Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
In chapter 11, Nephi seeks spiritual knowledge
for himself and learns about God's love. "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the
things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make
them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I
was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord" (1 Nephi
11:1). When we desire to know something, believe the Lord can tell us, and
give serious thought to our questions, the Lord will answer us by the power of
the Holy Ghost.
Nephi saw the Spirit of the Lord and the things his father Lehi saw. I love Nephi's expression of humility in the course of receiving this vision: "I know that he loveth his
children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17). While admittedly taken out of context, this phrase is one of the foundational principles of my testimony. While there are many aspects of my knowledge and testimony that have room to grow, I always come back to this immutable truth that God loves his children. That is my starting place. Whenever I encounter something I cannot understand or explain, I always trace it back to the question: "How could this [doctrine, experience] be a manifestation of God's love?"
Nephi is taught more about the love of God through the symbol of a tree producing bright and delicious fruit. Nephi says, "I looked
and beheld a tree; ... and the beauty thereof was far beyond,
yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness
of the driven snow," "which is precious above
all" (1 Nephi 11:8-9).
When the Spirit of the Lord asks Nephi if he knows what the tree represents he responds, "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things" (1 Nephi 11:22). The angel confirms and clarifies "Yea, and the most joyous to the soul" (1 Nephi 11:23). Nephi repeats, "I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that the tree of life is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He said: “The images of Christ and the tree [are] inextricably linked. … At the very outset of the Book of Mormon, … Christ is portrayed as the source of eternal life and joy, the living evidence of divine love, and the means whereby God will fulfill his covenant with the house of Israel and indeed the entire family of man, returning them all to their eternal promises” (Christ and the New Covenant[1997], 160, 162).
Jesus Christ is the most powerful manifestation of God's love, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his onlybegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). In juxtaposition to the tree, Nephi is shown the city of Nazareth (1 Nephi 11:13), "a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins" (1 Nephi 11:15), and the infant Jesus (1 Nephi 11:20); Nephi sees the baptism of Christ and the calling of the twelve apostles (1 Nephi 11:28-29), Christ's mortal ministry of healing (1 Nephi 11:31), and "that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world (1 Nephi 11:33).
While the
symbolism of the tree (the love of God manifest in Jesus Christ) is clear,
the meaning of the fruit of the tree is left ambiguous.
As summarized in the Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, the fruit of the tree that Lehi saw was:
- “Most sweet,
above all that I ever before tasted” (1 Nephi 8:11)
- “White, to exceed
all … whiteness” (1 Nephi 8:11)
- “Desirable above
all other fruit” (1 Nephi 8:12)
- Having “beauty …
exceeding of all beauty” (1 Nephi 11:8)
- “Precious above
all”; “most precious” (1 Nephi 11:9)
- “Most joyous to
the soul” (1 Nephi 11:23)
- “The greatest of
all the gifts of God” (1 Nephi 15:36)
While not
explicitly stated in the Book of Mormon, I've come to gravitate to two
possible interpretations of the fruit in Lehi's dream. The fruit
represents eternal life, or the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Eternal
life certainly seems to fit the above criteria. We learn from modern
revelation received through the Prophet Joseph Smith that "If you keep my
commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life,
which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C
14:7).
For years, though, I have discounted eternal life as the interpretation of the fruit of the
tree. Since some of those who partook of the fruit heard the mocking of the
pride of the world, became ashamed, stopped partaking of the fruit, wandered
into strange paths and were lost, I believe the fruit is something that we
actively partake of in this life. I've always thought of eternal life as
something that we cannot partake of until after this life, when we are reunited
with God and our families to live and create in happiness forever.
Instead I
have focused on the atonement of Christ as the interpretation of the fruit of
the tree. Christ's atonement is the consummate act and ultimate expression
of God's love for His children. It is the natural product/outgrowth/result
(fruit) of God's love and Jesus Christ's personal mission. It is also something
that we can actively partake of in this life. The atonement is sweet, it brings joy, and enjoying its influence in our lives is desirable above all
other things.
What I am realizing for the
first time in this reading of the Book of Mormon is that I may have created a
false distinction between eternal life and the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Lehi/Nephi's vision may well imply that eternal life is not something that must
wait until after we die, but is something that we can partake of and enjoy now
(or abandon and lose). It is something that we already possess if we do
not forsake it. Lehi/Nephi's vision also emphasizes the connection between
eternal life and the atonement of Jesus Christ. This parallelism is further reinforced by the
teaching of John: "And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent" (John 17:3).
Image Credit: Tree of Life, 1990, by Kazuto Uota, Osaka, Japan; paint and plaster on board (139 x 138 cm).
I'm continuing to enjoy reading your blog, especially since I just started over again in 1st Nephi last week. I appreciate your insights as they lead me to ponder the scriptures more.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I ever read this first post until now, but I love it. The question, "How could this [doctrine, experience] be a manifestation of God's love?" seems like the perfect starting place for things we don't understand.
ReplyDelete