August 8, 1831 – D&C 60 was received

[Hemidakota]

August 8, 1831 — Independence, Missouri. Joseph Smith received D&C 60, a revelation concerning the elders called to serve missions to the East. (History of the Church, 1:201–2)

Place. Jackson County, Missouri.

Publication Note. Section 60 was first published as chapter 61 in the Book of Commandments in 1833.

Historical Setting:

George Q. Cannon - Having fulfilled the requirements of the Almighty [in Missouri], Joseph and ten companion Elders departed from Independence Landing on the Missouri River, for Kirtland, Ohio. It was on the 9th day of August, 1831, that they started to row down the river with a flotilla of sixteen canoes, carrying themselves and their provisions. (Life of Joseph Smith, 1907, pp. 102-3.)

Joseph Smith, Jun. – On the 8th, as there had been some inquiry among the Elders what they were to do, I received the following. [section 60, follows.] (HC 1:201, August 1831, Jackson County, Missouri.)

Background Narration:

Joseph Fielding Smith - The Lord commenced his instruction by saying [sec. 60:1] that he was pleased with them for making the journey to Missouri, and now they were to return speedily to the land from whence they came. However, some of them received a rebuke, for the Lord was not pleased with them because on the journey from Ohio, they had not followed the counsels that had been given. They had been commanded to preach the Gospel along the way and bear testimony among the people, but some had failed to magnify this commandment because of their fear of man. It is true that not every man is a natural missionary, and there are those who shrink from the responsibility of raising their voices in proclamation of the Gospel, and yet this is an obligation that we owe to this fallen world. The elders in the very beginning had been commanded to serve the Lord with all their "heart, might, mind and strength" [sec. 4:2], for the field is white and ready for the harvest. A penalty was to be inflicted upon those who failed and they were not to stand blameless at the last day. The preaching of the Gospel was to be a means to them by which they were not to perish, but bring salvation to their souls. There are many who have been sent forth who have had a fear of man, yet the Lord has promised to support them in their labors if they will trust in him. (CHMR, 1947, 1:203-4.)

Richard O. Cowan - On Monday, August 8, 1831, as the brethren from Ohio were preparing to return home, D&C 60 was received in which return travel instructions were given. The elders were told to go by river to St. Louis (D&C 60:5), from which point some were to continue speedily to their homes, but most were to preach along the way as they went. Joseph Smith and ten other elders left Independence the next day. On Thursday afternoon, dangerous conditions were encountered on the river, and manifestations of Satan's power and presence were experienced. The following morning, D&C 61 was received to explain these things and also to elaborate on further travel directions.

Instructions for the missionaries to preach among the congregations of the wicked do not mean that they were necessarily to seek out the worst elements of the population. The Lord used the word "wicked" to refer to all the inhabitants of the earth who had not yet accepted the fulness of the gospel, perhaps many never having even heard it. (See D&C 35:12; 84:49) The word gentiles has sometimes been used in much the same sense as the Lord has used the term wicked here, in referring to those who had not become part of the covenant people.

The Lord explained that he had allowed the group to come by water that they might better be able to bear witness to the dangers on the water, particularly upon the western rivers in that vicinity. (See verses 4-5.) Because Satan's power was upon the waters (verse 19), those whose faith might fail them should avoid these waters lest they be "caught in snares." (Verse 18.) Those whose faith is strong will not only have power to command the waters but will also be led by the Spirit. (See verses 27-28.) In such cases, it would not matter whether they went by water or by land, as long as they fulfilled their missions. (See verse 22.) (Doctrine and Covenants, Our Modern Scripture by Richard O. Cowan)

Steven C. Harper - Having dedicated western Missouri as Zion and a spot near the courthouse in Independence as the site for the temple in New Jerusalem, Joseph Smith and his companions sought to know what the Lord would have them do next. In response the Lord gave the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 60, instructing some of the elders to return home.

In Doctrine and Covenants 60 the Lord tells the elders planning to return quickly to Ohio that he is pleased with their trek to Missouri, except for those whose fears kept them from preaching the gospel along the way: "Mine anger is kindled against them" (v. 2). Those elders will lose what the Lord has given them if they do not offer it freely to others.

The Lord commands the returning elders to speedily make or buy a boat to take them down the Missouri River toward St. Louis. Once there, Joseph, Sidney Ridgon, and Oliver Cowdery are to go to Cincinnati to declare the gospel with faith, not anger. Using a play on words based on his Old Testament title I Am—a variation on the name rendered in English as Jehovah—the Lord commands them to lift up "holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you" (v. 7; see also Exodus 3:14; D&C 68:6).

The remaining elders should leave St. Louis in companionships and preach the gospel to those who have not yet repented until they arrive in Ohio. The Lord issues this commandment as a way to benefit the branches of the Church.

The Lord then speaks concerning the elders who have left Ohio for Missouri but have not yet arrived because of their missionary work on the way among those who have not yet repented. He commands them: "Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known" (D&C 60:13). After arriving in Missouri, now Zion, and preaching there, they are to return to Ohio quickly, again preaching along the way. They are commanded to preach thoroughly, kindly, and without provoking the people. Rather than condemning those who choose not to receive the gospel openly, the elders are to signify that they have freely offered the gospel. They are to wash their feet privately as evidence on Judgment Day that they did not hide the good news from the unrepentant. This act transferred accountability from the missionaries to their hearers. (Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants by Steven C. Harper)

Section Header Notes: Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Jackson County, Missouri, 8 August 1831 (see History of the Church, 1:201–2). On this occasion the elders who had been appointed to return to the East desired to know how they should proceed and by what route and manner they should travel.

1–9, The elders are to preach the gospel in the congregations of the wicked; 10–14, They should not idle away their time, nor bury their talents; 15–17, They may wash their feet as a testimony against those who reject the gospel.

Versus amount: 17

Suggested link: D&C 24, 35, 61, 68, & 84

Summary and Conclusion: Church service rendered is a means of providing an opportunity for the gospel to become a blessing in the lives of the Lord's children. Sharing the gospel is of primary importance in the work of the kingdom. Such talent must not be hidden. (Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants , vol. 1 by L. G. Otten, C. M. Caldwell)

[joshslight]

This is a great Section for missionary work. V4 Talks about How the Lord "shall make up my jewels". According to my last scripture study this means, "The Great Men of The Lord" If we never have any gifts given to us by the lord taken away from us by the lord then we will become great men. The promise the Lord gives us in V2 says that if we do not preach the gospel because of fear the lord will take away what we have (Blessings received by the Gospel). V13 Do not idle away thy time, neither bury thy talent that it may not be known.