Although the brother of Jared was a good man, he apparently was not as well informed as he could have been. There are several considerations regarding his not knowing the Lord had a finger of flesh and blood (v. 8). Did he not know he had a finger or was he amazed that the finger looked like it was composed of flesh and blood? Did he not know that Jesus was the God of the Old Testament, and thus he expected to see a resurrected finger that appeared different than a finger “like unto flesh and blood” (v. 6)? Did he know that Jesus was the God of the Old Testament and expected to see a spirit finger? We cannot give a definite answer to these questions, but we should remember some other possibilities. There is a difference between flesh and blood, and flesh and the spiritual element that replaces blood in a resurrected being. When Jesus appeared to his Jerusalem twelve after he was resurrected, he invited them to “handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39). When Jesus answered the woman of Samaria concerning where she must worship, his answer; “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), was not giving a description of God’s body. The King James translators questioned their translation by italicizing the “is.” The JST reads: “For unto such hath God promised his Spirit. And they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth” (JST, John 4:26). In modern revelation we read: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also” (D&C 130:22). The Lord’s next response cleared up what the brother of Jared had seen. He had been given a vision of the future. He saw that the Lord would take upon him flesh and blood. This vision was given unto him because of his faith.
Another principle for receiving revelation was now taught. Does the Lord ask leading questions to prompt us in meeting the requirements of “ask and ye shall receive”? The answer is “yes.” In his foreknowledge, the Lord knew what the brother of Jared had seen, but he asked him in order to prompt him to ask further; “sawest thou more than this?” Thus the brother of Jared was prompted to seek further revelation. He said: “Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me” (Ether 3:10). The Lord’s statement regarding “never has man come before me with such exceeding faith will be commented on later, but there is one more question that the Lord deemed necessary to ask: Do you believe “the words which I shall speak” (v. 11). Faith is a growth process. It begins with a desire to believe in God’s words, and as we believe those words it begins to grow until your knowledge becomes perfect (see Alma 32:27–43). The brother of Jared had a perfect knowledge that God could not lie (Ether 3:12). Because God is perfect it is “impossible for him to lie” (see Hebrews 6:18; see also Numbers 23:19). The brother of Jared was now prepared for a great spiritual experience.