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...
After calling twelve apostles, Jesus preaches to the Nephites, and shares teachings that are almost identical to the beatitudes as recorded in Matthew chapter 5. Christ's desire for all the inhabitants of the earth to be righteous sin universal, and so his message of truth to different people's is likely to be similar. But I was particularly interested in this reading to note the subtle ways Christ tailored his message to the Nephites. It is also possible that the words Christ spoke to the Nephites and on the Sermon on the Mount were the same, but there subtle differences introduced as a result of different translations. Either way, the differences between 3 Nephi 12 and Matthew 5 give insight into the full meaning and intent of Christ's council to these groups of people and to us today.
Christ opens His remarks to the Nephites by summarizing his teachings on baptism, commentary that is absent from the Sermon on the Mount. He explains, "Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins" (3 Nephi 12:2). This seems to logically follow his bestowal of priesthood authority to baptize and calling of twelve apostles.
Christ declared to the Nephites "blessed are the poor in spirit," added the phrase "who come unto me," which is absent from the account in Matthew (3 Nephi 12:3). I like the added emphasis that this phrase places on coming to Christ. The natural result of being humble, or poor in spirit.
Christ clarifies that "those who hunger and thirst after righteousness" shall be filled specifically with "with the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 12:6). Obeying God does not mean that we will get what we want, or that bad things will never happen to us as the more general phrase "for they shall be filled" in Matthew 5 might imply. The true reward for following God is the companionship and cleansing of the Holy Ghost.
In His sermon to the Nephites, Christ draws a direct connection between enduring persecution for righteousness (3 Nephi 12:11) and receiving a heavenly reward (3 Nephi 12:12) whereas the two notions are listed separately in Matthew 5. Instead of saying"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven" as He did to the ancient Hebrews, Christ highlights the cause and effect relationship with the phrase "For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven," which explains the joyful nature of the eternal blessing received in exchange for enduring persecution (3 Nephi 12:12).
I Give Unto You to Be...
When speaking two of the most famous metaphors in the Sermon on the Mount about salt and light (candles) to the Nephites, Christ added the phrase "I give unto you to be." He made these declarative statements conditional as in "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth" (3 Nephi 12:13) instead of "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). While it is our foreordained privilege to be a rare enhancing and preserving agent in the world, our status as salt is not a foregone conclusion. In a similar way, Matthew simply states "ye are the light of the world," while 3 Nephi adds, "I give unto you to be the light of this people" (3 Nephi 12:14). Implicit in the phrase "I give unto you" is the expectation that we meet the Lord half way in realizing the destiny he has mapped for us. We can be an example of what is possible, we can be guides, we can improve our surroundings, and enrich the lives we touch. It is our birthright and honor to work and to serve to illuminate and uplift the world. But as Christ has also explained, "many are called, but few are chosen" and even though this responsibility is given freely, it has to be received (D&C 121:34).
There are many other subtle difference between the language of 3rd Nephi and Matthew, but the last distinction I'll mention the use of literal and figurative language. In a few instances 3rd Nephi is literal and direct in its instruction, while Matthew is metaphorical and figurative. For example, 3 Nephi 12:23 is direct ("if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee...") while Matthew 5:23 is figurative, and invokes the metaphor of sacrifices under the law of Moses (Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee...") Likewise, the instruction in 3 Nephi 12:29 to "suffer none of these things to enter into your heart" is direct while Matthew 5:29 "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee" is figurative. The poetic language of Matthew could be the literary innovation of generations of translators, or it could be the intent of Christ himself to tailor the message to His audience and use the language and tone that would resonate with them. When Nephi saw the vision of the tree of life his father Lehi saw, he was shown how the Book of Mormon would come forth in the latter days and that "These last records ... shall establish the truth of the first ... and shall make known the plain and precious things" that are contained in the Bible (1 Nephi 13:40).
Application Questions
How can you show your hunger and thirst for righteousness and enjoy the influence of the Holy Ghost?
What can you do to better qualify for the honor of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world?
Image Credit: Carl Bloch
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