, or powerless in the face of this, you are not alone. I often turn, in such circumstances, to the words of the scriptures and the messages, stories, and analogies there for some guidance. That seems especially appropriate at this university and in this setting.

I want to spend a little time thinking about some examples from the scriptures to understand the ministry of reconciliation God has given us. I want to start with some from the Old Testament. As an aside, the Old Testament is, in many ways, my favorite book of scripture. The Book of Mormon and New Testament hold special places for me (for different reasons), but for me, the Old Testament shows people more like the ones that I know—confused, complicated, uncertain, unsettled, at times close to God, and at times, wandering in the wilderness.

I want to pull from three stories from the Old Testament to illustrate what the scriptures say about this. The first is the story of Jacob and Esau, the second the story of Absalom, David’s son, and the third of Jonah. I want to walk through these stories and then talk about what we learn from them after we consider each in turn. I hope we learn some things from these stories that were not obvious before or at least give us new insights.

Jacob and Esau

You may remember these brothers, but if you don’t, I’m sure you will hear of them soon. These are the children of Isaac, the grandchildren of Abraham. They were twins, and experienced significant conflict, even from the womb—Genesis 25 tells us that their mother, Rebekah, felt the two struggling together even before they were born.

In the course of their early life, and often at the urging of Rebekah, Jacob obtains Esau’s birthright for porridge and tricks Isaac into giving him the blessing reserved for Esau, the firstborn of the two. As Isaac nears his death, Esau says in Genesis 27:

The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Rebekah sends Jacob away, for fear of Esau’s designs. These two brothers found themselves in a state of competition, conflict, and struggle that is about as deep as it can get.

In the course of things, these two brothers were separated for decades. And after the passage of many important and significant things—Jacob’s marriages to Rachel and Leah, the birth of his children, his wrestling with God and receiving a new name—he returns to the land of his family at the request of the Lord.

It is here that Jacob sends messengers to his brother (who, last he knew, wanted him dead) to say that he was returning and to sue for peace.The response Jacob receives is that Esau was coming in haste to him, with four hundred men in tow. Jacob was so worried about this that he divided his company (family, friends, and servants) into two groups so that if Esau attacked one of them, the other could flee in peace. He prepared a gift of hundreds of goats, sheep, camels, oxen, cows, and horses. He had a number of servants go before him with this gift to soften the heart of his brother.

When Esau arrives, Jacob, in fear, bows himself to the earth seven times, places his children and wives in a position of relative safety, and anxiously awaits his brother’s response. But here, we have an example of a miracle—we read in Genesis 33 the following:

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

Esau goes on to, in wonder, meet his nieces and nephews, try to return Jacob’s gift, travel with Jacob, and leave some of his company with his brother. And while Jacob insists on many of these things, we have here evidence of a deep reconciliation—we never again hear of Esau as an antagonist to Jacob nor of conflict between the two brothers. Two chapters later, we read of Jacob and Esau together burying their father Isaac after his death. Later in the Old Testament, we read of conflict between the families of Esau and of Jacob, during the times of Moses, Samuel, Saul, and David. Nonetheless, Jacob and Esau seem to have reconciled for the rest of their lives.

This phrase, by the way, “fell on his neck”, occurs elsewhere in the scriptures, to equally powerful effect in the story of the prodigal son, the reunion between Joseph and his family, and elsewhere. It seems reserved for especially poignant moments.

Absalom, Son of David

Let’s turn to another, very different story about one of David’s sons. This comes after all of the successes and struggles David had, after Goliath, after Saul, after Bathsheba, after David’s greatest mistakes. Some years afterwards, one of David’s sons, named Absalom, turned against him and began to actively undermine him. This took many forms, but ultimately erupted in open political and military conflict.

David’s response to this illustrates the quality of his soul. He weeps bitterly and is heartbroken; unlike many of the kings of the Jaredites, he does not turn in anger to his son or even seek his destruction. When war began between the supporters of David and Absalom, David’s instructions to his commanders were: “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.” (2 Samuel’s 18:5). When David’s troops return victorious, his question is for the safety of his son.

When David learns that his commanders killed his son, he weeps openly—“And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33). This grief is so pronounced and unusual that it earns David a rebuke from his kin and supporters.

The Story of Jonah

Let me share just one more. Many of us know the story of Jonah, beginning with his refusal to listen to the Lord, attempts to flee, and temporary residency inside the belly of some unnamed fish. But there is a part to this story that I think we know less that has something else to teach us about the ministry of reconciliation.

After repenting and being released from the whale (or fish or whatever it was!),Jonah gives his message and is wildly successful—all of the people (up to the king!) repent, fast, and pray. God forgives them and holds off on His judgment, and the promised destruction does not come.

It is here—in Jonah 4—that we learn another lesson about the ministry of reconciliation. In this chapter, we read:

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah, in his heart, was still hoping and wishing for the destruction of Nineveh. The Lord goes on to teach him a lesson with a gourd and the sun, but the larger message in the same. Jonah has not grasped the vision the Lord had for him nor found it in his heart to believe in the possibility that the people of Nineveh could repent and return to the Lord.

What Do We Do?

There are many other examples we could consider—the efforts of Alma the Younger to be reconciled to those he wronged prior to his conversion, the poignant story of the conflict and reconciliation between Joseph Smith and W. W. Phelps, and others. But there is not time for all of that. But in light of these passages, what do we do in the face of trouble, turmoil, conflict, and deep-seated and reckless hate? (to borrow a Tolkien phrase).

First, I speak on this acknowledging my own position. I have been spared many (if not most) of the major calamities people experience in this life. And while my life has been/is full of it’s share of burdens and weights, I don’t presume to belittle those experiencing decades-long conflicts and crises all around the world.

However, in the context of these passages and for us at this time, I think this means that God asks us to be ministers of something greater than just forgiveness—we are required, by the gospel of Jesus Christ, to understand and love other people and find ways to bridge and heal our differences. We are required to be reconciled to each other in the deepest sense of the word.

I also think these passages convey more specific messages about reconciliation. From the story of Jacob and Esau, we learn that (1) reconciliation can take time, but that (2) the Lord can help us to be reconciled (Jacob was following what the Lord told him to do and spent many days seeking the Lord’s guidance). Further, this passage to me (especially the part that Esau played), suggests to me that we must choose a path of reconciliation. President Nelson, in a conference talk in April 2023, said the following along these lines: “Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always”.

From the story of Absalom, we learn that (3) reconciliation requires both sides and broad support. From Absalom we also learn that (4) a failure of reconciliation should cause us to weep EVEN when we are not the ones who at fault or who fail.

On this point, this does not suggest that God expects us to allow others to wrong us or pretend the gulf between us and our enemies is not vast. On the other hand, I don’t think it involves washing our hands of our enemies and feeling relieved that we will not find them with us in Zion.

Remember the experiences that Enoch had with God when he saw all things. Enoch watched God and the heavens weep over the children of men and asked why. God’s response in Moses 7 was the following:

The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood”

Do we weep when we see the suffering of our enemies? If not, what beam in our eye is keeping us from being filled with light?

And finally, from Jonah, we learn that (5) we can go about doing what the Lord has told us to do and still be in need of further commitment to reconciliation. Reconciliation lives in our hearts and is, in many ways, independent of the outward ordinances of the gospel.

On this latter point, recall what the Savior taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ, in the New Testament (with similar verses in 3rd Nephi), tells us:

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matthew 5:23–24

I think we may not appreciate the depth of this—these sacrifices were ordinances that they were routinely required to do. If we take the book of Moses and the temple seriously, these are ordinances with their roots in direct, angelic ministrations. It would be no small matter to abandon them halfway through. Would we be willing to leave in the middle of the sacrament or exit the temple because we remembered we have some conflict with our brethren? Do we love our enemies enough to take seriously this teaching that reconciliation to one another is just as important as the covenants of the gospel? Can we really, truly, fully live the gospel if our hearts are not turned to the ministry of reconciliation?

Friends, the Lord has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. Only you know in your lives, relationships, and hearts, what this requires of you. However, we do know that the Lord has repeatedly told to us that we are to:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?”

This is a tall order, but this is what the gospel requires of us. Do we pray for those who harm us? Do we bless those who curse and hate us? Do we hope for their acceptance into the family of God or do we hope to see them excluded from the gates of Zion?

Ask yourself who do I need to be reconciled to? Whose heart needs to be knit together with mine? And how can I be a force for reconciliation in those around me?

The task ahead of us is not easy; the reconciliation required by the gospel will require the best of us. And we will often face defeat, failure, and sorrow. Remember the example of Mormon and Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon—they worked for years in sorrow and solitude to reconcile their people to the Lord and to each other. In the face of their repeated failures and daunting mission, Mormon said to his son in Moroni 9:6:

And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.

We have a difficult task ahead of us, but none the less the world needs it and we need it. If we do not share the gospel of reconciliation, I fear we will be found wanting at the end of all things.

I sometimes find myself daunted and discouraged at the weight of this task. And I myself am in deep need of reconciliation. At times, I find it hard to have hope that this ministry of reconciliation will yield what has been promised. Nonetheless, as I have grappled with this task, I am working to be “fully persuaded” as Paul says when he describes Abraham in Romans that God and Christ will bring peace to this world, that they will teach us how to beat our swords into plowshares, and that we can be instruments of peace in their hands.

The promise and command are there—will we take it up?