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 Christ has taught the Nephites, he could tell that they were fatigued, and likely reeling trying to process what they had seen and heard. He instructed them to "go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again" (3 Nephi 17:3). Simply hearing the words of Christ, even directly from His mouth, was not sufficient for the Nephites to understand. They needed to ponder and to pray before the words of Christ could sink in to their hearts and have relevance in their lives. Writing this blog has been a good exercise in pondering for me. I find that I spend three times as much time writing about a chapter as I do reading it, and that new insights about that chapter, and feelings of the spirit always come while I am pondering.
Christ had other business to attend to and told the Nephites that he needed to leave. "I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them" (3 Nephi 17:4). His schedule was set and His next appointment "unto the lost tribes of Israel" was no doubt important. Despite the pressing matters Christ had on his docket, he was persuaded by the faith and desire of the Nephites to stay longer. Because of their yearning, he tarried to heal the sick among them, and to bless the children. "I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you" (3 Nephi 17:8). All too often I am in a hurry and let tasks get in the way of caring for people. Occasionally I respond to promptings to serve with a list of the reasons why it would be inconvenient or not work. Even with the given demands on His time, Christ was flexible and served when the opportunity presented itself.
Christ healed the sick among them and prayed for their children. If the Book of Mormon had a climax, this would be it. The defining message of the Book of Mormon is that Christ lives, and that He is the Savior of the world. He knows and loves all God's children and atoned for their sins so that they can repent and have joy. He called prophets and did miracles among the ancient people of America in order to teach them the gospel and encourage them to live righteous lives. And in this moment, while He was among them in person following his resurrection He bore the most powerful testimony He could of his own divinity by doing what God does: He blessed and healed them. The scriptures record "The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; 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" (3 Nephi 17:16-17). "And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them" (3 Nephi 17:21).
I have felt the healing power of Christ's atonement in my life. I know the impressions of joy and love that come from the Spirit. We have direct access to this power. The only limiting factor to living a life of joyful purpose is our faith. The Nephite's had faith in Christ, and because of their faith, they saw amazing miracles. Christ said to them, "Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full" (3 Nephi 17:20). Literally days before Christ appeared and offered this incredible prayer and blessed the children, Nephite society was unimaginably wicked. Political leaders were murdered, the government collapsed, and the land was rules by tribes and warlords. I can't imagine waking up in such a world on Monday, and watching my children be blessed by Christ and ministered to by angels on Friday of the same week. But the faith of the righteous few in those dark times was sufficient to enable them to see Christ in person and experience one of the most beautiful and profound miracles recorded in scripture.
Application Questions
How can I better prepare myself spritually to attend sacrament meeting or go to the temple?
How can I live an interruptible life and be prepared to act on spiritual promptings even when they are inconvenient and might disrupt my schedule?
How has Christ healed and blessed you?
How can I build my faith in a wicked world or among challenging circumstances?
Image Credit: unknown
Comments
Post a Comment