Doctrine and Covenants 96

Doctrine and Covenants 96

Historical Context

At a conference of high priests held at Newel K. Whitney’s store in Kirtland, Ohio, on March 23, 1833, those in attendance discussed acquiring more land to accommodate Church growth in the Kirtland area. Several farms were considered during the meeting, the largest of which was the Peter French farm of 103 acres. It was reported that “Peter French would sell his farm for five thousand dollars” during the meeting.1

A few months later, some still disagreed about who should be put in charge of the Church-purchased properties, and another conference was held. The minutes of the conference state, “A conference of high Priests met in Kirtland on the 4th of June 1833—in the translating room and took into consideration how the French farm should be disposed of[;] the council could not agree who should take the charge of it but all agreed to enquire of the lord[;] accordingly we received a revelation which decided that broth[e]r N[ewel] K Whitney should take the charge thereof and also that Brother John Johnson be admitted as a member of the united firm[;] accordingly[,] he was ordained unto the high Priesthood and admitted.”2

The Church purchased the farm and over the next few years it became the site of many houses and community buildings, including a new schoolhouse and the Kirtland Temple.

See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 4 June 1833 [D&C 96].

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 96:1–5

1 Behold, I say unto you, here is wisdom, whereby ye may know how to act concerning this matter, for it is expedient in me that this stake that I have set for the strength of Zion should be made strong.

2 Therefore, let my servant Newel K. Whitney take charge of the place which is named among you, upon which I design to build mine holy house.

3 And again, let it be divided into lots, according to wisdom, for the benefit of those who seek inheritances, as it shall be determined in council among you.

4 Therefore, take heed that ye see to this matter, and that portion that is necessary to benefit mine order, for the purpose of bringing forth my word to the children of men.

5 For behold, verily I say unto you, this is the most expedient in me, that my word should go forth unto the children of men, for the purpose of subduing the hearts of the children of men for your good. Even so. Amen.

During this time there were only two stakes in the Church: one in Ohio and one in Missouri. Edward Partridge was appointed to serve as the bishop in Missouri (see D&C 58:14–17), while Newel K. Whitney served as the bishop in Ohio (see D&C 72:7–8). Bishop Whitney’s assignment to take charge of the land mentioned in verses 2 and 3 is an early indication of the role that the Presiding Bishopric would eventually fill within the Church. The role of the Presiding Bishopric is further explained in Doctrine and Covenants 107, which teaches that “the office of the bishop is in administering in all temporal things” (D&C 107:68).

Today the Presiding Bishopric takes the lead in overseeing the temporal affairs of the Church, including the construction of temples. Some of the roles filled by the Presiding Bishop include “involvement in receiving, distributing, and accounting for member tithes, offerings, and contributions; administration of programs to assist the poor and needy; design, construction, and maintenance of places of worship; and auditing and transferring records of membership. Men chosen to be Presiding Bishops have been recognized for their business and management skills as well as their religious commitment.”3

D&C 96:6–9

6 And again, verily I say unto you, it is wisdom and expedient in me, that my servant John Johnson whose offering I have accepted, and whose prayers I have heard, unto whom I give a promise of eternal life inasmuch as he keepeth my commandments from henceforth—

7 For he is a descendant of Joseph and a partaker of the blessings of the promise made unto his fathers—

8 Verily I say unto you, it is expedient in me that he should become a member of the order, that he may assist in bringing forth my word unto the children of men.

9 Therefore ye shall ordain him unto this blessing, and he shall seek diligently to take away incumbrances that are upon the house named among you, that he may dwell therein. Even so. Amen.

John Johnson is highlighted here for his faithfulness and Joseph Smith is directed to make Johnson part of the united firm, or united order. Because of his generosity, Johnson was already a key figure in several important events in Church history. The conference that discussed publishing Joseph Smith’s revelations was held at his home in Hiram, Ohio. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon spent much of the winter of 1831–32 staying with Johnson’s family and working on the new translation of the Bible. In the Johnson home in February 1832, Joseph and Sidney saw their vision of the three degrees of glory. Later, Joseph and Sidney were tarred and feathered by an angry mob that dragged the Prophet from the Johnson home. During the attack Johnson, armed only with a club, bravely rushed into the midst of the mob that was accosting Sidney. In the melee Johnson was knocked down and broke his collarbone. He later was given a blessing by David Whitmer and recovered.4

Johnson later relocated to Kirtland and opened an inn near the Newel K. Whitney store. In the inn he displayed the mummies and papyri purchased from Michael Chandler and associated with the Book of Abraham. Two of Johnson’s sons, Luke and Lyman, were chosen as members of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Johnson also served as a member of the Kirtland high council when it was formed in February 1834. Unfortunately, Johnson and his sons became disaffected from the Church during the Kirtland apostasy of 1837–38. He withdrew from the Church, dying in Kirtland in 1843. Lyman Johnson, an Apostle, also withdrew from the Church during this time and never returned. One son from the Johnson family, Luke, did return to the Church though he was never placed back into the Quorum of the Twelve. John Johnson’s wife, Elsa, withdrew from Church fellowship in 1838, but lived close to her daughter Emily, who continued to worship with the Saints who remained in Kirtland. After Emily’s death in 1855, Elsa and her remaining sons traveled from Kirtland to Iowa. Elsa died in Iowa while traveling to the West. The oldest daughter of the Johnsons, also named Elsa remained in the church and passed away in Nauvoo. Another daughter, Nancy Marinda Hyde, remained in the Church, traveling to Salt Lake City where she remained a stalwart in the Church until her passing in 1886.5 

Footnotes

• 1. French Farm, Kirtland Township, Ohio, JSP.
• 2. Minutes, 4 June 1833, p. 13, JSP; see also JS History, vol. A-1, p. 301, JSP.
• 3. “Presiding Bishopric,” accessed April 21, 2021, newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
• 4. Mark L. Staker, Hearken, O Ye People, 2009, 352–353.
• 5. Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, 1997, 152–53; John Johnson, biography, JSP; Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1985, 199. “Nancy Marinda Johnson,” biography, JSP, Curtis Ashton, “Kirtland Through the Eyes of the Johnson Family,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org, accessed June 29, 2021.