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...
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord
Isaiah prophesied of the ministry of John the Baptism and described his role as "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3). John fulfilled this prophesy and commanded the people to “prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matthew 3:3). The way that John prepared for the Savior was by preaching repentance and prophesying of the establishment of the church on the earth: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand“ (Matthew 3:2). In the same way that John helped prepare a people to receive Jesus Christ at his first coming, the preparatory work that we all must do to invite the Savior into our lives is to repent.
I may be taking the metaphor too far to note that our efforts to repent do not in themselves bring the Savior to us, or enact the power of the atonement to transform. Repentance "prepares the way of the Lord", and "makes his paths straight." Christ is still the one that walks the path. He comes to us. It is only through His power and grace that we can be made whole and cleansed from sin.
O Generation of Vipers
Surprisingly, "many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism" (Matthew 3:7). I'm curious about the motivations of the Pharisees and the Sadduces. Does this phrase simply mean that they came to the place where John the Baptist was performing baptisms to observe, or were they seeking to be baptized at his hand? Johns response when he sees them gathered there is to declare “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). John's response implies that he could discern their thoughts, and that perhaps the Pharisees and Sadducee were indeed seeking to be baptized, but that they came with improper motivations and insufficient preparation.
John goes on to warn them that “the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). I had never clearly heard John and the Savior’s warning voices before in my reading of the New Testament. Here John and later Jesus clearly warned the Jews of the dangers of pride, religious arrogance, and scrupulosity They challenged them to hear the message of the gospel and repent. John's warning in verse 10 echoes comments Jesus made to the priests and elders in the synagogue when he read Isaiah and declared His own divine mission as the Son of God:
“No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong” (Luke 4:24-27). The implication is clear that if the Jews dismissed Jesus because they were too familiar with his humble circumstances, or because they looked beyond the mark, they would be punished and the blessings of Christ would go to others.
He Shall Baptize You with the Holy Ghost, and with Fire
What is equally surprising to me is that despite John the Baptist's criticisms of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, he was still willing to baptize them, saying "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance" (Matthew 3:11). It is almost as if the religious arrogance of the Pharisees and Sadducees was not a disqualifying criteria for baptism. If they wanted to be baptized, John would baptize them. But he warned and explained that Jesus “shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:12). The baptism that John freely offered them, even in their hypocritical state, would be of no use if it was not coupled with sincere repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, and the cleansing influence of the Holy Ghost.
One of my favorite doctrines of the gospel is the doctrine of the baptism of fire mentioned in Matthew3:12. Generally when we think of the role of the Holy Ghost we tend to focus on his role as a teacher and a comforter. Most of our conscious experiences with the Holy Ghost involve feeling edified and inspired at church meetings, receiving comfort for our pain and trials through prayer, or receiving personal direction in the temple. Most of us are quick to recognize the Spirit in his roles as a comforter, guide, and witness of truth. What I did not realize until later in life is that that Holy Ghost also acts as a purifying agent. It is the mechanism through which our natures are changed and we become new creatures. Striving to repent and live a righteous life invites the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. This constant presence burns off the dross our impurities. The influence of the Holy Ghost changes our spirits and character so that we become new creatures.
Image Credit: Baptism - J. Kirk Richards
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