D&C 79: Jared Carter Called to Preach from City to City
I keep a small tool roll for jobs away from the shop. A few chisels, a marking gauge, a block plane, and a mallet. Everything I need fits in a canvas bag. When I pack it, I think about what I will actually need. There is no room for extras.
That is what came to mind reading D&C 79. The Lord calls Jared Carter to go preach the gospel from region to region and city to city. He does not get a detailed itinerary. He gets a promise and a companion.
Who Was Jared Carter in D&C 79
Jared Carter was an early convert to the Church. He served faithfully and was called by revelation in March 1832 to return to the eastern United States and preach. The section is short. Four verses. But it packs a lot into a small space.
The Lord tells him to go proclaim glad tidings of great joy. That is the message. Not a complicated theology lesson or a list of rules. Glad tidings. Good news worth sharing.
The call comes with a specific promise. The Comforter will be sent to teach him the truth and the way he should go. That is the companion I mentioned. Jared does not travel alone.
Meaning of Sheaves in Doctrine and Covenants 79
The section uses an agricultural image that I had to sit with for a minute.
Verily, verily, I say unto my servant Jared Carter that inasmuch as he shall be faithful in the testimony wherewith I have testified of me, he shall be crowned again with sheaves.
Sheaves are bundles of grain stalks tied together after the harvest. The image is from the field. A farmer cuts the grain, gathers it, and binds it into sheaves. The more faithful the labor, the bigger the harvest.
I do not farm. But I understand the idea of work that takes time. A piece of furniture does not come together in an afternoon. You rough cut the stock, joint the edges, let it acclimate, cut the joinery, dry fit, glue up, clamp, wait, sand, finish, wait again, and then finally assemble. Each step is a small harvest. The sheaves are the sum of all those small harvests.
For Jared Carter, the sheaves were the people who would accept the gospel through his preaching. The promise is that faithful work produces results. Not always right away. But eventually.
How Does the Comforter Teach the Way in LDS Scripture
Verse 2 is the heart of the section for me.
Wherefore, go forth and proclaim the everlasting gospel, crying by the voice of the Spirit, saying, Repent ye and believe in the gospel, and let the Holy Ghost be your guide, and then let me crown thee with sheaves.
The Comforter has two jobs. Teach the truth and teach the way. Truth is what to say and way is where to go. That covers everything a missionary needs.
I think about this when I am working on a project I have not done before. I can read the plans and watch videos. But there is a point where I have to start cutting wood and trust that I will figure out the next step when I get there. The Comforter works the same way. You do not get the whole map, just the next turn.
I wrote about a similar idea in D&C 83, where the Lord provides for those who serve Him. The pattern is consistent. The Lord calls and equips and guides.
Lessons on Faithfulness from D&C 79
The promise in verse 3 is conditional. Inasmuch as he shall be faithful. The call alone is not enough and the ordination alone is not enough. The missionary has to stay faithful through the hard parts.
Jared Carter was going from place to place and city to city. That means constant movement. New faces every week, different beds, unfamiliar roads. The kind of life that wears a person down if they are not anchored to something solid.
The Lord knows this. That is why the section ends with an invitation to let his heart be glad and to fear not. The Lord does not pretend the work will be easy. He just promises to be there.
I think about the phrase fear not a lot. In the shop, fear shows up when I am about to make a cut I have never made before. The router bit is spinning and the wood is positioned. My hand is on the trigger. That moment of hesitation is fear. The way through it is not to stop being afraid. The way through it is to trust the tool and make the cut.
Faithfulness works the same way. You do it scared and tired and when you would rather stay home. And the sheaves show up anyway.
Power of Ordination in LDS Missionary Work
The section does not say much about Jared Carter's qualifications. It does not list his skills or his education or his natural talents. It says he is called in the power of the ordination wherewith he has been ordained.
That is the part that matters for the rest of us. The work does not depend on how good you are. It depends on who called you and what authority you carry.
I hold the Aaronic priesthood. I am not a general authority or a full-time missionary. But I have been set apart to do specific things like passing the sacrament, visiting the families I am assigned to, and speaking when I am asked. None of those things require me to be impressive. They require me to show up and let the Lord work through the ordination.
I wrote about the garments and the consecration of the priesthood in Exodus 28, which describes how the priests were set apart in ancient Israel. The principle is the same. The authority comes from the calling, not the person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jared Carter and why was he called in D&C 79?
Jared Carter was an early member of the Church called by revelation to preach the gospel in the eastern United States. The call came through Joseph Smith in March 1832 and emphasized reliance on the Holy Ghost for guidance.
What does the phrase crown him again with sheaves mean?
It is an agricultural metaphor. Sheaves are bundles of harvested grain. The promise means that faithful preaching will result in converts, like a farmer bringing in the harvest.
How does D&C 79 describe the role of the Holy Ghost in a mission?
The Comforter has two specific roles. Teaching the truth, which is what to preach. And teaching the way, which is where to go. The missionary gets both the message and the direction from the Spirit.
What is the main lesson of D&C 79 for people who feel unqualified?
The work is done in the power of the ordination, not in the power of the person. The Lord provides the tools and the guidance. Faithfulness is the only requirement.
I packed that tool roll for a job last weekend. A friend needed help with a cabinet door that was not closing right. I brought the chisels, the plane, and the mallet. That was enough. The door closes now.
That is what the Lord gives Jared Carter. A few essential tools, a promise of guidance, and the assurance that the work will be worth it.
-- D.