The Parable of the Hand, Foot, and Eye

“Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.” —JST Mark 9:44

There is a belief within the LDS church that the prophet or president “can never lead you astray.” This faith tradition is a foundational doctrine and has been consistently taught since the days of Brigham Young. The reason this is so significant is that this philosophy permeates almost all aspects of the LDS religious experience. What most people don’t realize is that Jesus Christ taught the exact opposite, and the LDS church knows it, yet they continue to this day to defy God’s word. Don’t believe me? Read on.

The reason I’m sharing this is so that we can all understand more correctly the teachings of Jesus Christ. We cannot become like Him if we don’t understand the doctrine He taught. False doctrine prevents us from gaining more light and knowledge, it literally damns us in our progression. I invite you to open your heart and mind to be taught by the Lord, believing nothing unless you receive a witness from the Holy Ghost.

There are three main symbols in the parable taught by Christ in Mark 9: the hand, the foot, and the eye. Each symbol represents a different segment of society. The Lord teaches that in the event any of these people transgress, we are to either cut them off or pluck them out. Joseph Smith’s translation of this chapter adds great insight as to what each of these three symbols means.

JST, Mark 9:40–48. 

40 Therefore, if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; or if thy brother offend thee and confess not and forsake not, he shall be cut off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell.

41 For it is better for thee to enter into life without thy brother, than for thee and thy brother to be cast into hell; into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

42 And again, if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; for he that is thy standard, by whom thou walkest, if he become a transgressor, he shall be cut off.

43 It is better for thee, to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell; into the fire that never shall be quenched.

44 Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.

45 Seek unto my Father, and it shall be done in that very moment what ye shall ask, if ye ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive.

46 And if thine eye which seeth for thee, him that is appointed to watch over thee to show thee light, become a transgressor and offend thee, pluck him out.

47 It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

48 For it is better that thyself should be saved, than to be cast into hell with thy brother, where their worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched.

The Hand represents a close familial relationship, like that of a sibling or parent. “Offend” in this instance, is to sin or transgress. We know this due to their need for confession and forsaking. Christ taught that it is ok to not follow the same path as they have chosen and that may require some physical or spiritual distancing.

The Foot represents someone in society that we see as a guide to pattern our lives after, we are following in their footsteps. Again, if they choose an unrighteous path, we are to stop following after them.

The Eye represents prophets, seers, and revelators. You couldn’t write a better description in so few words. Even those who have been inspired at times have the ability to transgress. Nobody is perfect. What is our responsibility in the event this person transgresses? We pluck them out. We don’t follow them. The Lord never says that He’ll remove them, but that we are to remove ourselves from them. And these “transgressions” are not limited to spiritual things. It can be anything. To transgress is to violate a law, to sin.

Because it is always possible for any member of society to transgress or lead astray, Christ instructs us in verses 44 and 45 about the importance of where we can place our trust. To be instructed by Heaven is the only sure source. The Book of Mormon adds a supporting witness to this teaching. In 2 Nephi 28:30 we learn that the Lord Himself will teach us, and if we choose to follow the counsel of any person without first receiving a witness of the Spirit, there may be severe consequences:

31 “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Deception through omission

Now, this is where things get a little crazy. I had to do a double-take when I first read this and couldn’t believe what the church had done. They wrote the following as part their introduction to JST Mark 9:

“Jesus compares cutting off an offending hand or foot to discontinuing associations that may lead one astray.”

Did you catch that, or not catch that in this case? There are only three elements to this parable, which one did they intentionally leave out? The eye!! Why in the world do you think they didn’t include the eye in this description? And not only that, they openly admit that this parable taught by Christ is about “discontinuing associations that may lead one astray.” Yep, you read that correctly. They actually used those words. As I noted in the beginning, one of the longest-held faith traditions in the LDS church is that the prophet, “can never lead you astray.” Church leaders know, through their own omission, that they have directly contradicted the teachings of Jesus Christ for generations and they couldn’t openly condemn themselves.

Speaking with a forked tongue

One of the typical responses from members of the church, when they or anyone else questions the actions of church leaders, is to exclaim, “But, President Nelson also invited us to #HearHim” in an attempt to shift the blame for blindly following the counsel of church leaders. And yes, he did indeed say that shareable hashtag. But what members often aren’t aware of is the duplicitous nature of other pronouncements he has spoken. To #HearHim also means #HearMe. Don’t believe me?

President Nelson has repeatedly taught that the prophet of the church “can never lead you astray.” The definition of astray is 1) off the right path or route, 2) in error or away from what is proper or desirable. The simple pronouncement that they can never lead you astray is the very philosophy that has led the church astray. It directly contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ. Any man can lead you astray, and Christ specifically calls out prophets. Elder Rasband also taught, “We have the voice of the Lord through His prophet to calm our fears and lift our sights, for when President Nelson speaks, he speaks for the Lord.” So given this statement, what does #HearHim really mean?

Not only has Nelson taught this anti-Christian belief, but he took it even one step further. On January 23, 2022, he shared the following in a European area devotional and repeated it on Feb. 2, 2022, at a California area conference:

"…prophets, seers and revelators. There are 15 on the earth today, you can trust them completely."

🤯

I couldn’t believe that he had the audacity to say those words. No mention of listening to the Spirit or being taught by Heaven. Let me remind you what Christ taught:

JST Mark 9:44—Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.

2 Nephi 28:31—Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

When church leaders begin to lead us astray, and the Holy Ghost has witnessed this to our hearts and minds, it is important for us to follow the principle taught by Christ: Pluck them out. Now, what does that mean? I could go into great detail about what that means for me, but in reality, the answer to that question is as diverse as the stars in heaven. Whatever the process you go through, you should feel fully qualified to question any and all pronouncements, beliefs, and traditions taught by anyone.

Whom can we trust?

The takeaway from all of this is that any person has the potential to fall into transgression and lead others astray. As we place our trust in God and ask for His guidance (2 Nephi 28:30) we can be taught through the Spirit to know what steps we should take, whether that be cutting off, plucking out, or giving kind correction and guidance.

I feel that it is important to add this invitation, in order for you to measure the fruits and beliefs of any person, you must be informed. You need to know the scriptures for yourself. Spend time with God and be taught through the Spirit. As much as I question certain aspects of the Doctrine & Covenants, I believe these pronouncements to be true:

131:6 “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.”

93:36-37 “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one.”

I’m going to be blunt with you, making the decision to cut off or pluck out any of these people will be unpopular. It will ruffle feathers, and in some instances, bring hate and scorn. Your family, community members, and especially your church leaders may chastise you for not following them; even telling you that you are “past feeling” or that you have thrown away “eternal blessings.”

Due to the immense amounts of conditioning that has happened to most of us throughout our lives, it takes great faith and courage to place your trust solely upon God. Doing so has been one of the most difficult and trying experiences of my life. Yet it has also been by far the most profound journey of light, joy, and peace. I invite you to cut off or pluck out any false beliefs or traditions that are preventing you from being taught personally by the Heavens so that you may again enter into the presence of the Lord.

Shalom

Disclaimer: Only a small portion of my thoughts and feelings are contained within this essay. It is nearly impossible to condense a lifetime of study, thoughts, and impressions, into a few paragraphs. I value and encourage the need for altering perspective as new light and knowledge is acquired. One of the best ways to know a person’s heart is to sit down and talk face-to-face, perhaps while consuming a mild barley drink.

Additional resources:

If you’d like to explore this topic further, you can read my more in-depth essay on the “Infallibility of Prophets”, which includes a brief overview of this parable, but also explore in greater detail how this belief has permeated the culture of the church.

If you want to know how often this false teaching has been repeated throughout church history, you can check out this “Infallibility Timeline.” And these are only the instances I could find with basic online searching.