3 Nephi 17 – Jesus Heals the Sick and Blesses the Children

3 Nephi 163 Nephi 18

Jesus looks at the multitude and sees that they are exhausted. He tells them He needs to go, and He invites them to go home, pray and ponder on what they have learned, and prepare for His return the following day.

But when He looks at them again, He can see that they want Him to stay longer. Responding to this unspoken request, He invites them to bring forward their sick, all of whom He heals. He then invites them to bring forward their little childen. He prays for the children and blesses them, one by one. Angels then descend from heaven and minister to the children.


Chapter Outline

  1. Jesus announces His departure, then decides to stay (v. 1-8)
  2. Jesus heals the sick (v. 9-10)
  3. He blesses the little children (v. 11-25)

My Takeaways

  1. We need to observe and be responsive to the needs of the people around us.
  2. Jesus can heal all afflictions and will not turn anyone away.
  3. Prioritize time with the children in your life, and give them your full attention when you are with them.

Featured Blog Posts

❖ Jesus postpones His departure – 3 Nephi 17:1-8

“My Time Is at Hand” – 3 Nephi 17:1

Near the end of the first day of the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He announced to the people that it would soon be time for Him to leave. “Behold, my time is at hand,” He said, explaining that He was returning to His Father before going to visit another group of people (3…

Ponder – 3 Nephi 17:3

After delivering the Sermon on the Mount and beginning a sermon about the gathering of Israel, the Savior saw that his listeners were exhausted. They had reached their limit, and they were unable to assimilate any more information. “I perceive that ye are weak,” He said, “that ye cannot understand all my words which I…

Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?

Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) had twelve sons: Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dan Naphtali Gad Asher Joseph Benjamin (Gen. 29:32–30:24; 35:16–18, Guide to the Scriptures, “Israel”) Their descendants were known as the twelve tribes of Israel, with each tribe named after one of these sons of Jacob. After Israel’s descendants were…

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.

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.

❖ Jesus heals the sick – 3 Nephi 17:9-10

“He Did Heal Them Every One” – 3 Nephi 17:9

After telling the people at the temple in Bountiful that it was time for Him to go, Jesus “cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them” (3 Nephi 17:5).…

❖ Jesus blesses the children – 3 NEphi 17:11-25

What Can We Learn about Children from the Savior?

During His ministry on the American continent, the Savior taught us about children by His words and by His example: In a passage which also appears in the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us that our Father in Heaven wants to give us good gifts, just as we want to give our children good…

Behold Your Little Ones – 3 Nephi 17:23

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. (3 Nephi 17:23) After teaching a group of people gathered at the temple in Bountiful, Jesus announced that it was time for Him to go. He needed to return to His Father and then to go visit another group of…

The Things Which He Prayed Cannot Be Written – 3 Nephi 17:15-17

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…

“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!

Old Testament Foundations

We Love Thy House

Based on: Psalm 26 Core message: We long to be in sacred spaces because we look forward to being in God’s presence. Related Book of Mormon passages: 2 Nephi 12, 2 Nephi 19:2-3

“I Will Heal Thee”

Hezekiah was very ill. The prophet, Isaiah, visited him and told him that he would not recover. He was going to die. But Hezekiah wasn’t willing to accept that answer. Laying on his bed, he turned toward the wall and offered the following heartfelt prayer: “I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked…

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu

When I think of Moses ascending Mount Sinai, I always envision him alone. So I’ve been struck recently by these descriptions of him ascending the mountain with other people: “And the Lord said unto him,… thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee” (Exodus 19:24). “And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and…

A Fulness of Joy

Speaking to God, King David testified, “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter quoted this passage to a diverse group of people on the day of Pentacost. Here is how he phrased it:…

“Eye Hath Never Seen” – 3 Nephi 17:16

During the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He offered a prayer which was so sublime that it could not be written. The only record we have of this prayer is the testimony of those who experienced it firsthand: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we…

New Testament Parallels

“Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me”

We can learn several lessons from Jesus’ admonition to suffer little children to come unto Him: 1. Encourage children in their efforts to grow closer to God. 2. Prioritize time with children. 3. When we are with children, give them our full attention.

With One Accord

The phrase “with one accord” appears 11 times in the book of Acts. It means to be united by a common purpose. As we strive to follow the Savior and to prepare for His return, we can find unity in our shared goals and desires.

Behold Thy Son! Behold Thy Mother!

As He hung on the cross, Jesus told His mother and the apostle John to “behold” one another. Later, He told a group of Nephites and Lamanites to “behold” their children. When we behold someone, we understand them better and can serve and support them.

The Healer

During the Savior’s mortal ministry, He was known as a miraculous healer. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Matthew 15:30 Jesus also healed unseen wounds. To the man who was paralyzed, He first…

Holy Places

As Jesus described the catastrophic events which would precede His Second Coming, He gave His disciples some advice: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Matthew 24:15 In a modern revelation, after prophesying of “a desolating sickness” which “shall cover…

What Are “Bowels of Mercy?”

In the scriptures, the word “bowels” is often associated with compassion or empathy. For example: The Apostle Paul encouraged the members of the church in Colossae to “put on…bowels of mercies” (Colossians 3:12). He pleaded with the saints at Phillipi, “if there be any…bowels and mercies,” then they should be unified and kind to one…

Church History Connections

An Heritage of the Lord

In a psalm apparently written by David for his son Solomon, we read that we need God’s help to achieve meaningful goals: Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1 David goes on to say that this perspective can help us avoid burning ourselves out,…

“Especial Care”

On July 9, 1841, Joseph Smith visited Brigham Young at his home in Nauvoo—a log cabin his wife had built in his absence while raising and caring for their children alone. Brigham had returned a week earlier from a mission to England and had immediately gotten to work helping her with a job which was…

“We Heard Him Pray for Us” – 3 Nephi 17:17

On the first day of the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He “commanded the multitude that they should kneel upon the ground.” Then, He also knelt and offered a prayer. What did He say? We don’t know, because “the things which he prayed cannot be written” or even spoken by a human being (3…

What Does It Mean to Ponder?

Near the end of the first day of the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He announced that it was time for Him to leave. He promised to return the following day, and He gave them the following guidance about how to spend their time that evening: Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon…

“He Cast His Eyes Round About” – 3 Nephi 15:1, 17:5

Jesus was walking down a city street surrounded by people. He was going to the home of an anxious father whose daughter was dying. Suddenly, He stopped and asked, “Who touched me?” His disciples were bewildered: “Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” A woman came forward and revealed that…

Serious Reflection

Joseph Smith’s mother said that he was “given to reflection.” His own history confirms that observation. He speaks about pondering, meditating, and engaging in “serious reflection.” Thinking deeply about what we have learned can invite more revelation.

All Posts Referencing 3 Nephi 17

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑