What struck me this week was how much of the reading was about Christ, his direct words and teachings. For people who profess to be followers of Christ, it seems like the Book of Mormon would be a must read--even if they didn’t think it was inspired of God or actually representatives of what happened in the past when the resurrected Christ visited the American continent. But what if it was? I would definitely want to read it to see what it said if I professed to believe in Christ regardless of the denomination I belonged to. I would be hungry to read any additional teachings, accounts, or witnesses of Christ. It also makes sense to me that if God and Christ did have a gospel that they wouldn’t share it in only one location in the world. It would seem to make sense for them to proclaim their desired behaviors for man in more than just one place. I also can’t help but think of the movie the testaments and how powerful the portrayal of Christ’s visit to Bountiful was in that movie.
Whether the book was written by ancient prophets in America testifying of Christ or if the book was just some fan fiction about Christ written by Joseph Smith, I would think it was a must read for all Christians. At the very least they should want to read the Book of Mormon, or at the very least the chapters in 3 Nephi when Christ returns, speaks to the people, and then personally visits them. How amazing would it be to discover that entirely new descriptions of the visitations of Christ existed that you didn’t know about? I would want to read more.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. The reading for the week opens with the signs of Christ’s death and the destruction of entire famous and large cities. There was a mist of darkness that was so pervasive that the people were unable to have any light. Apparently it snuffed out any flames. They were in total, all-consuming darkness. In the reading the people lamented a lot. They lamented for the friends and family they had lost, for the destruction of the cities, and that they hadn’t repented sooner.
The fact that they lamented not having repented sooner stuck with me. This could mean either of two things in my head. They knew they were doing wrong and didn’t want to change so they didn’t, or they weren’t necessarily believers of Christ but the events that had occurred convinced them of the truthfulness of the warnings of the prophets and they wished that they had listened. Were the evidences of what was happening and the fulfillment of prophecy so clear, obvious, and undeniable even to those who did not believe? I like to believe that. I like that it reinforces what earlier chapters have said that the signs and wonders occurred so that there would be no cause for unbelief. The signs are meant to provide evidence and reinforce faith. “14 And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets.”
As everyone is languishing in the darkness, they all hear a voice. It’s clarified later that it’s Christ speaking. He exhorts them to repent. He lists a bunch of the cities that were destroyed and what happened to them. Basically it’s a long monologue, cataloging the destruction that has occurred. God takes credit for it, and then says, “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?”
He tells them that they should “offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.” He tells them that through him the Law of Moses was fulfilled, and that from now on their offering they make to him should be the sacrifice of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We are told to repent and come unto Christ as a little child. When I think of children I think of someone who is trusting, believing, guileless.
We are also told repeatedly that Christ sought to gather the people “as a hen gathereth her chickens.” The repetition was so frequent, that I decided this was really something that was important. So I looked up why hens gather their chicks under their wings. I originally thought it was just because a hen protects the chicks from the elements, keeps them safe and warm. And that’s part of it. When there are wind and storms raging around, the chicks under the hens wing won’t even get wet. They’re protected from the brunt of storms and weather and are kept safe, dry, and warm. But it’s more than that.
One story I read about a mother hen said she died in a forest fire, shielding her chicks and suffering pain and death to protect them. Obviously she could have left them, but she instead chose to stay and save them, to her own detriment. The hen and chicks comparison can be one of self sacrifice to protect the children the hen loves.
There were other stories too. The hen can’t run to all of the chicks in times of danger. They have to stay close to her so that when danger arises, they can flee to her for safety instead of being devoured by predators or danger. Safety for the chicks only works if they stay close enough to run to the mother’s safety, a mother who is willing to sacrifice her own life for theirs, even though she could get away or save herself if she abandoned them.
Chapter 11 ends with Christ’s physical appearance to the people at the Temple in Bountiful. God the Father introduces Christ, and they see Christ himself descend out of heaven, clothed in white. He introduces himself, and explains the atonement. They remember the prophesies that Christ would come to them after he ascended to heaven. They fell the nail prints in his hands and the slash in his side. Again, they’re offered evidences which they get to personally see and touch. After all of them get this opportunity, they praise God and worship him. We learn about baptism, and Christ gives some the authority to baptize in his name. He exports the people to repent.
He teaches them the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, as iterated in the Articles of Faith, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, repentance, and third, baptism by immersion. He explains that his doctrines not to contend or fight with one another. His doctrine is love and peace. Repeatedly he expresses that this is his doctrine, or his beliefs and principles. To repent. To be baptized. To become as a little child. He tells the people who saw him there to go and tell the others what he’s said, “unto the ends of the earth.”
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