7. Savior from Birth (The Nephite Account of the Nativity)
As you may or may not know, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often referred to as Mormons, and this nickname comes from the fact that we believe the Book of Mormon to be scripture equal to the Bible. We believe that God speaks to all His people, and commands them to keep records, which results in multiple sources of scripture. The Book of Mormon is the account of two groups of ancient people in the Americas (the Nephites and Lamanites) from around 600 B.C.E. until about 400 C.E. I can't give you a complete summary of the Book of Mormon here, nor do I wish to. I give this information to provide some context for this next thought.
The Book of Mormon has it's own account of the events surrounding the birth of the Savior. In the Americas, the Nephites were split between two groups--those who were righteous and were anxiously awaiting the signs of Christ's birth, and those who were wicked and did not believe that Christ would come. The prophet Samuel (a Lamanite) had foretold the event of Christ's birth, and had given several signs that the Nephites should watch for so they would know when the Lord was born. The most miraculous of these signs was that on the night before the Savior's birth, the sun would set, but the sky would not grow dark. There would be "one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night" (Helaman 14:4).
Five years after Samuel made this prophesy, the Savior was born. These are the events surrounding his birth, as documented in 3 Nephi 1:
4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.
5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.
15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
The beauty of this story lies in the fact that Jesus Christ came to this Earth to be the Savior of mankind--to rescue every person who had ever lived, was living, and would yet live, from the clutches of death and sin. We associate Christ's role as Savior with the Atonement and often forget the fact that Christ was sent to save and rescue from the moment he first came into mortality. He saved people from sin throughout his ministry when he told them, "thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:9) and he rescued them from death by commanding them to "come forth" (John 1:43) from the grave. But even before he ever healed the sick or preached the gospel, he saved thousands of innocent people from death. He rescued the righteous Nephites simply through his miraculous birth and the signs that announced it thousands of miles away in the Americas. Christ was born a savior and died a savior, and this story is a powerful reminder of that.
As you may or may not know, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often referred to as Mormons, and this nickname comes from the fact that we believe the Book of Mormon to be scripture equal to the Bible. We believe that God speaks to all His people, and commands them to keep records, which results in multiple sources of scripture. The Book of Mormon is the account of two groups of ancient people in the Americas (the Nephites and Lamanites) from around 600 B.C.E. until about 400 C.E. I can't give you a complete summary of the Book of Mormon here, nor do I wish to. I give this information to provide some context for this next thought.
The Book of Mormon has it's own account of the events surrounding the birth of the Savior. In the Americas, the Nephites were split between two groups--those who were righteous and were anxiously awaiting the signs of Christ's birth, and those who were wicked and did not believe that Christ would come. The prophet Samuel (a Lamanite) had foretold the event of Christ's birth, and had given several signs that the Nephites should watch for so they would know when the Lord was born. The most miraculous of these signs was that on the night before the Savior's birth, the sun would set, but the sky would not grow dark. There would be "one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night" (Helaman 14:4).
Five years after Samuel made this prophesy, the Savior was born. These are the events surrounding his birth, as documented in 3 Nephi 1:
4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.
5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.
15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
The beauty of this story lies in the fact that Jesus Christ came to this Earth to be the Savior of mankind--to rescue every person who had ever lived, was living, and would yet live, from the clutches of death and sin. We associate Christ's role as Savior with the Atonement and often forget the fact that Christ was sent to save and rescue from the moment he first came into mortality. He saved people from sin throughout his ministry when he told them, "thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:9) and he rescued them from death by commanding them to "come forth" (John 1:43) from the grave. But even before he ever healed the sick or preached the gospel, he saved thousands of innocent people from death. He rescued the righteous Nephites simply through his miraculous birth and the signs that announced it thousands of miles away in the Americas. Christ was born a savior and died a savior, and this story is a powerful reminder of that.
8. The Prince of Peace
There is another aspect of the Nephite Christmas story that struck me the last time I read it. In verses 7-8 there is an important detail that I had previously missed:
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
I've heard many definitions of faith before, but one that sometimes circulates within the LDS church is that "faith is the opposite of fear." I have always struggled with this definition, because I am a naturally anxious person, and fear for the future, and even the present, is a pretty common aspect of my life. For a long time, I thought this meant that I wasn't a very faith-filled individual, because how could I be fearful and have faith at the same time? Over the last year I've spent a lot of time contemplating this contradiction and have gone to the scriptures to find answers. This story is, in my mind, one of many that indicates that faith can coexist with fear, as long as you still have hope.
Hope is an interesting concept when you look at it through a religious filter. Where on the hierarchy does hope fit? How is it different than faith? I believe that hope is the building block for faith. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 this way:
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Before you can have faith in something, you must hope for it. In the case of the Nephites, they were faced with a terrifying situation and they were "sorrowful" and even feared that their faith might have all been for nothing. So what makes this story so impressive is not their unshaken faith, but that even when their faith was shaken, even when they were afraid, they chose to continue to hope in the promises that had been made to them. They chose to look "steadfastly" for the sign and hope "that their faith had not been in vain". It was their hope in the Savior and his promises that saved them. Christ did not come when they were at their strongest. He came when they were at their weakest, when they were the most fearful, and when they were faced with the harshest trail.
One of Jesus' many titles is "the Prince of Peace". I don't think we refer to Christ this way because he came to Earth to end violence and instituted peace. Many Jews during the Messiah's lifetime hoped he would do just that. They wanted him to come and defeat the Romans and bring a physical peace to Israel that had not existed for a very long time. But the peace that comes from Christ is of a different variety. In John 14:27, Jesus said:
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The peace that comes from Christ is not a solution to our problems. He does not come and remove our trials or the things that make life unfair. Instead, he teaches us to have hope in his Atonement, to have faith in his love and in his power, and in turn to receive the peace that comes from believing that he died to rescue us from our sins and to take away the sting of death. My personality can be turbulent at times. I have moments of anxiety, fear, and even panic. But I always return to a sense of peace and comfort, not because anything about my circumstances has changed, but because I believe in Christ and in his love, his Atonement, and his enabling power which helps me overcome and endure the challenges of life. I think that the Nephites experienced something similar in the days leading up to Christ's birth. They had every reason to publicly renounce everything they had believed in. It would have saved their lives. But instead, they chose to believe that Christ would come. The hope that they had in him strengthened their shaken faith, and I'm sure that must've brought them peace.
Christ is the Prince of Peace, but the peace that he gives us doesn't come like an eraser to wipe away our problems. It comes in the form of an invitation to keep going just a little longer, to keep hoping, to keep believing. It comes as a reminder of all the times that God has rescued you, and as a hope that He will do so again. It comes with as much force and power as we're willing to give it. And it comes when we're in our lowest moments, not when we're feeling our most confident in ourselves or even in what we believe. It is a quiet miracle.
P.S. This will no longer be a three part series. Since this post was so long, I have decided to split this up into four parts. Hopefully it doesn't take any more than that!
There is another aspect of the Nephite Christmas story that struck me the last time I read it. In verses 7-8 there is an important detail that I had previously missed:
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
I've heard many definitions of faith before, but one that sometimes circulates within the LDS church is that "faith is the opposite of fear." I have always struggled with this definition, because I am a naturally anxious person, and fear for the future, and even the present, is a pretty common aspect of my life. For a long time, I thought this meant that I wasn't a very faith-filled individual, because how could I be fearful and have faith at the same time? Over the last year I've spent a lot of time contemplating this contradiction and have gone to the scriptures to find answers. This story is, in my mind, one of many that indicates that faith can coexist with fear, as long as you still have hope.
Hope is an interesting concept when you look at it through a religious filter. Where on the hierarchy does hope fit? How is it different than faith? I believe that hope is the building block for faith. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 this way:
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Before you can have faith in something, you must hope for it. In the case of the Nephites, they were faced with a terrifying situation and they were "sorrowful" and even feared that their faith might have all been for nothing. So what makes this story so impressive is not their unshaken faith, but that even when their faith was shaken, even when they were afraid, they chose to continue to hope in the promises that had been made to them. They chose to look "steadfastly" for the sign and hope "that their faith had not been in vain". It was their hope in the Savior and his promises that saved them. Christ did not come when they were at their strongest. He came when they were at their weakest, when they were the most fearful, and when they were faced with the harshest trail.
One of Jesus' many titles is "the Prince of Peace". I don't think we refer to Christ this way because he came to Earth to end violence and instituted peace. Many Jews during the Messiah's lifetime hoped he would do just that. They wanted him to come and defeat the Romans and bring a physical peace to Israel that had not existed for a very long time. But the peace that comes from Christ is of a different variety. In John 14:27, Jesus said:
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The peace that comes from Christ is not a solution to our problems. He does not come and remove our trials or the things that make life unfair. Instead, he teaches us to have hope in his Atonement, to have faith in his love and in his power, and in turn to receive the peace that comes from believing that he died to rescue us from our sins and to take away the sting of death. My personality can be turbulent at times. I have moments of anxiety, fear, and even panic. But I always return to a sense of peace and comfort, not because anything about my circumstances has changed, but because I believe in Christ and in his love, his Atonement, and his enabling power which helps me overcome and endure the challenges of life. I think that the Nephites experienced something similar in the days leading up to Christ's birth. They had every reason to publicly renounce everything they had believed in. It would have saved their lives. But instead, they chose to believe that Christ would come. The hope that they had in him strengthened their shaken faith, and I'm sure that must've brought them peace.
Christ is the Prince of Peace, but the peace that he gives us doesn't come like an eraser to wipe away our problems. It comes in the form of an invitation to keep going just a little longer, to keep hoping, to keep believing. It comes as a reminder of all the times that God has rescued you, and as a hope that He will do so again. It comes with as much force and power as we're willing to give it. And it comes when we're in our lowest moments, not when we're feeling our most confident in ourselves or even in what we believe. It is a quiet miracle.
P.S. This will no longer be a three part series. Since this post was so long, I have decided to split this up into four parts. Hopefully it doesn't take any more than that!