This may be one of the most important chapters – and
sections – in the Book of Mormon. “It had been prophesied among [the Nephites]
that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven” (vs.
12) and those prophecies are fulfilled in this chapter. It is common knowledge
that Jesus Christ lived and walked in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, but not
everyone knows that Jesus Christ appeared to and taught His followers in other
areas of the world. The Book of Mormon contains the record of that event (this chapter!). It is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” - to me, it is evidence that God cares about and communicates with His children
everywhere.
So, at the beginning of Chapter 11,
the survivors are gathered around the temple in the land Bountiful after the great and terrible storm and 3 days of darkness.
Suddenly, they hear a voice from heaven.
3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
From this one verse I learn that God is incredibly powerful
and influential, but without being harsh or loud. I also learn that I won’t be
able to understand the voice of God (or the influence of His spirit) if I’m not
listening closely. He doesn't shout or force.
The voice of God has to repeat 3 times before the people can
finally understand. God says:
7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.
This reminds me of when Jesus was baptized (“And lo a voice
from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” –
Matthew 3:17). Except none of these people have
ever seen Jesus...until…this…moment!
8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.
The entire population falls to the ground in reverence and
amazement as their confusion turns to realization. And then the Savior invites
them to personally come see for themselves:
14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
This is a passage I read when I need a pick-me-up. I just think it's so amazing! I mean, can you imagine being there??
So what do you think Jesus would teach about if He appeared in the Americas. Well, over the next 18 chapters you'll see that He teaches a lot of what He preached in the Bible (makes sense, right?). But interestingly, of all the things Jesus could choose as the first
thing to talk about, He chooses baptism. It must be important.
To summarize a few of the principles He teaches about baptism:
2. A person must desire to be baptized and repent of their sins before they can be baptized (vs. 23)
3. There is a specific prayer the baptizer should say (vs. 23-25)
4. Baptism should be by immersion (vs. 23,26)
5. Baptism is necessary for salvation (vs. 33-34)
Is there anything else you learned about baptism from these verses?
Jesus teaches another important principle
– contention does not come from God.
29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
This has been very valuable and helpful for me to remember anytime
I’m feeling contentious - to help me identify that those feeling don't come from God. That doesn’t mean I can’t disagree – no not at all. It doesn’t
even mean I can’t be angry about something bad that happened. But specifically
if I’m feeling contention – even about good things like defending my faith or
trying to improve my community – then I’m approaching it wrong. Satan is sneaky
and sly and can have influence over good people when he can get them wrapped up
in contention over good things.
