Look to Your Children, by Minerva Teichert
Jesus had taught the people about baptism, shared the Sermon on the Mount, explained His metaphor of “other sheep,” and begun describing the role of the Gentiles in the gathering of Israel. Now, He could see that His listeners were saturated. They needed some time to process what they had heard. “Go ye unto your homes,” He said, “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” (3 Nephi 17:3).
But the people desperately wanted Him to stay. So, He shifted from words to action:
- He healed their sick (3 Nephi 17:7-10).
- He blessed their children (3 Nephi 17:11-25).
- He administered the sacrament (3 Nephi 18:1-11).
- He gave the disciples power to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 18:36-39).
Before leaving for the day, He emphasized the importance of His actions: “I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do” (3 Nephi 18:24).
Our goal as His disciples is not only to understand and follow His words but also to emulate Him. Just as He responded to the needs of the people, ministered to them individually, and invited all to come to Him, we can hold up His light as we serve other people and help them feel included.
Here are some other lessons I’ve learned from these chapters:
Outline
Key Themes
- Jesus can heal all afflictions and will not turn anyone away.
- Our souls are filled as we eat bread and drink water regularly in rememberance of Jesus.
- The Savior invites all to come unto Him, and He wants us to be welcoming and inclusive.
- We can have spiritual experiences as we support other people in making covenants with God.
Connections
- Isaiah wrote that God’s greatest blessings haven’t been seen or heard (Isaiah 64:4). Paul paraphrased that passage in an epistle. (See 1 Corinthians 2:10.) The people who heard Jesus pray in Bountiful testified that “eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things” (3 Nephi 17:16-17).
- At the Last Supper, Jesus offered the Intercessory Prayer, pleading for unity among His disciples. (See John 17:21.) On the second day of His ministry in the Americas, He offered a similar prayer twice (3 Nephi 19:23, 29).
Applications
- Prioritize time with the children in your life, and give them your full attention when you are with them.
- Pray with your family, and strive to make it a unifying and spiritually uplifting experience.
- Pray that we may be one, even as Jesus Christ and His Father are one.
Recommended Posts
- Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Sacrament?
- What Can We Learn from the Baptisms of the Twelve Disciples?
- Why Did the Disciples Pray to Jesus in 3 Nephi 19?
Blog Posts: October 8-13
Round About Again
As Jesus taught the people in Bountiful, He repeatedly “looked round about” to see how they were doing, and He adjusted His delivery to meet their needs. As we communicate with others, we need to watch for nonverbal cues and respond appropriately.
Accomplishing the Purposes of the Sacrament
The sacrament blesses us in many ways including: 1. Allowing us time to ponder quietly while surrounded by a supportive community 2. Helping us see what we can do better and what we are doing well 3. Remembering the Savior’s suffering and His victory.
Pray On!
Jesus prayed with His disciples in the Americas. For an extended time at the beginning of the second day, the people prayed. Jesus encouraged them with the words “Pray on.” Afterward, He encouraged them to continue to pray in their hearts.
Compassion
Throughout His mortal and postmortal ministries, Jesus demonstrated an awareness of people’s needs and a willingness to stop what He was doing and serve them. Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of the Savior and of His disciples.
“They Brought Their Little Children”
After teaching the people in Bountiful for a long time, Jesus invited them to bring their children forward. He prayed for them, wept, blessed them, wept again, and invited the adults to watch as angels ministered to them. Jesus loves and values children!
Thanks Paul. I hadn’t really thought about it before seeing your outline but we start chapter 17 with Jesus perceiving them to be *weak*. What are a few of his responses to their weakness *before* departing & ascending up to heaven at the end of chapter 18?
1) he healed them
2) he prayed for them & he wept
3) he blessed their little ones & he wept again
4) he instituted the sacrament
5) he ordained his chosen disciples to the priesthood
I love that one of Jesus’s responses to our weakness is the sacrament. He didn’t just do some miracles and leave. He also left us with an eternal remedy to our weakness…the sacrament!
Great insight. Chapters 17 and 18 can certainly be read as a series of activities intended to fortify them, including the ongoing strengthening power of a weekly priesthood ordinance. Thanks for sharing that thought!