READING FOR MARCH 3
3 Nephi 22-26
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRAMENT
“We are left to ponder where the bread and wine came from.Was it a New World variation of the five barley loaves and two small fishes that expanded to feed the five thousand in the Old World? Was there some kind of divine intervention, as when Jesus was seized in Nazareth to be thrown from the brow of a hill,‘but he passing through the midst of them went his way?’ Whatever the answer, the writer presumed that future readers would understand that such things happen, and how they happen probably cannot be written, but in every case these are manifestations of divine involvement and assistance in the work of the Lord’s church.”
Jeffery R. Holland, Christ and The New Covenant, 283
“In the context of the covenant traditions of Israel, it seems a natural thing to suppose that this was a covenant meal after the pattern of the one recorded in Exodus 24 where Moses,Aaron, Nadab,Abihu, and the seventy princes or elders of Israel went up on the side of Sinai (symbolically the holy place) and there saw God and “did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:11).This text is almost universally understood as referring to the eating of a covenant meal by the representatives of Israel in the presence of God on the holy mountain. One commentary notes:‘By means of the meal,Yahweh takes the whole community, represented by the clan elders, into his family.The meal is the assurance and support given by the superior, Yahweh, to the inferior, Israel.’ The idea of two parties eating and drinking together to formally ratify a covenant is common to both the Bible and the customs of the ancient Near East. To eat together was to be bound together by mutual obligation.The meal was a seal of the alliance whereby “the weaker is taken into the family of the stronger,” who provides the meal.
The Old Testament and the Book of Mormon occasions have obvious similarities.The place of the meal in both cases is the temple or the holy mount, which represents the temple. Both meals are in the presence of the God of Israel.The occasion in both instances is the introduction of a new gospel dispensation. Symbolically, both represent a ratifying seal of the covenant the people have made.
After the three-day ministry in the Americas, it appears that the more traditional sacrament observance became the order of the day. Indeed, we read that Christ continued to appear to His disciples on many occasions to break bread and bless it for them (see 3 Nephi 26:13).”
Joseph Fielding McConkie, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/doctrine-covenant-people-0
“One of the invitations in the sacramental ordinance is that it be a truly spiritual experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.”
Jeffery R. Holland, Christ and The New Covenant, 283
THE HOLY SPIRIT/THE HOLY GHOST
“During the Middle Ages, Christian translators created a way to make the English Bible reflect their belief that the Holy Ghost was not the Holy Spirit.
These theologians coined the phrase ‘Holy Ghost’ to designate the Third Person of the Trinity. In contrast, they used ‘Holy Spirit’ to refer to the Spirit of God or Spirit of the LORD encountered by the Hebrews and Jews in the Old Testament.
Then, in the 16th century, Bible printers reinforced this distinction by introducing capital and small letters. In the OT they used ‘spirit' and ‘holy spirit.’ In the NT they printed ‘Spirit' and ‘Holy Ghost,’ but with subtle distinctions.
These translation and printing differences do not exist in the Bible itself, in either Hebrew or Greek.
They are invented theological biases imported into the (English) Bible.They provided both verbal and visual validation for the already existing conviction that Christianity must be separated from its Hebraic/Jewish foundations.”
http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/spirit/spirit-to-ghost.html
THE COVENANT OF THE FATHER
“Christ acknowledged that these people of Lehi were emphatically of the house of Israel and that they were to be favored twice by God in a special way. In the meridian of time they were the first of scattered Israel to receive the resurrected Christ after his ascension into heaven, and in the last days they would be the first of the Israelites to receive Christ when he restored his gospel in the dispensation of the fulness of times.”
Jeffery R. Holland, Christ and The New Covenant, 285
“It is most comforting to note that one of the principal benefits stemming from our promises made to God is that in a world of affliction, pain and trouble, the Father sends the Son ‘to bless [us],’ to turn every one of us and posterity away from iniquity—and this simply, lovingly, because ‘[we] are the children of the covenant.’”
Jeffery R. Holland, Christ and The New Covenant, 285
“These familiar passages, written first by Isaiah but spoken of and inspired by Jehovah himself, are often applied to anyone—especially missionaries—who bring the good tidings of the gospel and publish peace to the souls of men.There is nothing inappropriate about such an application, but it is important to realize—as the prophet Abinadi did—that in its purest form and original sense, the psalm of appreciation applies specifically to Christ. It is he and only he who ultimately brings the good tidings of salvation. Only through him is true, lasting peace published.To Zion, in the old and new Jerusalems, it is Christ who declares,‘Thy God reigneth!’ It is his feet upon the mountain of redemption that are beautiful.
At the time of recognition, all will be astonished that Christ’s ‘visage [is] so marred, more than any man and his form more than the sons of men,’ referring undoubtedly to the physical impact of the suffering and the scarring of the flesh that accompanied Christ’s atoning sacrifice.”
Jeffery R. Holland, Christ and The New Covenant, 286-7
ANOTHER TESTAMENT BY MARK MABRY
https://youtu.be/PT9_0DdhJnk
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
3 Nephi 17-19
READING FOR FEBRUARY 18
3 Nephi 16, 20-21
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
REVELATION/SCRIPTURE
“These differences between the texts themselves and examples from modern scripture undermine a simplistic equation of scripture with divinely revealed facts.They strongly suggest that revelation, ancient or modern, cannot be simplistically equated with ‘factual correctness.’ Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process which sometimes becomes frozen as scripture.Think of scripture as an artifact or snapshot in time of the progress that is being made through revelation at a certain time, place, and context. Scripture thus contains human elements and understandings common to the time.And this can account for differences between inspired texts, which according to common assumptions should be identical.The textual differences in the Pearl of Great Price and the temple are best explained by conceptualizing revelation as a mediated human-divine composite process that incorporates human knowledge and assumptions of a particular time period and culture and time and place.”
“Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process...”
Ben Spackman, https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
JOURNEY OF FAITH
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UOWg9W9F_vo&feature=youtu.be
THE SAVIOR’S MINISTRY TO THE NEPHITES
“The Book of Mormon account of Jesus’ ministry among the Nephites sharpens our understanding of the principle of service by showing how true disciples should minister to others.That account is clearer and more precise than the New Testament account on many points relating to the Gospel. It focuses not only on the words of Jesus (doctrine) but also on His actions (application of the doctrines).”
Richard Holzapfel, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/one-one-fifth-gospels-model-service-0
MINISTERING
“Scientists have long known that loneliness is emotionally painful and can lead to psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and even hallucinatory delirium. But only recently have they recognized how destructive it is to the body. In 2015, researchers at UCLA discovered that social isolation triggers cellular changes that result in chronic inflammation, predisposing the lonely to serious physical conditions like heart disease, stroke, metastatic cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. One 2015 analysis, which pooled data from 70 studies following 3.4 million people over seven years, found that lonely individuals had a 26% higher risk of dying.This figure rose to 32% if they lived alone.”
“Loneliness is still something that greatly troubles Millennials:According to the 2016 VICELAND UK Census, loneliness is the number one fear of young people today—ranking ahead of losing a home or a job. Fully 42% of Millennial women are more afraid of loneliness than a cancer diagnosis, by far the highest share of any generation.This fear has been ingrained into the very lexicon of Millennials, immortalized in acronyms like “FOMO” and its many companion terms.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2019/05/03/millennials-and-the-loneliness-epidemic/#40df0bdf7676
CHILDREN AND ANGELS
“With these sweet children gathered around him, something of their innocence, beauty and future brought to the Savior a painful acknowledgement of what damage a sinful world would bring them. Apparently thinking of the evil from which they must be protected Christ knelt and offered one of the most remarkable prayers ever uttered.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 269
PRAYER
“Prayer is the goal of an individual to place him or herself in spiritual harmony with God the Father and Creator of all. According to latter-day prophets and apostles, prayer consists of much more than directing ‘mere words’ or thoughts towards deity, but represents ‘the pulsation of a yearning, loving heart in tune with the Infinite.’ Prayer is ‘a message of the soul sent directly to a loving Father. . . [it is] spirit vibration’ (McKay 308). Prayer is having ‘a consciousness that there is something within us which is divine, which is part of the Infinite, which is the offspring of God, and until we can feel that harmony with that Infinite, we have not sensed the power of
prayer’ (302). Prayer, accompanied by works, ‘is the invisible switch to tune us with the
infinite’ (Kimball 62), it is placing ourselves ‘in harmony with divine forces’ (Widtsoe,The Articles of Faith 288), it is attuning ourselves ‘with the spirit or light which ‘proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space’ (D&C 88:12). In that light is to be found sure answers to all our needs’ (Romney, Prayer and Revelation 50). Further,‘prayer is the passport to spiritual power’ (Kimball 115).To ‘live without prayer is to live a mere animal existence. It is to leave the best part of our natures in a starving condition; for without prayer the spirit is starved, and men dwindle in their feelings and die in their faith’ (Cannon 2:170)."
Donald W. Parry, https://rsc.byu.edu/book-mormon-3-nephi-9-30-my-gospel/pray-always-learning-pray-jesus-prayed
3 Nephi 16, 20-21
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
REVELATION/SCRIPTURE
“These differences between the texts themselves and examples from modern scripture undermine a simplistic equation of scripture with divinely revealed facts.They strongly suggest that revelation, ancient or modern, cannot be simplistically equated with ‘factual correctness.’ Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process which sometimes becomes frozen as scripture.Think of scripture as an artifact or snapshot in time of the progress that is being made through revelation at a certain time, place, and context. Scripture thus contains human elements and understandings common to the time.And this can account for differences between inspired texts, which according to common assumptions should be identical.The textual differences in the Pearl of Great Price and the temple are best explained by conceptualizing revelation as a mediated human-divine composite process that incorporates human knowledge and assumptions of a particular time period and culture and time and place.”
“Rather, we should understand revelation, even canonized modern revelation, as a process, a progression along a spectrum of correctness. Revelation is not static nor even a straight line of upwards progress, but a mediated human-divine dialectic process...”
Ben Spackman, https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2019/a-paradoxical-preservation-of-faith
JOURNEY OF FAITH
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UOWg9W9F_vo&feature=youtu.be
THE SAVIOR’S MINISTRY TO THE NEPHITES
“The Book of Mormon account of Jesus’ ministry among the Nephites sharpens our understanding of the principle of service by showing how true disciples should minister to others.That account is clearer and more precise than the New Testament account on many points relating to the Gospel. It focuses not only on the words of Jesus (doctrine) but also on His actions (application of the doctrines).”
Richard Holzapfel, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/one-one-fifth-gospels-model-service-0
MINISTERING
“Scientists have long known that loneliness is emotionally painful and can lead to psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and even hallucinatory delirium. But only recently have they recognized how destructive it is to the body. In 2015, researchers at UCLA discovered that social isolation triggers cellular changes that result in chronic inflammation, predisposing the lonely to serious physical conditions like heart disease, stroke, metastatic cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. One 2015 analysis, which pooled data from 70 studies following 3.4 million people over seven years, found that lonely individuals had a 26% higher risk of dying.This figure rose to 32% if they lived alone.”
“Loneliness is still something that greatly troubles Millennials:According to the 2016 VICELAND UK Census, loneliness is the number one fear of young people today—ranking ahead of losing a home or a job. Fully 42% of Millennial women are more afraid of loneliness than a cancer diagnosis, by far the highest share of any generation.This fear has been ingrained into the very lexicon of Millennials, immortalized in acronyms like “FOMO” and its many companion terms.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2019/05/03/millennials-and-the-loneliness-epidemic/#40df0bdf7676
CHILDREN AND ANGELS
“With these sweet children gathered around him, something of their innocence, beauty and future brought to the Savior a painful acknowledgement of what damage a sinful world would bring them. Apparently thinking of the evil from which they must be protected Christ knelt and offered one of the most remarkable prayers ever uttered.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 269
PRAYER
“Prayer is the goal of an individual to place him or herself in spiritual harmony with God the Father and Creator of all. According to latter-day prophets and apostles, prayer consists of much more than directing ‘mere words’ or thoughts towards deity, but represents ‘the pulsation of a yearning, loving heart in tune with the Infinite.’ Prayer is ‘a message of the soul sent directly to a loving Father. . . [it is] spirit vibration’ (McKay 308). Prayer is having ‘a consciousness that there is something within us which is divine, which is part of the Infinite, which is the offspring of God, and until we can feel that harmony with that Infinite, we have not sensed the power of
prayer’ (302). Prayer, accompanied by works, ‘is the invisible switch to tune us with the
infinite’ (Kimball 62), it is placing ourselves ‘in harmony with divine forces’ (Widtsoe,The Articles of Faith 288), it is attuning ourselves ‘with the spirit or light which ‘proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space’ (D&C 88:12). In that light is to be found sure answers to all our needs’ (Romney, Prayer and Revelation 50). Further,‘prayer is the passport to spiritual power’ (Kimball 115).To ‘live without prayer is to live a mere animal existence. It is to leave the best part of our natures in a starving condition; for without prayer the spirit is starved, and men dwindle in their feelings and die in their faith’ (Cannon 2:170)."
Donald W. Parry, https://rsc.byu.edu/book-mormon-3-nephi-9-30-my-gospel/pray-always-learning-pray-jesus-prayed
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
3 Nephi 12-15
READING FOR FEBRUARY 18
3 Nephi 16-19
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
THE SERMON AT THE TEMPLE
“The prelude to the Sermon at the Temple reports (1) the brilliant appearance of the risen Christ,“the light and life of the world,” (2) the commencement of a new era, [the doctrine of Christ], (3) the fulfillment of the law of blood sacrifice, (4) evidence of Jesus’ atoning suffering and goodness, and (5) the ordination of disciples as servant-ministers.Thus, at the outset, the Sermon at the Temple states explicitly these and other similar background elements that only can be presumed to stand behind the Matthean text.”
“The Sermon at the Temple is a temple text. By ‘temple text’ I mean one that contains allusions to the most sacred teachings and ordinance of the plan of salvation, things that are not to be shared indiscriminately. In addition, temple texts are often presented in or near a temple.They ordain or otherwise convey divine powers through symbolic or ceremonial means, presented together with commandments that are or will be received by sacred oaths that allow the recipient to stand ritually in the presence of God.”
“The metaphorical explanation of how a person must build upon this rock, instead of upon a sandy foundation, brackets the words of the Sermon that appear in 3 Nephi 12-14.The rock is the doctrine repentance, baptism, and becoming God’s child by spiritual rebirth. So we see that obedience to the commandments given in 3 Nephi 12-14 is not merely advisory or ethically desirable. Obedience to these stipulations is to be understood in connection with the making of a covenant through being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and becoming a child of God fully blessed to inherit the Father’s kingdom.”
John W.Welch, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temople and Sermon on the Mount
THE LAW FULFILLED
“It is vital to note that in the teaching of Jesus, the Law was not revoked nor repealed but fulfilled. Under the gospel of Christ, murder, adultery, and dishonesty are still prohibited, and the formal requirements of the Law are still essentially in place; but the demand of the Law of Moses has been expanded, has been filled to its fullest extent.Where there is no hatred or greed, there can be no murder; where there is no lust, there can be no adultery.With the coming of Christ, the ethical portion of the Law had not been abolished; it had been caught up by, included in, and expanded to a broader application its intention, its potential as an ethical standard, had been fulfilled.
The ceremonial portions of the Law, however, were fulfilled in a different way.These were not moral or ethical rules which could be transformed into broader principles, but were what Abinadi and Alma called “performances”—rituals that symbolically prefigured coming historical events. For example, animal sacrifice prefigured the future sacrifice of the Savior, the Lamb of God. But when the events prefigured actually occurred, they could no longer be anticipated; they could only be remembered.
After the atonement of Christ, the anticipation of the event found in the Law was replaced by the remembrance of the event which is part of the gospel.Thus those parts of the Law which anticipated the atonement of Christ were fulfilled in the events of the atonement and had an end, just as a prophecy is said to be fulfilled when the event prophesied takes place. In this way, neither the moral nor the ceremonial portions of the Law of Moses were undone or abolished. Both were fulfilled, the former by being included in the broader principles of the gospel which replaced them, and the latter by finding realization in the events which they had prefigured.”
Stephen E. Robinson, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1983/09/the-law-after-christ?lang=eng
MARRIAGE
“In the Old World, carnal and fallen men had begun to take advantage of the divorce laws in their culture.Though marriage had been established in the beginning as a religious institution, a rite intended to bind the participants forever, yet in the days of Moses divorce had been permitted ‘because of the hardness’ of the hearts of the people. By the time of Christ, the situation had degenerated markedly. [Historians note that what constituted grounds for divorce were split between a conservative view and a liberal view.The conservative view dictated the only grounds acceptable were a wife’s infidelity.The liberal view was anything goes—‘even if she burned his soup.’] Given his understanding of life among the Palestinian Jews in the meridian of time, one can appreciate why the Savior would desire the reform of a system that allowed men to slip capriciously in and out of marriage. His was a call to a higher righteousness, an invitation to consider carefully the sacred nature of marriage and the importance of fidelity and commitment between married partners.”
Doctrinal Commentary on The Book of Mormon, 74
NEPHITE WOMEN
“It also seems important that when Nephi reports on his vision of the last days, he worries explicitly that latter-day readers might not regard ‘male and female’ as ‘alike unto God.’ It may be that the Book of Mormon implicitly asks readers to reflect on how certain cultures might claim to model righteousness before God while embracing social practices that produce ‘sorrow’ and ‘mourning’ among their more vulnerable members. It seems that one of the reasons for the people’s fall concerns the failure on the part of their men to repent, while those among them who survive do so because they do not forget God’s equal regard for women and men.”
Joseph Spencer,“Women and Nephite Men, Lessons from the Book of Alma”
3 Nephi 16-19
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
THE SERMON AT THE TEMPLE
“The prelude to the Sermon at the Temple reports (1) the brilliant appearance of the risen Christ,“the light and life of the world,” (2) the commencement of a new era, [the doctrine of Christ], (3) the fulfillment of the law of blood sacrifice, (4) evidence of Jesus’ atoning suffering and goodness, and (5) the ordination of disciples as servant-ministers.Thus, at the outset, the Sermon at the Temple states explicitly these and other similar background elements that only can be presumed to stand behind the Matthean text.”
“The Sermon at the Temple is a temple text. By ‘temple text’ I mean one that contains allusions to the most sacred teachings and ordinance of the plan of salvation, things that are not to be shared indiscriminately. In addition, temple texts are often presented in or near a temple.They ordain or otherwise convey divine powers through symbolic or ceremonial means, presented together with commandments that are or will be received by sacred oaths that allow the recipient to stand ritually in the presence of God.”
“The metaphorical explanation of how a person must build upon this rock, instead of upon a sandy foundation, brackets the words of the Sermon that appear in 3 Nephi 12-14.The rock is the doctrine repentance, baptism, and becoming God’s child by spiritual rebirth. So we see that obedience to the commandments given in 3 Nephi 12-14 is not merely advisory or ethically desirable. Obedience to these stipulations is to be understood in connection with the making of a covenant through being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and becoming a child of God fully blessed to inherit the Father’s kingdom.”
John W.Welch, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temople and Sermon on the Mount
THE LAW FULFILLED
“It is vital to note that in the teaching of Jesus, the Law was not revoked nor repealed but fulfilled. Under the gospel of Christ, murder, adultery, and dishonesty are still prohibited, and the formal requirements of the Law are still essentially in place; but the demand of the Law of Moses has been expanded, has been filled to its fullest extent.Where there is no hatred or greed, there can be no murder; where there is no lust, there can be no adultery.With the coming of Christ, the ethical portion of the Law had not been abolished; it had been caught up by, included in, and expanded to a broader application its intention, its potential as an ethical standard, had been fulfilled.
The ceremonial portions of the Law, however, were fulfilled in a different way.These were not moral or ethical rules which could be transformed into broader principles, but were what Abinadi and Alma called “performances”—rituals that symbolically prefigured coming historical events. For example, animal sacrifice prefigured the future sacrifice of the Savior, the Lamb of God. But when the events prefigured actually occurred, they could no longer be anticipated; they could only be remembered.
After the atonement of Christ, the anticipation of the event found in the Law was replaced by the remembrance of the event which is part of the gospel.Thus those parts of the Law which anticipated the atonement of Christ were fulfilled in the events of the atonement and had an end, just as a prophecy is said to be fulfilled when the event prophesied takes place. In this way, neither the moral nor the ceremonial portions of the Law of Moses were undone or abolished. Both were fulfilled, the former by being included in the broader principles of the gospel which replaced them, and the latter by finding realization in the events which they had prefigured.”
Stephen E. Robinson, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1983/09/the-law-after-christ?lang=eng
MARRIAGE
“In the Old World, carnal and fallen men had begun to take advantage of the divorce laws in their culture.Though marriage had been established in the beginning as a religious institution, a rite intended to bind the participants forever, yet in the days of Moses divorce had been permitted ‘because of the hardness’ of the hearts of the people. By the time of Christ, the situation had degenerated markedly. [Historians note that what constituted grounds for divorce were split between a conservative view and a liberal view.The conservative view dictated the only grounds acceptable were a wife’s infidelity.The liberal view was anything goes—‘even if she burned his soup.’] Given his understanding of life among the Palestinian Jews in the meridian of time, one can appreciate why the Savior would desire the reform of a system that allowed men to slip capriciously in and out of marriage. His was a call to a higher righteousness, an invitation to consider carefully the sacred nature of marriage and the importance of fidelity and commitment between married partners.”
Doctrinal Commentary on The Book of Mormon, 74
NEPHITE WOMEN
“It also seems important that when Nephi reports on his vision of the last days, he worries explicitly that latter-day readers might not regard ‘male and female’ as ‘alike unto God.’ It may be that the Book of Mormon implicitly asks readers to reflect on how certain cultures might claim to model righteousness before God while embracing social practices that produce ‘sorrow’ and ‘mourning’ among their more vulnerable members. It seems that one of the reasons for the people’s fall concerns the failure on the part of their men to repent, while those among them who survive do so because they do not forget God’s equal regard for women and men.”
Joseph Spencer,“Women and Nephite Men, Lessons from the Book of Alma”
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
3 Nephi 8-11
READING FOR FEBRUARY 11
3 Nephi 12-15
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
EVENTS IN THE NEW WORLD
“As with all prophecies of the Lord, fulfillment of the Nephite prophecies came with total and unerring certainty.When the Master—hanging on the cross just outside Jerusalem—gave up his life, the American continent experienced great calamities. Speaking about the events recorded in 3 Nephi 8–10, Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: ‘No single historical event in the whole Book of Mormon account is recorded in so great detail or such extended length as the fulfillment of the signs signifying that Jesus had been lifted up upon the cross and had voluntarily laid down his life for the world.’”
“The geological upheaval and physical changes described in 3 Nephi 8–10, which destroyed much of the Nephite nation, could easily have been caused by a gigantic earthquake with attendant storms, volcanic activity, and aftershocks of incredible proportions.The similarities in the descriptions of other documented catastrophes, such as the Mount St. Helen’s disaster in 1980, to the geological upheaval and darkness recorded in 3 Nephi are striking. Most aspects of the geological changes in 3 Nephi can be accommodated by modern earthquake models through the theory of plate tectonics, and the very nature of earthquake and volcanic activity typical of the South and Central America is consistent with the whole set of phenomena recorded in 3 Nephi. Modern geophysical and geological theories support the 3 Nephi events as realities and not—as some critics report— fabricated myths.”
Alvin K. Benson, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/geological-upheaval-and- darkness-3-nephi-8-10
THE NUMBER THREE
The number three indicates divine wholeness, completeness, perfection. It is used as a divine stamp of fulfillment.
EVENTS IN THE NEW WORLD
“A close doctrinal analysis of divine violence stemming from 3 Nephi (but extending into other passages in LDS scripture) can push us in discomforting ways. However, based on the grief and lament that accompanies such divine violence, these occurrences likewise were also disturbing and discomforting to Jesus Christ and, by extension, our Heavenly Parents. Likewise, the grief and lamenting that Jesus declares over the destruction that he claims responsibility for pushes back against the adoption of traditional Christian notions of an omnipotent, inscrutable, and impassable God. Rather, these sections force us to recognize a relational quality inherent in the nature of God and Christ, as passable, emotional, and ultimately invested beings in the relationships they have built with mortals and the natural world.Yet, they are at the same time committed to specific lines of righteousness and may act violently in response to extreme human violence which steps beyond the ethical or moral stipulations of their commandments.As portrayed in 3 Nephi, our Lord may do so reluctantly and with pain and tears, but he will do so.”
“In the 3 Nephi account, Mormon presents the manifestations of Jesus to the Nephites with inherent differences in qualities: the destruction is accomplished by impersonal, natural, and agential or intermediate forces, while the mercy and love of God are presented personally, intimately, and directly.This contrast between delegated justice and personalized mercy brings to the fore that God would rather give the latter. In terms of literary structure, the fact that all of the three manifestations stress his mercy bespeaks the notion that God prefers merciful interaction. But the first manifestation —the destruction—is a means of emphasizing that God is willing to enact violence if necessitated by justice and the blood of the righteous crying out to him to put a stop to further human violence.”
“God’s use of violence, inevitable in a violent world, is intended to subvert human violence in order to bring the creation along to a point where violence is no more. In other words, whenever God acts violently, he does so to not only stop or punish human violence, but also does so in a way that promotes, teaches, or ensures a move of humankind generally away from such violence.”
“The image of the hen is definitely a deliberate symbolic choice to present the motherly and feminine love or charity that God exhibits and the protection he desires for his children.However, Jesus could have chosen from a nearly infinite array of animal examples or other imagery to get such a point across. By choosing a hen explicitly (and not some other potentially violent motherly image—e.g. a bear or lion), the lament may also be seen as an implicit declaration that he greatly regrets or has sincere pain because of the violence he has had to enact.The imagery highlights how he would vastly prefer to protect and deliver his children non-violently, if they would but hearken and accept such.Thus, it is not just a statement that God will protect his children, but also a statement about how he prefers to manifest that protection.“How oft have I . . . how oft would I . . . how oft will I gather you [nonviolently],” he can be seen declaring.”
Andrew C. Smith, https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-19-no-2-2018/dealing-difficulty-scripture-divine-violence-book-mormon
BROKEN HEART AND CONTRITE SPIRIT
“The Lord seems to really be saying: Beginning today you will no longer offer animal or any other sacrifice at an altar, because the saving act they symbolized has been accomplished by me.Therefore, I will no longer accept them as legitimate expressions of your faith and symbols of salvation (9:19).You will continue to live the law of sacrifice and will demonstrate this as you voluntarily offer to me your broken heart. Only with such an offering (as was also true before my redeeming mission) can you be sanctified (9:20).
Thus, the first sentence in 3 Nephi 9:20 is understood to mean ‘and ye shall [continue to] offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit,’ not ‘and ye shall [begin to] offer for a [new] sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Thus, with the elimination of the strong, visual, external evidence of commitment to God provided by an animal offering, the Lord gave extra and renewed emphasis in 3 Nephi 9:20 to the offering of a broken heart as another gospel dispensation was beginning.”
Dana M. Pike,“3 Nephi 9: 19–20:The Offering of a Broken Heart,” in Third Nephi:An Incomparable Scripture, eds. Gaye Strathearn and Andrew C. Skinner (Salt Lake City; Provo, UT: Deseret Book and Maxwell Institute, 2012).
BROKEN HEART AND CONTRITE SPIRIT
“The word in the Greek text of the Old Testament (Ps. 51:17) suntribo, meaning ‘broken,’ as in the term ‘broken heart,’ means to be shattered, smashed, or ground into pieces, signifying that the will of the natural man yields to the Lord’s reshaping as he becomes a new creature in Christ. ‘Contrite’ shares similar meanings and connotes remorse for sin.Thus the term ‘broken heart and contrite spirit’ suggests a repentant state of malleability, a sensitivity to one’s fallen and dependent condition, and a willingness to submit to the Lord’s purposes.
The broken heart precedes rending the veil of unbelief and increased spiritual knowledge.The Savior was anointed to ‘bind up the brokenhearted.’ ”
M Catherine Thomas, Book of Mormon Reference Companion
THE SAVIOR’S WORDS TO HIS PEOPLE
“Before speaking a word, the Savior ‘stretched forth his hand’ (3 Nephi 11:9) a gesture that often comes before a person speaks important words in the Book of Mormon.The people were confused before this gesture (3 Nephi 11:8), but after making this gesture and introducing Himself, the people ‘fell to the earth’ and ‘remembered’ (3 Nephi 11:12).Among some early Christians, the raising of the hand(s) was known as Christ’s ‘sign.’”
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/what-can-we-learn-from-the-saviors-first-words-at-bountiful#footnote2_zo1lbb5
THE SAVIOR’S WORDS TO HIS PEOPLE
“Of all the messages that could come from the scroll of eternity, what was the declaration? ... Fifty-six words.The essence of his earthly mission. Obedience and loyalty to the will of the Father, however bitter the cup or painful the price.That is a lesson he would teach the Nephites again and again during the three days he would be with them. By obedience and sacrifice, by humility and purity, by unflagging determination to glorify the Father, Christ was himself glorified. In complete devotion to the Father’s will, Christ had become the light and the life of the world.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 251
JESUS’ MINISTRY AMONG THE NEPHITES
“The faithful in the Book of Mormon looked forward to the day when Christ would offer himself as sacrifice in their behalf. However, having no point of reference with regard to crucifixion in their own history, they may not have had a clear understanding of what such a death entailed. Nephi explained that the Lord speaks to us “according to our language, unto our understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3). Correspondingly, cultural context directly impacts the way people interpret manifestations of the divine. Thus, when Christ appeared to the Nephites, he may have been communicating with them according to their cultural language when he invited them to come and feel for themselves the wounds in his flesh. He bade them first to thrust their hands into his side, and secondarily to feel the prints in his hands and feet (3 Nephi 11:14). This contrasts with his appearance to his apostles in Jerusalem after his resurrection. Among them, he invited them to touch solely his hands and feet (Luke 24:39–40).24 Why the difference? To a people steeped in Mesoamerican culture, the sign that a person had been ritually sacrificed would have been an incision on their side — suggesting they had had their hearts removed — whereas for the people of Jerusalem in the first century, the wounds that would indicate someone had been sacrificed would have been in the hands and the feet — the marks of crucifixion.”
Mark Allen Wright, https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/axes-mundi-ritual-complexes-in-mesoamerica-and- the-book-of-mormon/
3 Nephi 12-15
LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR WILL BE APRIL 28
EVENTS IN THE NEW WORLD
“As with all prophecies of the Lord, fulfillment of the Nephite prophecies came with total and unerring certainty.When the Master—hanging on the cross just outside Jerusalem—gave up his life, the American continent experienced great calamities. Speaking about the events recorded in 3 Nephi 8–10, Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: ‘No single historical event in the whole Book of Mormon account is recorded in so great detail or such extended length as the fulfillment of the signs signifying that Jesus had been lifted up upon the cross and had voluntarily laid down his life for the world.’”
“The geological upheaval and physical changes described in 3 Nephi 8–10, which destroyed much of the Nephite nation, could easily have been caused by a gigantic earthquake with attendant storms, volcanic activity, and aftershocks of incredible proportions.The similarities in the descriptions of other documented catastrophes, such as the Mount St. Helen’s disaster in 1980, to the geological upheaval and darkness recorded in 3 Nephi are striking. Most aspects of the geological changes in 3 Nephi can be accommodated by modern earthquake models through the theory of plate tectonics, and the very nature of earthquake and volcanic activity typical of the South and Central America is consistent with the whole set of phenomena recorded in 3 Nephi. Modern geophysical and geological theories support the 3 Nephi events as realities and not—as some critics report— fabricated myths.”
Alvin K. Benson, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/geological-upheaval-and- darkness-3-nephi-8-10
THE NUMBER THREE
The number three indicates divine wholeness, completeness, perfection. It is used as a divine stamp of fulfillment.
EVENTS IN THE NEW WORLD
“A close doctrinal analysis of divine violence stemming from 3 Nephi (but extending into other passages in LDS scripture) can push us in discomforting ways. However, based on the grief and lament that accompanies such divine violence, these occurrences likewise were also disturbing and discomforting to Jesus Christ and, by extension, our Heavenly Parents. Likewise, the grief and lamenting that Jesus declares over the destruction that he claims responsibility for pushes back against the adoption of traditional Christian notions of an omnipotent, inscrutable, and impassable God. Rather, these sections force us to recognize a relational quality inherent in the nature of God and Christ, as passable, emotional, and ultimately invested beings in the relationships they have built with mortals and the natural world.Yet, they are at the same time committed to specific lines of righteousness and may act violently in response to extreme human violence which steps beyond the ethical or moral stipulations of their commandments.As portrayed in 3 Nephi, our Lord may do so reluctantly and with pain and tears, but he will do so.”
“In the 3 Nephi account, Mormon presents the manifestations of Jesus to the Nephites with inherent differences in qualities: the destruction is accomplished by impersonal, natural, and agential or intermediate forces, while the mercy and love of God are presented personally, intimately, and directly.This contrast between delegated justice and personalized mercy brings to the fore that God would rather give the latter. In terms of literary structure, the fact that all of the three manifestations stress his mercy bespeaks the notion that God prefers merciful interaction. But the first manifestation —the destruction—is a means of emphasizing that God is willing to enact violence if necessitated by justice and the blood of the righteous crying out to him to put a stop to further human violence.”
“God’s use of violence, inevitable in a violent world, is intended to subvert human violence in order to bring the creation along to a point where violence is no more. In other words, whenever God acts violently, he does so to not only stop or punish human violence, but also does so in a way that promotes, teaches, or ensures a move of humankind generally away from such violence.”
“The image of the hen is definitely a deliberate symbolic choice to present the motherly and feminine love or charity that God exhibits and the protection he desires for his children.However, Jesus could have chosen from a nearly infinite array of animal examples or other imagery to get such a point across. By choosing a hen explicitly (and not some other potentially violent motherly image—e.g. a bear or lion), the lament may also be seen as an implicit declaration that he greatly regrets or has sincere pain because of the violence he has had to enact.The imagery highlights how he would vastly prefer to protect and deliver his children non-violently, if they would but hearken and accept such.Thus, it is not just a statement that God will protect his children, but also a statement about how he prefers to manifest that protection.“How oft have I . . . how oft would I . . . how oft will I gather you [nonviolently],” he can be seen declaring.”
Andrew C. Smith, https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-19-no-2-2018/dealing-difficulty-scripture-divine-violence-book-mormon
BROKEN HEART AND CONTRITE SPIRIT
“The Lord seems to really be saying: Beginning today you will no longer offer animal or any other sacrifice at an altar, because the saving act they symbolized has been accomplished by me.Therefore, I will no longer accept them as legitimate expressions of your faith and symbols of salvation (9:19).You will continue to live the law of sacrifice and will demonstrate this as you voluntarily offer to me your broken heart. Only with such an offering (as was also true before my redeeming mission) can you be sanctified (9:20).
Thus, the first sentence in 3 Nephi 9:20 is understood to mean ‘and ye shall [continue to] offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit,’ not ‘and ye shall [begin to] offer for a [new] sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Thus, with the elimination of the strong, visual, external evidence of commitment to God provided by an animal offering, the Lord gave extra and renewed emphasis in 3 Nephi 9:20 to the offering of a broken heart as another gospel dispensation was beginning.”
Dana M. Pike,“3 Nephi 9: 19–20:The Offering of a Broken Heart,” in Third Nephi:An Incomparable Scripture, eds. Gaye Strathearn and Andrew C. Skinner (Salt Lake City; Provo, UT: Deseret Book and Maxwell Institute, 2012).
BROKEN HEART AND CONTRITE SPIRIT
“The word in the Greek text of the Old Testament (Ps. 51:17) suntribo, meaning ‘broken,’ as in the term ‘broken heart,’ means to be shattered, smashed, or ground into pieces, signifying that the will of the natural man yields to the Lord’s reshaping as he becomes a new creature in Christ. ‘Contrite’ shares similar meanings and connotes remorse for sin.Thus the term ‘broken heart and contrite spirit’ suggests a repentant state of malleability, a sensitivity to one’s fallen and dependent condition, and a willingness to submit to the Lord’s purposes.
The broken heart precedes rending the veil of unbelief and increased spiritual knowledge.The Savior was anointed to ‘bind up the brokenhearted.’ ”
M Catherine Thomas, Book of Mormon Reference Companion
THE SAVIOR’S WORDS TO HIS PEOPLE
“Before speaking a word, the Savior ‘stretched forth his hand’ (3 Nephi 11:9) a gesture that often comes before a person speaks important words in the Book of Mormon.The people were confused before this gesture (3 Nephi 11:8), but after making this gesture and introducing Himself, the people ‘fell to the earth’ and ‘remembered’ (3 Nephi 11:12).Among some early Christians, the raising of the hand(s) was known as Christ’s ‘sign.’”
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/what-can-we-learn-from-the-saviors-first-words-at-bountiful#footnote2_zo1lbb5
THE SAVIOR’S WORDS TO HIS PEOPLE
“Of all the messages that could come from the scroll of eternity, what was the declaration? ... Fifty-six words.The essence of his earthly mission. Obedience and loyalty to the will of the Father, however bitter the cup or painful the price.That is a lesson he would teach the Nephites again and again during the three days he would be with them. By obedience and sacrifice, by humility and purity, by unflagging determination to glorify the Father, Christ was himself glorified. In complete devotion to the Father’s will, Christ had become the light and the life of the world.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 251
JESUS’ MINISTRY AMONG THE NEPHITES
“The faithful in the Book of Mormon looked forward to the day when Christ would offer himself as sacrifice in their behalf. However, having no point of reference with regard to crucifixion in their own history, they may not have had a clear understanding of what such a death entailed. Nephi explained that the Lord speaks to us “according to our language, unto our understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3). Correspondingly, cultural context directly impacts the way people interpret manifestations of the divine. Thus, when Christ appeared to the Nephites, he may have been communicating with them according to their cultural language when he invited them to come and feel for themselves the wounds in his flesh. He bade them first to thrust their hands into his side, and secondarily to feel the prints in his hands and feet (3 Nephi 11:14). This contrasts with his appearance to his apostles in Jerusalem after his resurrection. Among them, he invited them to touch solely his hands and feet (Luke 24:39–40).24 Why the difference? To a people steeped in Mesoamerican culture, the sign that a person had been ritually sacrificed would have been an incision on their side — suggesting they had had their hearts removed — whereas for the people of Jerusalem in the first century, the wounds that would indicate someone had been sacrificed would have been in the hands and the feet — the marks of crucifixion.”
Mark Allen Wright, https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/axes-mundi-ritual-complexes-in-mesoamerica-and- the-book-of-mormon/
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