Your Salvation for $75,000?
I have always been intrigued by the commitment of Martin Harris to financially support Joseph Smith in the printing of the first edition of the Book of Mormon. You remember Martin mortgaged his farm for $3,000 to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon.
How big of a sacrifice was that? We take out a home second mortgage today for many worthwhile things: an education, a wedding, a long overdue family vacation, a much needed car. So was it a big deal what Martin did? Wouldn’t we do it too?
Maybe, maybe not. Let’s put this in modern terms.
The $3,000 Martin Harris gave E. B. Grandin for publishing the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon would be the equivalent of about $75,000.00 today!
Now would you think twice about giving that money? One of the tools I use in scripture study is to take a person in the scriptures and get to know them better by researching about them. One such person was one of the 3 Witnesses—a man named Martin Harris.
As I searched, I had a lot of questions.
- Why did Martin Harris believe Joseph Smith’s “gold bible” story about the Book of Mormon when all the other townspeople did not?
- Why was Martin’s wife so against Martin and Joseph?
- Why did he help Joseph with the translation of the Book of Mormon?
- Why were the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon even given to Martin?
- Why was Martin chosen to fulfill prophecy by going to Charles Anthon in New York?
- Why did Martin continue to help Joseph financially with more than just the printing of the Book of Mormon?
- Why was he chosen to be one of the 3 Witnesses when there were so many others that could have been witnesses?
- Why did Martin have to get a different revelation at a different time about the Book of Mormon than Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer?
- Why did Brother Harris feel he never left the church but the church left him?
Did Martin Harris ever come back into the church?
In answering these questions, I got to know Brother Martin Harris better. I acquired an appreciation of what a real testimony means when applied in a practical way. In other words, to coin a phrase, Martin Harris “put his money where his mouth was.” I also learned Martin Harris ultimately lost his mortgaged farm because people didn’t buy enough copies of the Book of Mormon.
In the end, brother Harris most likely gained much more than he lost—he gained his eternal salvation!
Not a bad trade for $75,000.
Mark 10:21 “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”
~Brother Bruce Barton
