3 Nephi 17-18

3 Nephi 17

Jesus has been teaching the Nephites since chapter 11, and now he thinks the people need a break before they can absorb anymore.

 As Jesus is about to leave, he looks around and sees that everyone is in tears and wishing he wouldn’t leave yet. And then the Savior of mankind – probably the busiest person in the universe – has enough compassion to stay a little longer. And he heals them.

 7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

 9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

 10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

There were about 2,500 people in the crowd (see vs. 25) so this wasn’t a brief delay for Jesus – but He felt the people were worth the extra time. And after Jesus healed the people, He prayed for them. The prayer was so powerful that it wasn’t even possible to write it down. The people later recalled that, “the eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard…and no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (vs. 16-17) 

Then Jesus had the little children all brought to him, and he blessed them, one by one, and prayed again for the children. He loved them so much that he wept – Jesus wept! The Savior of mankind loved these people so much that he cried. I love that. 

Jesus tell the crowd to “Behold your little ones” (vs. 23) and when they looked, “they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.” (vs. 24) Pretty cool!

3 Nephi 18

After healing the people and blessing their children, Jesus stays a little longer and introduces the Sacrament to the Nephites, like he did with his 12 disciples before he was crucified. He breaks bread and passes a cup of wine. He gives authority and commandment to the leadership of the church to continue to give the Sacrament to the members of the church after Jesus leaves. 

Jesus tells the people that when they partake of the bread and wine, it will remind them of his body and his blood, and they are demonstrating to God that they will always remember Jesus (vs. 7 and 11) and are willing to follow His commandments (vs. 10). In return, Jesus promises that that they will always have his spirit to be with them (vs. 7 and 11).

Jesus instructs the church to not forbid anyone from coming to meet and worship with them, but that they should welcome everyone and pray for those who need extra help (vs. 22-23). He says, “ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world.” (vs. 25)

One of the most-repeated promises in the scriptures is given in this chapter:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.” (vs. 18)

Do you believe that? Why or why not?

3 Nephi 15-16

3 Nephi 15-16

In John 10:14-16 in the New Testament, Jesus told the Jews:

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep… And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

Jesus tells the people in the Americas that they are the “other sheep” he was speaking about! He says the Father never commanded Him to tell the Jews about the Nephites/Lamanites in the Americas… except for this small phrase. He also says that other believers exist in other lands, too, who we don’t have a knowledge of, and Jesus is going to visit them as well!

15:21 And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

22 And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching.

23 And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.

When the Book of Mormon talks about Gentiles, it basically means anyone who is not a Jew. So in vs. 22 Jesus says that the Jews in Jerusalem thought he was talking about the Gentiles when he said other sheep would hear his voice. But Jesus didn’t appear to a large group of Gentiles (or non-Jews) to convert them. After Jesus’ mortal ministry, he gave that responsibility to his apostles and disciples to spread Christianity to the Gentiles (see Acts 10). 

I love these verses because they show us that Jesus Christ speaks to anyone who will hear and follow Him, anywhere in the world—not just the Jews, as recorded in the Bible…and not just the Nephites, as recorded in the Book of Mormon. Apparently there were even more that we don’t have records about. That’s pretty cool! – and makes sense to me.

3 Nephi 12-14

3 Nephi 12

Jesus Christ’s teachings in 3 Nephi 12–14 are sometimes referred to as the “sermon at the temple” because they resemble the Savior’s well-known “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5–7 in the Bible. 

Sermon on the Mount

Christ begins His sermon by teaching the blessings that come to those who develop “Beatitudes” –a phrase coined for these “attributes of the faithful” when Jesus taught them in Matthew 5. I like to look at each Beatitude along with its promised blessing. - Who wouldn’t want these blessings? And then of course I have to ask myself the hard question – how am I doing with developing these Beatitudes? 

BLESSED ARE…	FOR…
The poor in spirit who come unto me	Theirs is the kingdom of heaven (3 Nephi 12:3)
They that mourn	They shall be comforted (12:4)
The meek	They shall inherit the earth (12:5)
They who do hunger and thirst after righteousness	They shall be filled with the Holy Ghost (12:6)
The merciful	They shall obtain mercy (12:7)
The pure in heart	They shall see God (12:8)
The peacemakers	They shall be called the children of God (12:9)
They who are persecuted for my name’s sake	Theirs is the kingdom of heaven (12:10)
You when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake	Ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven (12:11-12)

It might be helpful to know that poor in spirit (3 Nephi 12:3) means to be humble and dependent on the Lord, to mourn (3 Nephi 12:4) refers to feeling a sorrow for our sins that leads to repentance, and to be meek (3 Nephi 12:5) can mean to be humble and gentle, to be submissive to God’s will, or to be patient in enduring injury without resentment.

In the remainder of 3 Nephi 12, Jesus referred to parts of the law of Moses and then taught a higher law. For example, He said that in the law of Moses it was commanded “thou shalt not kill” and “thou shalt not commit adultery.” But Jesus taught them to be a level better—that they shouldn’t be angry or entertain lustful thoughts in the first place. God gives us commandments to help us be happy. Think of all the heartache that would be spared if people didn’t kill or cheat on their spouses? Now take that to the next level, and how much MORE heartache would be spared if people didn’t get angry, or if they weren’t driven by lustful desires.

But I think the highest law is this one – one I’ve read over and over in my life, and yet I still seem to need it each time I read it (perhaps it’s a life-long journey for me):

38 And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;

39 But I say unto you, that… whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also;

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away.

43 And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;

44 But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;

3 Nephi 13-14

I love these chapters – probably because I love the Sermon on the Mount!  There are so many powerful teachings/principles/truths in this sermon from the Lord. I can’t say anything better than He did, so I’ll just let you read His words. Here are my favorite excerpts, and I’ve added headings to organize/introduce the topics.

Doing good for praise or attention

13:1 Verily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven.

2 Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth;

4 That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.

Forgiving others

13:14 For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Priorities

13:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You can’t please God and man

13:24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.

Judging others

14:1 …Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

*Note: a mote is a tiny sliver, and a beam is…well, a 2x4 or bigger! 

Seek God and you will find Him; Trust that God will give you good things

14:7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

The Golden Rule

14:12 Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.

Don’t assume the majority of people have it right 

14:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat;

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

How to identify if a prophet is false or true 

14:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits…

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Faith without obedience is not sufficient

14:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.

3 Nephi 11

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:

1.  A person must be given proper authority in order to baptize others (vs. 21-22)
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.