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3 Nephi 17:23-25 

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.
24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

It is only two verses, yet, for many of us it presents our most vivid and moving image in the entire Book of Mormon. What the parents saw was the light with the angels who surrounded their children. What the child saw was whatever or whomever was within that light—that is, they saw the person or persons who were behind the veil. Many of those children would live and continue to bear testimony to their own children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—and those testimonies would sustain the Nephite culture of consecration until the end of the forth generation.

For me, that image became even more realistic and consequently took on even greater significance when I was able to identify the source and meaning of the light or fire that surrounded the children. It is the shechinah—the veil of light that separates man from God, and through which man must pass in order to come into the presence of God.

The word is found in the dictionary of the LDS edition of the Bible, with this definition:

Shechinah. The Presence. A word used by the later Jews and borrowed from them by the Christians to denote the cloud of brightness and glory that marked the presence of the Lord, as spoken of in Ex. 3:1-6; 24:16; 1 Kgs. 8:10; lsa. 6:1-3; Matt. 17:5; Acts 7:55. The Prophet Joseph Smith described this phenomenon in connection with his first vision, as a “light.. .above the brightness of the sun,” and said that he saw two Personages whose “brightness and glory defy all description,” standing “in the light” JS-H 1:16-18.

The Shechinah is the first thing one sees, and sometimes the only thing the prophets mention, when they are brought into the presence of God. It is described many ways—sometimes as a fire, but more frequently as a cloud. Examples are Lehi’s report that “there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him” (1 Nephi 1:6); Moses’s experience when “the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”(Exodus 3:2). In the book of Moses God explains:

2 And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence (Moses 1:2).

Moses explains further:

11 But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him (Moses 1:11).

There appears to be an equivalency relationship between that transfiguration, entering behind the veil, and seeing God. That may have to do with the Lord’s statement that

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live (D&C 84:19-22).

The shechinah is usually believed to have been represented in Moses’s Tabernacle and in Solomon’s Temple by the beautifully embroidered veil that stood before of the Holy of Holies. But perhaps more likely, it was represented by the second veil that Paul mentions but is not described in the Old Testament.{1} Paul wrote:

1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly (Hebrews 9:1-5).

The psalms say God covers himself “with light as with a garment”(Psalms 104:1-2). In the Book of Abraham, Facsimile No. 2 shows us that Figure 3:

Is made to represent God, sitting upon his throne, clothed with power and authority; with a crown of eternal light upon his head; representing also the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, as also to Seth, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all to whom the Priesthood was revealed (Facsimile No. 2, Fig. 3, from the Book of Abraham).

An ancient Jewish tradition holds that Adam and Eve were clothed in a garment of light before that ate the forbidden fruit, and which Nibley suggests that clothing was the Shechinah. {2}

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FOOTNOTES

{1}  For a discussion of the shechinah as the veil of the temple see, Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, the chapter called “Act 2, Scene 10: The King at the Veil.”

In Alfred Edersheim’s monumental work, he tells us, “The Rabbis speak of two veils, and say that the high-priest went in by the southern edge of the first veil, then walked along till he reached the northern corner of the second veil, by which he entered the Most Holy Place.” (Edersheim, Temple at the Time of Christ Chapter 2, FN 29. Matt. xxvii. 51).

{2}   Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1981, 2000), 373.

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It is fascinating to me to see the various ways that the
SHECHINAH IS REPRESENTED IN THE SCRIPTURES. Below are two groups of scriptures. The first are the ones cited in the bible dictionary. The second group are others that probably also represent the veil of light that separates us from god.

Exodus 3:1-6

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire [shechinah], and the bush was not consumed…..
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 24:15-18

15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud [shechinah] covered the mount.
16 And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire [shechinah] on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud [shechinah], and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

1 Kings 8:10-15

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud [shechinah] filled the house of the Lord,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud [shechinah]: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

Isaiah 6:1-4

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke [shechinah].

Matthew 17:1-6

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, ….
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud [shechinah] overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Acts 7:54-56.)

55 But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory [shechinah] of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

OTHERS THAT ARE NOT MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE DICTIONARY ARTICLE:

2 Kings 2:9-11

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire [shechinah], and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Acts 2:1-5

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire [shechinah], and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Genesis 3:22-24

22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword [shechinah] which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Acts 1:9-11

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud [shechinah] received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Mark 9:6-8

6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7 And there was a cloud [shechinah] that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Luke 9:33-36

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud [shechinah], and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud [shechinah].
35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Mosiah 27:10-12

10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud [shechinah]; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;
12 And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.

3 Nephi 18:37-39

38 And it came to pass that when Jesus had touched them all, there came a cloud [shechinah] and overshadowed the multitude that they could not see Jesus.
39 And while they were overshadowed he departed from them, and ascended into heaven. And the disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into heaven.

Ether 2:4-6

4 And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud [shechinah], and the brother of Jared saw him not.
5 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud [shechinah], and gave directions whither they should travel.

Ether 2:14

14 And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud [shechinah] and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

Ether 3:6-20

6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear…..
19 And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil [shechinah]; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting.
20 Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil [shechinah]; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.

Doctrine and Covenants 34:7-8

7 For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud [shechinah] with power and great glory.
8 And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:44-45

44 And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds [shechinah] of heaven, clothed [shechinah: Psalm 104:1-2] with power and great glory; with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off.

45 But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud [shechinah].

Doctrine and Covenants 84:4-5

4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.
5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud [shechinah] shall rest upon it, which cloud [shechinah] shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.

Exodus 13:20-22

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire [shechinah], to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud [shechinah] by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

1 Nephi 1:5-6

5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.
6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire [shechinah] and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.

Helaman 5:22-47

22 And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them.
23 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire [shechinah], even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.
24 And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire [shechinah], and that it burned them not, their hearts did take courage.

3 Nephi 9:20

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire [shechinah] and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

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3 Nephi 17:1-3
1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
3 Therefore, 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.

In the book of Alma, Mormon quotes extensively from what appears to be Alma’s journal. Mormon is following that same pattern here. It was Mormon who gave this portion the title of “Third Nephi,” and he identifies its author as the legitimate heir to the Nephite throne:

The book of Nephi the son of Nephi, who was the son of Helaman. And Helaman was the son of Helaman, who was the son of Alma, who was the son of Alma, being a descendant of Nephi who was the son of Lehi, who came out of Jerusalem in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah.{1}

Mormon gives Nephi the appropriate credit for his writing:

9 But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi.
10 Therefore I have made my record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on the plates which were called the plates of Nephi (3 Nephi 5:9-11).

But all of 3 Nephi was not written by Nephi. Mormon carefully leaves his own editorial signature on some very important passages. For example:

18 And I know the record which I make to be a just and a true record; nevertheless there are many things which, according to our language, we are not able to write.
19 And now I make an end of my saying, which is of myself, and proceed to give my account of the things which have been before me.
20 I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls (3 Nephi 5:18-20).

Mormon is a truly great historian and editor. He does not pretend to be “unbiased” as many modern historians do by presenting “both sides” of the story—but with one just a bit more positive than the other. Mormon has a purpose and he states it clearly and honestly: His intent is to report Nephite history, and to do it in such a way that he teaches the gospel and illuminates the ancient Nephite temple rites.{2} But his primary purpose is to testify that Jesus is the Christ the Eternal God. He tells us:

6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;
7 But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people.
8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.
12 Therefore I, Mormon, do write the things which have been commanded me of the Lord. And now I, Mormon, make an end of my sayings, and proceed to write the things which have been commanded me (3 Nephi 26:6-12).

Mormon continually reminds us that his role is to be our teacher and mentor. (It is indicative of Mormon’s foresight that he taught his son Moroni to both keep the record and to continue the role of our teacher and mentor.) Mormon’s style was to combine the doctrinal sermons he quoted with stories that supported those same principles. Sometimes he makes very sure we know what he is doing by adding, “and thus we see” to the story and then reiterating his point.

He does something very like that at the beginning of 3 Nephi 17 by quoting the Savior’s instructions to the congregation about preparing for the nest day’s events. By our following the other examples of the way Mormon writes, we can see that he quotes these instructions both to tell us what the Savior said and also to warn us that we must prepare ourselves to appreciate what many believe to be the most endearing story in the entire Book of Mormon. Significantly, the beauty of this story is in what it suggests rather than what it actually says. That is why we must read it properly. Because, as Mormon tells us, the words of human language can never carry the real meaning of what he is about to describe:

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.
16 And after this manner do they bear 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;
17 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: 15-17).

So it is, with great care, that Mormon bids us to “prepare our minds” so that we may feel—even if we cannot fully understand—the glory of the experience he is about to describe.

1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
3 Therefore, 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 17:1-3).

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FOOTNOTES

{1} There are two apparent breaks in the Nephite royal line. The first is Alma, but Mormon clarifies that by writing “…Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man.(Mosiah 17:2)” Later Alma is given the rule of the Nephites as though it were his by right—as it probably was.

The second apparent break was Mormon himself. But again he clarifies that by tracing his genealogy to the first Nephite king: “I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi (3 Nephi 5:20).” “I am the son of Mormon, and my father was a descendant of Nephi (Mormon 8:13).” “And I, Mormon, being a descendant of Nephi, (and my father’s name was Mormon)(Mormon 1:5)”

Given the importance of the patriarchal system to the ancients, those statements are sufficient to convince me that Mormon was both prophet and king by right of birth.

{2} The second half of Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord carefully illustrates that the Nephites practiced the same temple rites as were practiced in Solomon’s Temple, and that the subtext of the Book of Mormon is a temple text.

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In 3 Nephi chapter 16 the Savior gave the Nephites an encapsulated view of what would follow in the next 2000+ years. Like most prophecies of such a wide scope, this one is best understood from hindsight. As we read it, the Christian apostasy that followed the Savior’s death is not difficult to recognize. We can also see references to the European conquest and colonization of the Americas and then the restoration of the gospel. We recognize those events because they are in our past but the events he mentioned that are still in our future are much more difficult.

The outline the Savior gave is kind of a catalog that creates a chronological pattern. The pattern is more easily seen from a distance than up close. That is, one can get a better notion of the Savior’s message if it is read as an entire picture rather than in its individual units. That is also true of most prophecies that describe a whole series of events. For example, Nephi’s tree of life vision covers those same 2000+ years, but he includes enough detail that it is relatively easy for us to understand—again from hindsight where we can attach known events to his predictions. The first few verses of Isaiah 2 seem easy enough but after that it doesn’t fit our hindsight so we have to take its story out of chronological order so it will fit our preconceived pattern. Isaiah 49 paints a beautiful picture of the restoration of the gospel and the temple, and then the gathering of Israel. Jacob 5 and Revelation cover those same 2000 years. They paint interesting pictures but it is difficult to attach events to most of their individual parts.

For those who were contemporary with the prophets who made the prophecies, who did not have the advantage of hindsight, interpreting them would have been more difficult than it is for us. For that reason it seems apparent that the prophecies were not intended to be so much descriptions of future chronological events as they were testimonies that everything was already fore-known by God and that nothing will frustrate his designs. Therefore in the end everything will turn out just right.

3 Nephi 16 is very much like that. Its purpose seems to be to paint a beautiful and encouraging picture to demonstrate that there is a God in Heaven who is in charge. And in the end he will make sure that those who are faithful to their covenants will come off triumphantly. But in the meantime, he will also permit all people (both the good and the bad) to be in an environment that gives them the opportunity to choose how they will define their own eternal nature by whether they disdain, appreciate, or love other people. (I think those attitudes pretty much map to the three degrees of glory.)

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3 Nephi 15:11-18

11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen:
12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
13 And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.
14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.
15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.
16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them:
17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them (3 Nephi 15:11-18).

This is a strange statement. Knowing what we do about the apostles of the New Testament, it is difficult to understand how they could be described with the words “stiffneckedness and unbelief.” I do not question the validity of the Savior’s statement, so that leaves me only to question the validity of how I interpret that statement. After carefully re-thinking that interpretation and this is what I came up with:

To suggest that the New Testament Apostle’s was a lack of faith (pistis = trust in and keeping the covenants) makes no sense to me, but to suggest that they did not know about, and therefore could not trust in the covenants the Lord made with other people is not only reasonable, but probably correct.

If the Apostles’ problem was not lack of belief, but a lack of information about the covenants, then there is no problem squaring what the Savior said and what we know about the Apostles in Jerusalem.

Intelligent questions must be based on prior understanding, otherwise even correct answers are unintelligible. If a child hears someone mention “neutron,” and asks “What is a neutron?” A careful explanation would not make any sense if the child does not know even basic science.

In the development of our thought patterns, knowing how to ask the right questions is almost the same as knowing how to get correct answers. The importance of intelligent questions is illustrated by the conversation between young Jesus and the doctors at the temple. The story makes more sense if we use both the King James Bible and the Prophet’s Inspired Version together.

44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
JST Luke 2:46 And … they were hearing him, and asking him questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:44-49).

Both versions tell the same story, they just tell it from different perspectives. Luke writes that Jesus was “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.” The JST says “they were hearing him, and asking him questions.” That sounds to me like a very stimulating conversation. My point, though, is that he was seriously asking questions. “And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

When I was a student at BYU, Chauncey C. Riddle, my favorite teacher at that time and subsequently my dear friend, taught me that we must not only ask the right questions, but that we must ask them in the right order, or even the correct answers may make no sense. For example, there is no point in someone asking to be taught how to do long division if he does not know, and will not learn the times tables. “How do I do multiplication?” must come before “How do I do long division?”

Before that we have to learn to add and subtract. And all that doesn’t even begin to introduce us to calculus. Neither would it equip us to intelligently ask a question that could only be answered in terms of higher mathematics.

I think understanding the gospel is like understanding math. The more questions we ask the more we can know—but only if we ask them in the right sequence so we can understand the answers when we find them.

In a similar way, the people of Jerusalem could not even conceive of an intelligent question about the Nephites, never mind appreciated the correct answer.

It would never have occurred to the people in Jerusalem to ask about people in the Americas. They did not know the American continents even existed. For the Savior to have told them about the Nephites, he would have had to first change their entire mindset about the geography of the whole world.

Another thing that would have stood in their way of knowing is that they probably thought they already knew. The ten tribes are lost to us, but at least some were not lost to them. It had only been a few hundred years since the Assyrian and Babylonian wars had dispersed the tribes. James seems to know where they are. His letter begins:

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting (James 1:1).

Jesus says that they thought he was talking about the gentiles. If so, then perhaps they also thought that they could dismiss the question for now because it didn’t really matter.

The Jerusalem Saints clearly knew something about the location of some of the “lost” tribes. But it probably didn’t occur to them that they did not know about others that were scattered all over the world.

In short, the Christians at Jerusalem did not and could not know about the Nephites because they did not and could not know what questions to ask or even know that there were questions that could be asked. Therefore, they could not know about the covenants the Lord had made with those distant people.

There is a short scene in Hamlet that illustrates this beautifully. Hamlet is in his mother’s rooms when his father’s ghost enters. Hamlet and the ghost speak to each other and his mother asks, “To whom do you speak this?” Hamlet responds, “Do you see nothing there?” Then the queen makes the ultimate academic response, “Nothing at all; yet all that is I see” (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4).

Like the queen, there is a tendency among all humans to assert that there is nothing there if they cannot see it and that there is no truth if they perspnally cannot comprehend it.

That is what prevented the Jerusalem apostles from knowing about the Nephites. The sinfulness that the Savior called “stiffneckedness and unbelief” was probably simply their not knowing and not wishing to know, even though they were given the opportunity. The Savior said,

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father (John 10:14-18).

That might have been enough to stimulate their interest to cause them to ask “Who and were are those other sheep?” but they did not pursue the question. Consequently, the Savior let it drop and told them nothing more.

From this we have another example of a very basic principle: the Savior did not teach things his followers did not seek to know. Similarly, the Holy Ghost will not teach us things we do not diligently seek for. However, in some cases we must first ask for instructions so we will know what to ask. Then we must ask the right questions in the right order. If we assume we already have enough information to ask and understand complex questions, that causes us to ask the wrong questions or in the wrong order.

Then we, like the queen of Denmark, may comfort ourselves with: “I see nothing at all; yet all that is I see.”

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3 Nephi 14:24-27 – 3 Nephi 15:1-10 

24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

My dear friend Beverly Campbell has been involved in Church affairs on the highest level for most of her life. Her devotion to the church and its leaders is absolute and unquestioned. She has said to me several times, and I have repeated it even more: “I know a thousand reasons to leave the Church, but only one reason to stay—It’s True! ”

That is the situation, plain and simple: It’s True!

I have been studying church history all my life and if I were to judge the truthfulness of the gospel or the validity of the Church by stories about some of the people who have been its members or among its leaders, I could probably come up with an easy thousand reasons without even going beyond 19th century church history. And then the reasons would multiply as we got closer to the present. (For example, I remember, when I was a boy, the mummers of amazement that rippled through the chapel when it was announced from the pulpit that a letter from the First Presidency contained instructions that women could now be called on to say the opening and closing prayers in sacrament meetings. That change in church policy really rattled some people’s lingering Victorian notions of cultural and priesthood propriety!)

The point is this: there is no legitimate rationale that can outweigh these facts: The gospel IS truth; the priesthood and its ordinances ARE real; and the church tends to be as correct as contemporary human culture will permit. There are excuses, of course: unanswered questions, hurt feelings, and sometimes sin on our own part. But even then, when one “leaves the church” he somehow insists “the church left him.” Occasionally that seems true because the differences appear to be irreconcilable, when one’s sense of right and wrong—or one’s prejudice—comes in conflict with church practices or doctrine. But in time and with patience those wrinkles will be ironed out. I know people who left the church because black men were not given the priesthood, and then after that, others who left the church because they were.

Just as the Law of Moses had to work within the larger ancient Near Eastern culture, so Mormonism has to work within the many cultures where our members live. Within those diverse cultures, Mormonism is a mostly coherent subculture with its own established practices and policies. Sometimes some members dogmatically represent those policies as doctrine. There is a danger there. As the larger culture changes some church policies can be changed also. The spiritually mature among us can distinguish between cultural norms, and Mormon sub-cultural policies, and true doctrine, but not everyone can make those distinctions. For people who have defined church policies as doctrine, their testimonies may be shaken when the policies are changed.

In every era of church history, there have been major issues that call people’s fundamental beliefs into question—the beliefs they grew up with and still tenaciously hold dear. In our past it was polygamy. More recently it was whether every worthy man could hold the priesthood. {1} Now it’s about gay rights. There will always be something to test our spiritual resilience.

In 3 Nephi, to some Nephites, when they were told the Law of Moses was fulfilled, the issue may have been even bigger than any of those our church has faced, and that is what the Savior addressed next.

1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and said unto them: Behold, ye have heard the things which I taught before I ascended to my Father; therefore, whoso remembereth these sayings of mine and doeth them, him will I raise up at the last day.
2 And it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he perceived that there were some among them who marveled, and wondered what he would concerning the law of Moses; for they understood not the saying that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new.
3 And he said unto them: Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new.
4 Behold, I say unto you that the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses.
5 Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an end.
6 Behold, I do not destroy the prophets, for as many as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you, shall all be fulfilled.
7 And because I said unto you that old things have passed away, I do not destroy that which hath been spoken concerning things which are to come.
8 For behold, the covenant which I have made with my people is not all fulfilled; but the law which was given unto Moses hath an end in me.
9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.
10 Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me (3 Nephi 15:1-10).

While the specific issue the Savior addressed here is not one that concerns us now, the principle is very timely and exceedingly important.

The unqualified relevance to us is in the Savior’s words, “Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel…. Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.” He gives no well-thought-out rational argument. He simply says, “I am the law.” There is no other argument needed to justify the changes he has made.

That was the whole issue and there was not any other. The Savior gave the Law of Moses to enable the people to individually be brought to salvation while they were WITHIN the restraints of their ancient Near Eastern cultural. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, but it also has to function within cultural restraints. As we have seen, when the restraints change, the policies can also be changed. However, salvation is always an individual matter. The Church provides us with the scriptures, the priesthood and its ordinances, and with many systems of support, but in the end each of us must learn to recognize and live the truth of the gospel notwithstanding the larger cultural conditions that impose themselves upon us. Because it is still true that “the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house,” and it is also still true that only if we have an individually secure foundation will we be able to survive.

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FOOTNOTE

From a sociological point of view, polygamy had an underlying importance that was not just about multiple wives and children. During the 1870’s and 80’s polygamy was a rallying cry—a kind of “tribal” identity that had to be sustained so that the “tribe” could remain a cohesive, definable, and a self-identifiable unit. That self-identity was necessary for the church’s survival while the federal government was trying to dismantle it. Congress disincorporated the church; took away its property (including temples) and put it in receivership to be disposed of. Federal officials jailed all the leaders they could capture; and Congress was discussing a federal disenfranchisement law like the one in Idaho. Polygamy became the symbol of Mormon resistence. Then, in 1888, Wilford Woodruff and the chairman of the National Republican Party met and struck a deal that would undo those congressional actions and make things normal again for the Church. In exchange, the national government got the Manifesto which was the Mormon bargaining chip. The church agreed to discontinue making NEW polygamous marriages. That was all the church gave up. Existing polygamous marriages were left in tact, the church was reincorporated, and Mormons were now defined again as legitimate Americans. In fact, the Church lost nothing. The doctrine of eternal marriage was not changed, but the practice of polygamy had run the course of its usefulness because after 1888 the focus of church policy turned to expansion rather than survival.

The other issue was similar. The Jim Crow laws were still enforced in the 1940’s and 50’s, and not challenged until the 60’s and 70’s. If the church had given black men the priesthood before it did, segregation laws would have required that we have black wards and black stakes, and white wards and white stakes—just like there were white and “colored” Baptist, Methodist congregations. That kind of segregation would have violated everything that is Zion. So the Mormons had to wait until American culture would permit a black man to be the bishop of a white ward before the Lord could instruct the prophet: “Now is the time.”

The necessity of these and other changes, and correctness of their timing are easy for us to see in hindsight, but at the time they gave real consternation to some members of the Church. The situation now is the same as it was in 3 Nephi: The Savior made the law and only he has the ultimate authority to change it.

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The Savior, having taught the congregation how to teach the gospel, next turns to the question, “From whom should we learn?”

3 Nephi 14:13-23

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat;
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

This is not a redundancy. In the New Testament, the Greek word translated as “strait”means “narrow” (Strong # 2428). However, “narrow” as it is used in the scripture means something altogether different. The Greek word is means to put under pressure. It is the word one would use to mean to press grapes. In this context it means “a compressed way, narrow straitened contracted” (Strong # 5147). In my unsophisticated language the word that is translated “narrow” means rally, really narrow, or perhaps, becoming increasingly narrower until there is no wiggle room left at all.

Matthew 7 reads like 3 Nephi, but Luke says it differently:

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (Luke 13:24).

To Luke’s version the Prophet Joseph adds:

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for I say unto you Many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able; for the Lord shall not always strive with man (JST Luke 13:24 ).

What the Savior says next in his instructions to the Nephites is about how to avoid getting off that very carefully defined path. He says:

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven (3 Nephi 14:15-23) .

I believe the Savior did not intend to invent a new metaphor here, and that the fruit he refers to is the same fruit that is described in many places. Alma issued the same warning:

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life (Alma 32:40).

If that is the fruit the Savior was talking about, then the way to identify false prophets is that they cannot produce, nor do they have access to the fruit of the tree of life. To his audiences, the Savior was probably referring to false or self appointed religious leaders. In our day that original definition of “false prophets” still works, but we have other kinds as well. When issuing that same warning to us on the last page of the Book of Mormon, Moroni wrote:

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing (Moroni 10:30).

It seems to me that if one is righteous enough to get through the gate (baptism) and gets on the path (temple ordinances {1}), and he feels the joy of the fruits of that journey, then it is likely that of his own volition he would stay on the path. Like the rules of inertia: moving things continue to move in the same direction unless they encounter some external force to change their direction. In the case of a righteous person the diversion is often the decision that “this time won’t matter,” or “the rule doesn’t apply to this situation,” or “I know better than the Brethren.” In each case, the cause of his detouring—thinking that he can get to the tree of life another way—is that he listens to those false prophets—whoever they are, whatever they are teaching, whatever they are selling, or however enticing their advertisements. Lehi and Nephi describe them as being in a mist of darkness or in a great and spacious building.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit (1 Nephi 8:27).

In our day, something as seemingly innocent as just spending an evening watching the sitcoms will introduce us to many who wish to teach us how to enter the enticements of that spacious building.

As is the pattern elsewhere in the scriptures, in his great sermon the Savior issued his most severe warning to those who flaunt the truth as they wear it on their outsides, but ignore it within. In the New Testament he was very blunt.

25-26 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess….. for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness (Matthew 23:25-26).

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior brings that same condemnation to people who use their priesthood authority to control, intimidate, or abuse others:

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man (D&C 121:34-37).

The version in Luke sounds more like Nephi’s vision:

23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (Luke 13:22-24).

The Prophet Joseph clarified that:

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for I say unto you Many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able; for the Lord shall not always strive with man (JST Luke 13:24).

In his sermon to the Nephites, the Savior taught the same thing, only he established it as the criterion for eternal life:

22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity (3 Nephi 14:22-23).

Matthew 7:22-23 has the same wording, but the Prophet’s Inspired Version adds an insight that brings the whole discussion into sharp focus: .

32 And many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name; and in thy name cast out devils; and in thy name done many wonderful works?
33 And then will I say, Ye never knew me; depart from me ye that work iniquity (JST Matthew 7:32-33).

The word “knew” does not connote a casual acquaintance, rather it explicitly denotes an intimate relationship—to know and also to become known—to understand (Strong # 1097). At first thought the statements in 3 Nephi and Matthew seem to be strange. Because the Savior does know us and he does understand. The Inspired Version clarifies that by saying “Ye never knew me.” To know in this context is to have an intimate, mutual appreciation and understanding. If the Savior does not “know” someone then the reason must be that the someone is unwilling to “know” the Savior. Such a person chooses not to reciprocate the Savior’s love, and asserts an unwillingness to accept that love. Like the wayward sheep who will not recognize the shepherd’s voice (John 10:11-15).

Ultimately, such a person denies himself the blessings of eternal life. For one of the characteristics of those in the Celestial Kingdom is a kind of transparency where noone has anything to hide, where being known and knowing is the cohesive power that binds the society. As the Prophet wrote in Doctrine and Covenants 76:

92 And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
93 Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
96 And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one (D&C 76:92-96).

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FOOTNOTE

{1} As “mountain” is sometimes code for temple, so path, way, walk, and run are code words that represent the ordinances and covenants that take us to the top of that mountain. See Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, pages 380-85, 529-30.

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3 Nephi 14:1-12

One of the greatest advantages of having printed scriptures (as opposed to having them rolled up in a scroll) is that the printed ones are divided into chapters and verses that facilitate easy references. However, one of the greatest disadvantages of printed scriptures is that those divisions are actually editorial insertions that may change how we connect and understand the ideas we read. Sometimes a single sentence is divided into several verses, and sometimes the chapter divisions are in the wrong places. Here is just one example of a chapter break that may change the meaning:

37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice (John 13:37-38).

CHAPTER 14
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2).

Now read it this way:

      Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
.     Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Third Nephi chapter 14 is a bit like that. As a stand-alone chapter, it seems to contain many short statements that can be—and often are— read as individual “sayings.” We can’t blame Orson Pratt for that. When he divided the Book of Mormon into chapters and verses, if its wording was like the Bible he used the Bible’s numbering system. Consequently, the chapter and verse divisions in 3 Nephi’s Sermon at the Temple is essentially the same as is in the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament.

However, in the Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 14 is different from Matthew 7 because the Book of Mormon gives us a context that is not apparent in Matthew. That context is that chapter 14 follows immediately upon the instructions to the Twelve and is about how they are to depend on the Lord as they travel and perform their other duties. If the chapter break were not there we could more readily recognize that, after giving an assignment to the Twelve, the Savior turned to the congregation and included them in the rest of his instructions, for all those present would also be responsible for teaching and bearing testimony that he had come. His new instructions are about how they should teach the gospel. His instructions, as we have them, are succinct but inclusive.

If read that way, 3 Nephi 14 is not a series of unrelated “sayings,” but a concise, coherent and very instructive statement about how to teach the gospel and to whom one should teach it. In the following, I have taken the text out of its verse structure, believing that it will be easier to read afresh if we break the patterns of “short sayings” that we are so familiar with.

3 Nephi 14:1-12
1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying:

1-2 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

In teaching the gospel, this is the beginning of all wisdom. As soon as we take it upon ourselves to judge who should and who should not hear the gospel, we also leave ourselves open to the verdict, “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” Successful missionaries soon learn this lesson. Just like the prophet Samuel when he saw one of David’s brothers and thought this young man should probably be king.

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Just as the prophet Samuel had to listen to the Spirit in order to know whom to select as Israel’s next king, so we also have to listen to the Spirit in order to know whom we should teach and what and how we should teach them. The Savior’s next instructions are a caution about what not to teach.

3-5 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

A mote is a speck of dust, a beam is larger, but a beam is different from a log. A log is large peace of wood that may still lay in the forest just about the way nature created it, but a beam is in use as an important part of the building’s structural support system. I think the Savior deliberately used “beam” rather than “log.” And I suspect the reason was that his concern was not the size of the object but its use. In his analogy, the beam is holding up a superstructure in our mind or in our heart—a mental or “doctrinal” structure that is so important to only ourselves that it precludes our recognizing really important truths.

It is at this point in a similar sermon in Luke this is where the Jesus asks, “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? (Luke 6:39). Here is an example:

I remember, as a boy, the first time I ever heard of temple recommends. I lived in a little one-ward town where almost everyone attended church and everyone knew everyone else’s business. The buzz about the ward was that the stake president was denying active Mormons their “rightful” temple recommends. The background of the stake president’s actions was this: John A. Widtsoe and his wife had just published his book called The Word of Wisdom. In it they spelled out in great detail what it meant to “keep the word of wisdom.” I recall a few examples that everyone was talking about. One was that chocolate was a caffeine-like substance and therefore chocolate was against the word of wisdom. Another was that the D&C specified that wheat was for man, so eating whole wheat bread was keeping the word of wisdom. However (according to the book), white flour was not wheat, but was only an unhealthy byproduct of wheat, therefore, eating white bread was breaking the word of wisdom. The stake president read the book and took it to heart. When he interviewed people for a temple recommend he asked if they ate white bread. If they said “yes,” he would not give them a recommend because he said they were not living the word of wisdom.

Reports of that soon got to Salt Lake and the situation was corrected. But it is still a good example. The stake president had read a book written by an apostle, and he took its contents to be doctrine. He restructured his own definition of the word of wisdom and sought to impose that definition on the members of his stake. I believe his redefinition was a“beam.” The support of a “doctrinal” superstructure that he let blind him to the temple worthiness of the members of his stake.

If that is correct, then the Savior’s instruction about not having a beam in one’s own eye is a perfect description of the importance of teaching only the truths of the gospel and not going off into funny places or condemning other people for sins we may be all to eager to attach to them—even though they are really not sins at all.

The Savior’s next instructions are the other side of that same coin. He had warned us to teach anyone the Spirit identified as being worthy, and not to teach our favorite funny “doctrines.” Now he tells us who not to teach:

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

When people will not want to hear we do not have the right to try to make them listen. One does not impose truths on other people just because we think we know what’s good for them. There are two factors to consider here. The first is the obvious: are they ready or worthy to understand the truths we wish to teach. But the second is just as important: are we ready and worthy to teach sacred truths. That is the next issue the Savior addresses:

7-8 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

The sequence of ask, seek, knock, “and it shall be opened unto you” is familiar to Latter-day Saints. The implication here seems to be a reminder that the sequence is not only a perfect example of how we learned, but it is also the pattern we should follow in teaching others. To ask implies an interest and a desire to learn. Desire is an individual thing and we cannot impose it upon other people no matter how much we wish we could. So, now in their wisdom, the brethren tell us to just be good neighbors and good friends, and then, when we perceive their desire to know, then we should facilitate their efforts as they seek to know. The way to teach the gospel is just that simple.

The Savior concludes his instruction with a warning that brings us back full circle to his beginning: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” It is the same principle he expressed earlier in the Beatitudes: “And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (3 Nephi 12:7).” He said:

9-12 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets (3 Nephi 14:1-12).

I wrote some time ago that I believe that everything we have to know and everything we have to do in this life is summarized on page 431 of the Book of Mormon. It begins with “Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen.” Then, in the Beatitudes, it walks through all of the ordinances and covenants. Then it concludes with the charge that we must be “the salt of the earth (missionaries to the world),” and “to be a light (menorah) to this people” that is to teach and be a blessing other Latter-day Saints.{1}

What we have just read in chapter 14 are detailed instructions about how to be that salt and that light. The application for Latter-day Saints is universal in terms of being a missionary or sharing the beauties of the gospel with one another.

Only a few minutes before, while teaching about the importance of love, the Savior had said, “I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect (3 Nephi 12:48).” His instructions to the Twelve and then to all the congregation about how to share the blessings of the gospel are given in the context of that admonition. The Father and his Son are the very personifications of that ability to share, to bless, and to save. That quality equates to charity— “the pure love of Christ.” For each of us, perfection in that one thing may be almost possible, even in this world.

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FOOTNOTE

{1} For an explanation that “the salt of the earth” is about missionary work, and “the light of this people” is about teaching and blessing other Latter-day Saints, see the chapters on the Beatitudes in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.

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3 Nephi 13:25-34 
25 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

In 3 Nephi those words are shown to have been spoken directly to the Twelve Disciples. In Matthew, however, even though a similar instruction is given in the same sequence in the Sermon on the Mount, there is no indication that it was not given to the entire congregation (Matthew 6:31-34). That has caused some interesting, and sometimes disturbing questions for Bible readers.

The language is very beautiful and the concept that God will look after us is very reassuring. However, the implications of “take no thought,” if it were carried too far and taken as a universal instruction to all members of the Church, would make it appear that the Savior was recommending a general slothfulness in one’s personal conduct and an irresponsibility in a man’s caring for his wife, children, and property.

Modern revelation solves that problem by teaching us that those words in the New Testament were also directed specifically to the Apostles.

The word “apostle” means “delegate or messenger” (Strong, 652) —which is appropriate to the Twelve Apostles whose responsibilities are to travel, teach, and keep the Church in order. The first Apostles of this dispensation were not ordained until somewhat later, February 15, 1835, but Doctrine and Covenants 84, which contains similar instructions, was given much earlier in September 22 and 23, 1832. Therefore, when Section 84 was given, the Lord used the word “apostle” in its generic sense to mean a traveling missionary. The revelation contains a wonderful commentary on the Savior’s instructions to missionaries as well as to the Twelve. He prefaced those instructions with these words:

62 Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature.
63 And as I said unto mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God’s high priests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends;
64 Therefore, as I said unto mine apostles I say unto you again, that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost (D&C 84:62-64).

Later on in that revelation, the Lord explained why it is not only acceptable but appropriate that one “take no thought of what he will eat or drink.” He said:

78 For I suffered them not to have purse or scrip, neither two coats.
79 Behold, I send you out to prove the world, and the laborer is worthy of his hire.
80 And any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail not to continue faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed. And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst.
81 Therefore, take ye no thought for the morrow, for what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed.
82 For, consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin; and the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, are not arrayed like one of these.
83 For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.
84 Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself.
85 Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.
……………………………..
107 Therefore, take with you those who are ordained unto the lesser priesthood, and send them before you to make appointments, and to prepare the way, and to fill appointments that you yourselves are not able to fill.
108 Behold, this is the way that mine apostles, in ancient days, built up my church unto me.
109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand? (D&C 84:78-85, 107-109).

Notwithstanding that in 3 Nephi the promises are specific to the Twelve, and in the D&C they are specific to missionaries, the overriding principle that validates the promises is equally applicable to all of God’s children. Whether we read it in the scriptures or sing it in a hymn, the promise resinates with our souls as a reminder of covenants our Father in Heaven made with each of us a very, very long time ago:

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

In their general application the promises made here are as comforting as they are beautiful, for God is aware of our individual needs and blesses us according to our faith.

The last verse of 3 Nephi 13 has a sentence that is a perfect conclusion to the Savior’s instructions to the Twelve, but if the words are taken out of that context, they are also very wise advise to all of us. That last sentence reads:

Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

In that same context, D&C 84 says the same thing, but says it just a little differently:

83 For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.
84 Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself (D&C 84:84-85).

Each day is sufficient to take care of the problems of that day! While it would be absurd to read that to say we should not plan ahead for important things, it is equally absurd to suggest we should be so concerned with the weight of the future that it cripples us in our attempts to deal with the present. For example, in nothing is that more true than in the process of repentance. If we repent each day, then the weeks, months, and years will take care of themselves, and in time those problems will no longer exist—and then, but now from a position of strength, we will just have to focus on some other problem and repent of that one also !!

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There are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the New Testament, two more in the Prophet Joseph’s Inspired Version of the New Testament, and still a different version in 3 Nephi. The variations in wording in the New Testament and Inspired Version are easy to see and understand. The version in 3 Nephi is most like the one in Matthew 6, however, between those two the differences are not in the wording but in actual content. What the 3 Nephi version does not say makes it the most interesting of the five.

Below is a short comparison showing the differences between Matthew 6:9-13; JST Matthew 6:10-15; Luke 11:2-4; JST Luke 11:2-4; 3 Nephi 13:9-13.

The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-16 is the version we were taught as children. So lets use it as the base for the comparison.

Matthew 6: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
. JST Matthew 6: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
. Luke 11: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
. JST Luke 11: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
. 3 Nephi 13: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
. JST Matthew 6: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.
. Luke 11: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
. JST Luke 11: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth.
. 3 Nephi 13: ………………………… Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:Give us this day our daily bread.
. JST Matthew 6: Give us this day, our daily bread.
. Luke 11: Give us day by day our daily bread.
. JST Luke 11: Give us day by day our daily bread.
. 3 Nephi 13: …………………………………………………

Matthew 6:And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
. JST Matthew 6: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
. Luke 11: And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
. JST Luke 11: And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one who is indebted to us.
. 3 Nephi 13: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 6:And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
. JST Matthew 6: And suffer us not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
. Luke 11: And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
. JST Luke 11: And let us not be led unto temptation; but deliver us from evil;
. 3 Nephi 13: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
. JST Matthew 6: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
. Luke 11: ………………………………………………………………….
. JST Luke 11: for thine is the kingdom and power. Amen.
. 3 Nephi 13: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

The version the Savior taught the Nephites reads:

9 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen (3 Nephi 13:14-34).

The omission of the phrase “Thy kingdom come” is easy to account for: The Savior was there with the Nephites; he had just established a new theocracy; so the kingdom had in fact already come.

It is the omission of the other phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread,” that is most intriguing. Because of that omission the focus of the prayer changes from one’s Self to one’s relationship to other people: That is made evident because the ideas that follow the prayer are tied back to it by a series of conjunctions (v.14 “For,” 15 “But,” 16 “Moreover,” 17 “But,” 18 “That”). The conjunctions create a string of ideas that suggest the Savior intended the prayer to be a covenant reiterating or reinforcing the principles of our other individual covenants. That is going to be difficult to explain, but let me try.

The only way we can be “delivered from evil” is if we willingly sacrifice a broken heart and contrite sprit as the Savior instructed the Nephites in 3 Nephi 9:20. Similarly, the only way we can ultimately be a part of his kingdom is if we live the highest laws of that kingdom.

The central theme of the prayer, and the one the Savior immediately focuses on, is the same principle he taught directly following the Beatitudes: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” When I discussed that principle in its earlier context I remembered hearing Nibley say that the law of the gospel is “to forgive and repent.” Now, in this context, it was the first of the prayer’s ideas the Savior explained:

14 For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 Moreover, when ye fast be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

As Latter-day Saints we can easily see the need for personal consecration in the phrase “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever,” but other than that, it is difficult to tie the importance of forgiveness with the next statement which begins “moreover, when ye fast.” In our LDS culture, unless there is a personal and present need to seek help to forgive, fasting and forgiveness seem not that obviously connected. However, the Savior was not talking to Latter-day Saints. He was speaking to a people who were just coming out of the religion and culture of the Law of Moses. So if we are to understand the connection between forgiveness and fasting, we must look there. Isaiah has shown us a clear window into that cultural connection:

1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:1-7).

The principle Isaiah is supporting is the same one that has been formalized by the Latter-day Saints’s “fast Sunday.” It combines a reminder that one must fast with the opportunity to bless other people, and in doing so it also helps one keep one’s own personal covenants.

What the Savior says next to the Nephites continues to suggest the importance of keeping that personal covenant:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Having so said, reiterating the importance and power of personal covenants, the Savior issued a severe warning to the entire congregation:

22 The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.

A careful reading of the Lord’s Prayer in the context in which the Savior taught it to the Nephites shows that it is not about the physical, or even the emotional needs of the one who recites the prayer. Rather, it reads almost like a covenant—an affirmation that one will keep all his other covenants—and it is also a petition to God that he will give one the strength to do so.

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3 Nephi 13:5-13

5 And when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Those instructions were given by the Savior to the entire congregation. Later when Jesus was speaking only to his twelve disciples he told them:

19 Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;
20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you (3 Nephi 18:18-21).

The conditional “which is right” is explained by the words of King Benjamin. Even though the Savior’s promise was directed specifically to the Twelve, King Benjamin’s words were addressed to the entire congregation:

21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another (Mosiah 4:21).

The operative phrase here is “in faith.” But the word “faith” in our everyday language has a different meaning from the word “faith” in the scriptures. At the beginning of the Christian apostasy “faith” lost its scriptural meaning and came to mean simply “belief” or “belief without evidence.” As the distinguished Bible scholar David Noel Freedman explained:

Faith is a peculiarly Christian concept. While other religious traditions have aspects of what the churches have come to name “faith,” none has the specific quality of intellectual assent that distinguishes faith from fidelity. The problem of faith and the central discussion of it arises in the context of the medieval attempts to codify and integrate the Christian experience into the emerging philosophical language of the scholastics. {1}

In the New Testament, the word translated as faith is pistis. Pistis is not about wishing hard or unconditional belief. On the contrary, every time “faith” appears in the New Testament, translated from the Greek word pistis, it denotes an arrangement where both parties to a covenant are bound by a legal contract.{2} It was not until some time around the end of the first century A.D., when the Christians had lost the terms of the covenants (and also the authority to perform the ordinances associated with them) that “faith” came to mean belief without evidence, or sometimes naïvely wishing really, really hard.

The problem is this, as Freedman observed, many Christians (including some preachers behind Mormon pulpits) assume that believing is independently sufficient to get one’s prayers answered exactly the way one wants them to be answered – and thus his phrase, “distinguishes faith from fidelity.” But in the scriptures faith (pistis) and “covenantal fidelity” mean precisely the same thing, and that kind of fidelity evinces pure power.

When we understand “faith” as a contract between God and man, then it is easier to understand how King Benjamin’s words might be actualized. If there is a prior covenant between God and men, and the person offers a prayer in which he feels and then repeats what the Spirit has confirmed to be the terms of the contract, then the words, “God…doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive,” become absolutely true, and the prayer will most assuredly answered in the affirmative.

The Savior’s statement (quoted above) “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him” affirms that the Father has a full understanding of our needs, but it may also express the covenant relationship that makes the prayers valid. That is the same idea we find in Nephi’s instructions to his “beloved brethren” when he wrote:

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32:7-9).

Nephi further expresses the covenantal (pistis) understanding of “faith” when he writes:

3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry (2 Nephi 33:3).

In the following brief story about the brother of Jared we see two uses of “faith” meaning the uses of “covenant.” In the second instance “faith” is making the covenant. The words, “wherefore thou workest after men have faith” say that nothing is in place until a covenant with God has been affirmed.

In the first instance of the use of the word “faith” we see the brother of Jared either listening to the directions of the Spirit and repeating what he is told to say, or else he is simply reciting the terms of the covenant as he had already received it. The difference would depend on whether the original covenant included all the specific instructions, or was only the promise that the mountain would be removed and there would be a passable road in its place. Moroni writes

30 For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith [evoked the tokens and terms of the covenant] it would not have moved; wherefore thou [God] workest after men have faith [have received the covenant] (Ether 12:30).

The Savior’s instructions to the Apostles included that same promise. While the word pistis is not found in these two passages, the instructions that they must follow the Savior’s directions are very explicit:

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:12-16).

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you (John 15:15-19).

When Mormon spoke to his “beloved brethren” in Moroni 7, he reiterated the promise the Savior had given while he was with the Nephites. Mormon said:

26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith [pistis] in his name; and by faith [pistis], they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith [pistis] believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you (Moroni 7:26).

The seriousness of this charge was made clear by Mormon elsewhere in that same sermon:

9 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen (Moroni 7:48, 9).

Its seriousness was emphasized again by the Lord in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph where he said:

62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;
65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.
66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound (D&C 88:62-66).

As I read that warning in v. 65, my mind turns to the woeful lament spoken by King Claudius when he tried, but then found he was not able to pray:

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 3).

The admonition, so often expressed by both the Savior and his prophets, that we must “pray always” takes on a somewhat different meaning when pistis becomes a part of the meaning of prayer and we recall that true prayer as simply repeating what the Spirit instructs us to pray for. It gives a new understanding to the Savior’s command:

36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:35-38).

That sentiment, that one must “pray always,” is echoed throughout the scriptures. The majority of the commands to “pray always” are associated with the promise that such constant prayer is a hedge against temptation (3 Nephi 18:15, 18; D&C 10:5, 20:33, 31:12, 61:39). However, the admonition to “pray always” is also accompanied with the promises of other blessings such as the strength to endure (D&C 88:126, 90:24, 93:49-50); and to understand gospel principles (D&C 32:3-5); and this one:

38 Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof (D&C 19:38).

Some time ago I was thinking about Enos words where he wrote,

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens (Enos 1:1-27).

When it occurred to me that Enos did not say he stayed on his knees all the time he was praying, I wondered how such a prayer might be. I do not pretend to know the answer, but during my pondering I wrote the following:

Prayer is like walking in the mountain with a friend. There are times when you see a sunrise so expansive and glorious that it must be shared with your friend to be fully appreciated. There are times you walk with the other in silence, then you stop and your eyes look—alone—as you ponder the perfect beauty of a columbine. Sometimes you talk together—your friend and you—but only briefly—because a smile can say so much more. Sometimes the words flow like the confluence of two great rivers and the ideas reach out to embrace a world as big as the open sea. Sometimes you walk together quietly and say nothing, and the unspoken words are more profound than speech. There is no aloneness in the quiet, just as there was no aloneness when all your conscious world was only the beauty of a single columbine. Friendship is like that. So is prayer.{3}

The understanding that “covenant” and “faith” are virtually synonymous, teaches us a great deal about the meaning and power of the Atonement. This eternal covenant is already in place between the Father and his children, while the Savior’s person and the acts of his Atonement constitute the object, terms, hope, evidence, and fulfillment of that covenant. Moroni explained:

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moroni 10:33).

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ENDNOTES

{1}  Article by David Noel Freedman, “Faith,”The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Doubleday, New York, 1992, vol. 2 p. 744-745.

{2}  For a discussion of pistis in Moroni 7  see the following chapters of Who Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.
.         Moroni 7: Faith, Hope, and Charity, 696
.         Meaning of “Faith”– pistis, 697
.         A Meaning of “Hope,” 710
.         A Meaning of “Charity,” 714
You can download, free, all or any portion of the book from this website. It is located under “Published Books.”

{3}  I later included it in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 710-11.

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