Book of Mormon Lesson #39 3 Nephi 17-19 — Sara

Book of Mormon Lesson # 39—3 Nephi 17-19

Behold, My Joy is Full

Why is pondering needed for a deeper understanding of the gospel? At the beginning of chapter 17, Christ tells the people to ponder his words. 

Does pondering happen during scripture study, before it, or after?

What other things does pondering naturally lead us to do?

In 3 Nephi 17:3 it says:

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.

This time reading through this verse, I thought about how pondering helps guide our prayers. Have you ever struggled with knowing what to pray for or how to communicate with God? I have. I am a lot better at it now than I ever have been, but I still feel like there are things that I'm missing. Last week's reading we got to learn from Christ how to pray. Now here, Christ is telling us how to understand all of the words we just learned about. We go home, we ponder about the things we heard and then we pray that we'll understand things we were taught. Then, we prepare for being taught again. Sounds like an amazing Sunday School learning cycle...

One of the highlights of Alison's lesson on Sunday was hearing the audible gasp after Alison had explained the context of salt that had lost its savor. Think about all of the things in the scriptures, or lessons that Christ has taught us, that we still don't fully understand because we lack the context, either from the spirit or from more extensive study. It was fun to see and hear the excitement all around me as I saw you hear, then ponder, then ask, and then continue listening. It whetted your appetite (as well as mine) to learn more. Christ knows what he is talking about in this scripture and we will get more out of our study, as well as our church attendance, as we follow this pattern to receive revelation.

As you read this scripture block, what part touches you the most?

3 Nephi 17: 16-25

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.
18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was thejoy of the multitude that they were overcome.
19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
22 And when he had done this he wept again;
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.
25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.

This lesson title quotes vs. 20. It would have been amazing to be in a multitude that the Savior was able to experience a fullness of joy. He was so pleased by their faith that he wept. What do you think they were doing? Were they moving mountains? Were they becoming full time institute teachers? Or were they listening, applying, desiring? Were they willing to ask forgiveness? Willing to see things as they truly are? I think we over-complicate what 'being faithful' really entails.  What do you learn about being faithful in these chapters?

In chapter 18, Christ institutes the sacrament. Why do you think he chose to do it then? One of the main purposes of the sacrament is to remember Christ. Elder Holland gives us some really tangible ways of doing that:

“We could remember the Savior’s premortal life and all that we know Him to have done. …
“We could remember the simple grandeur of His mortal birth to just a young woman. …
“We could remember Christ’s miracles and His teachings, His healings and His help. …
“… We could remember that Jesus found special joy and happiness in children and said all of us should be more like them. …
“We could remember that Christ called His disciples friends. …
“We could—and should—remember the wonderful things that have come to us in our lives and that ‘all things which are good cometh of Christ’ (Moroni 7:24). …
“On some days we will have cause to remember the unkind treatment He received, the rejection He experienced, and the injustice … He endured. …
“… We can remember that Jesus had to descend below all things before He could ascend above them, and that He suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind that He might be filled with mercy and know how to succor His people in their infirmities” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 90–91; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 68–69).

In vs. 18, Christ asks us to pray always. Pres. Eyring says:

“What does the Master mean when He warns us to ‘pray always’?
“I am not wise enough to know all of His purposes in giving us a covenant to always remember Him and in His warning us to pray always lest we be overcome. But I know one. It is because He knows perfectly the powerful forces that influence us and also what it means to be human. …
“… He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press in upon us. … And He knows how our human powers to cope are not constant. …
“… As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough. And whatever growth in spiritual strength we once thought was possible, greater growth will be made available to us. Both the need for spiritual strength and the opportunity to acquire it will increase at rates which we underestimate at our peril. …
“Start with remembering Him. You will remember what you know and what you love. …
“The Lord hears the prayers of your heart. The feelings of your heart, of love for our Heavenly Father and for His Beloved Son, can be so constant that your prayers will ascend always” (“Always” [CES fireside for young adults, Jan. 3, 1999], 2–3, 5; see also “Always,”Ensign, Oct. 1999, 8–10, 12).

In 3 Nephi 18:26–32 it talks more about the sacrament and the necessity of partaking of it worthily. I'm closing this week's blog with my favorite quote about the sacrament. Elder John H. Groberg of the seventy said:

“If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement? If we remember the Savior and all he has done and will do for us, we will improve our actions and thus come closer to him, which keeps us on the road to eternal life.
“If, however, we refuse to repent and improve, if we do not remember him and keep his commandments, then we have stopped our growth, and that is damnation to our souls.
“The sacrament is an intensely personal experience, and we are the ones who knowingly are worthy or otherwise. …
“As we worthily partake of the sacrament, we will sense those things we need to improve in and receive the help and determination to do so. No matter what our problems, the sacrament always gives hope.
“Most of these problems we must work out ourselves. For example, if we aren’t paying our tithing, we simply determine to start doing so. But for some problems, we must see our bishop—the Spirit will let us know which” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 50; or Ensign, May 1989, 38–39).

Thank you so much for your preparation this week! We pray for you and love you.