One point made early on which grabbed my attention is the meaning of the Hebrew name Jared -- "He descends" or "he goes down." Thus, the brother of Jared becomes "the brother of him who descended." I see a clear connection to the Fall.
The symbolic connections continue.
The story of the Jaredites begins at the Tower of Babel, which for many scholars represents a mockery/imitation of true temple worship.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11, KJV)
This effort was rooted in pride and a mockery of the true way, however, and resulted in the confounding of the language and scattering of the people.
Contrast this effort with the words of the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple:
24 We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;
25 That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;
26 That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house; (D&C 109)
In the Garden of Eden, man succumbed to the temptation of the devil and transgressed God's commandments in order to gain knowledge. As a result, they were driven out of the God's presence. Jared asked his brother to "cry unto [the Lord] wither we shall go." Similarly, Jared and his people were "drive[n] out of the land" but through their faith and cries to the Lord, they were led to a land of promise.
If Jared represents fallen man, his brother brings about the means of their salvation and journey to the promise land. The author of the paper suggests that his actual name might have been left out to point out to the reader that each of us has a brother just like Jared did who can do for us what the brother of Jared did for Jared.
The following table presents scriptural references comparing descriptions of the Brother of Jared with Christ:
Table 2
The Brother of Jared as a Type of Jesus Christ
The Brother of Jared
Large and mighty man, highly favored of the Lord (Ether 1:34).
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Jesus Christ
“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
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Intermediary for his people (Ether 1:34–39).
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One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).
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Commanded to gather his people, flocks, and seeds (Ether 1:40–43).
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How often would I have gathered thy children together (Luke 13:34).
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Commanded to lead his people in their trek (Ether 2:1–13).
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All are commanded to follow Jesus Christ (e.g., Matt. 4:19; 10:38).
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Visited by the Lord in a cloud (Ether 2:4–5; 14).
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Jesus visited by Father in cloud (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34).
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Procured small transparent stones for the Lord to touch for light in the barges (Ether 3:1–4).
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Jesus Christ is the light to lead us through darkness (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46); He is also the stone or rock of Israel (Acts 4:11; 1 Cor. 10:4; Hel. 5:12).
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Had a great vision of Lord on top of an exceedingly high mountain (Ether 3).
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Jesus received divine messengers and was transfigured on a high mountain (Matt. 17:1–2).
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Forbidden to write many of the things which he had seen (Ether 4:1).
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Jesus charged his disciples after descending the mount to “tell the vision to no man” (Matt. 17:9).
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There is a lot more detail to get into in future posts. It's an interesting connection to be sure.
