3 Nephi 12

 Chapter 12

Jesus calls and commissions the twelve disciples—He delivers to the Nephites a discourse similar to the Sermon on the Mount—He speaks the Beatitudes—His teachings transcend and take precedence over the law of Moses—Men are commanded to be perfect even as He and His Father are perfect—Compare Matthew 5. About A.D. 34.

(Marci-red; Kathy-green; Marci blue 2020) orange 7/21 Brown 2022/23

  1 ^aAnd it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to ^bbaptize, was ^ctwelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: ^dBlessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have ^echosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. We are all blessed when we heed the words of those who are called to minister to us. Notice that when you minister, you are a servant. Notice that when you are ministered to, it is by one who is called by Christ. We should receive them as such. But the gem here is that we are baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, not by the one who baptizes us, but by Christ. Christ has helped and taught the 12 their ministering assignments, and then turns to the multitude and exhorts them to listen to their ministering, and gives them powerful promises for their obedience.  What better endorsement can you get than that?!
  2 And again, more blessed are they who shall ^abelieve in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall ^bbelieve in your ^cwords, and ^dcome down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited ^ewith fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. One of our greatest opportunities when we minister is to testify to others of the reality of Christ and the importance of accepting His invitation to be baptized by water. Then, if you follow that with massive humility, then Christ will visit you with fire and the Holy Ghost. At that time, you will then receive a remission of your sins. Remember, the baptism by water only is only half a baptism, said Joseph Smith. He tells the people that those same promises and blessings will be delivered through THEM, to those who listen to THEIR testimonies and ministering-- their friends and loved ones who aren't present at Bountiful. As amazing and wonderful as it would be to witness Christ as these people did, Christ actually says, "more blessed" are those who believe on their testimony. He knows that it takes faith to believe what you haven't seen. Don't think that you are somehow going to miss out if you don't receive this great blessing of seeing Christ (before He comes). There are greater blessings for those who exercise faith before they see. Now the Nephites are going to be taught the "New Covenant" that comes after the law of Moses. I think this is the covenant that Christ spoke of in Doctrine and Covenants 84:57 "And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new ^acovenant, even the ^bBook of Mormon and the ^cformer commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to ^ddo according to that which I have written." This seems like a reason the scriptures are so important. We are under command to follow what has been written. 
  3 Yea, blessed are the ^apoor in spirit who ^bcome unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. There is something important about being "poor". Maybe it has to do with seeing oneself as the "dust of the earth"; or as needing Christ...I'll have to ponder it more, but this is step one.
  4 And again, blessed are all they that ^amourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourn for your sins; mourn for your lost condition without the Savior; mourn for the pain you've caused others (and the Savior who bore that pain). This is the kind of mourning that causes us to cry out for saving.
  5 And blessed are the ^ameek, for they shall inherit the ^bearth. Meekness comes before hope, faith and charity.
  6 And blessed are all they who do ^ahunger and ^bthirst after ^crighteousness, for they shall be ^dfilled with the Holy Ghost. How do you manifest your hunger and thirst? How long do you deny yourself food and water before your body cries out? Does your spirit cry out when it is denied spiritual food?
  7 And blessed are the ^amerciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Christ's Atonement is about mercy. He said he came, not to condemn the world but to save it...
  8 And blessed are all the ^apure in heart, for they shall ^bsee God. None of this can be faked.
  9 And blessed are all the ^apeacemakers, for they shall be called the ^bchildren of God. Let go of any desire to have a warring heart.
 10 And blessed are all they who are ^apersecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If you are not warring, you will more likely be an easy target for persecution. 
 11 And blessed are ye when men shall ^arevile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; Fake news; misinformation; disinformation...all rampant in our day
 12 For ^aye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your ^breward in heaven; for so ^cpersecuted they the prophets who were before you. What we call 'the beatitudes' are commandments: poor in spirit; come unto Christ; mourn for your sins; become meek; hunger and thirst after righteousness; be merciful; pure in heart; a peacemaker; understand how to receive persecution. These commandments, some say, are progressive. Elder Bednar just taught us about meekness. Is that the step we are on collectively as a church? If so, the invitation now is to receive that gift of the spirit and through the very specific steps Pres. Nelson has given us, we must hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we may be baptized by fire and move into the higher ways of being so that we may be merciful (stop judging) and seek to see God (Second Comforter). Then we become "the little children" we are required to be to enter heaven, for we have become the "sons and daughters of God" (even though we are spirit children of God, in this life we must die in Christ and become his children again by choice and by covenant). In this telestial world, know that you will be persecuted for not having followed the ways of the world. So be it. Blessed are ye. vs 3 -12:  Christ repeats the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount on this continent, but with a little enhancement or enlightenment.  This could be that this is a purer record, so those important words were left in, whereas the Matthew version could have been edited by the many people who translated the book down through the ages.  Additions noted:  3-"...the poor in spirit WHO COME UNTO ME;" 6-"...for they shall be filled WITH THE HOLY GHOST;" 8-"blessed are ALL the pure in heart...;" 10-"who are persecuted for MY NAME'S sake." The Bible Dictionary says that the beatitudes are interrelated and progressive in their arrangement.  It also says that these in 3rd Nephi and JST Matt 5 both give a greater spiritual emphasis.  
 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the ^asalt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Being the salt of the earth, means to me, to enhance the knowledge and righteousness of the earth, which is done by ministering daily to others, and testifying of the truth of God's word, and living an exemplary life. Notice that "salt" is a very very small portion of a recipe. Relatively, the followers of Christ are also very few in numbers. What does it mean to lose our "savor"? Could it be that we still exist as "salt" or the followers of Christ, but we have no "savor" or taste, or effect on the "recipe", so what good are we? Does it mean we are not having any influence? We are silent? Complicit? Isn't that what we have just experienced this last year? Where was our influence to stop the marxist take over of our country? Unfortunately, the consequence for losing your "savor" or influence is that you are cast out and trodden under foot of men. Yikes!
 14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. I'm reading a book on the physics of light as it pertains to spiritual light. This charge to be a light is about having discernable influence.
 15 Behold, do men light a ^acandle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
 16 Therefore let your ^alight so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and ^bglorify your Father who is in heaven.  More commandments: (or are they subsets of the first?)  Be as salt to the earth and a light to the people. Salt is a very small percentage of most dishes, yet makes a big difference in the flavor. The disciples of Christ may be few, but can make a big difference in the societies in which they live. We are also supposed to shine in the dark world. If the whole world were filled with light, there would be no need to "shine" and it would be impossible to stand out and be seen. We must always let others know that we are glorifying our Father by our good works. Being that good example, one who makes a difference, requires daily personal spiritual preparedness, to fill our cup, that we may fill others'.
 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;
 18 For verily I say unto you, ^aone jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the ^blaw, but in me it hath all been fulfilled.
 19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a ^abroken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the ^blaw is fulfilled. Remember these laws and commandments. Believe Christ. Repent. Follow the steps of the beatitudes and be saved. 
 20 Therefore ^acome unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my ^bcommandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Here is where Jesus is telling us that the "beatitudes" are commandments as well as anything that follows. (like be "salt" and "light")  Again He beckons to them to come to Him.
 21 Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not ^akill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God; Christ now begins to refine the 10 Commandments for the multitude, explaining that these commandments are much deeper than what might be seen at face value. He ministers this to them to help them see that they are accountable for more than they might think.  In this verse, it's not just killing that's bad.
 22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is ^aangry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. It's being angry and having contention in the heart.
 23 Therefore, ^aif ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—
 24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be ^areconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full ^bpurpose of heart, and I will receive you. He explains how our hearts should be in order to come unto Him. It is very interesting that this verse leads us in the footnotes to partaking worthily of the sacrament. Both references for 'purpose' warn about worthiness, and so it is necessary to not have any feuding going on in order to have Heaven smile on our participation in the sacrament, as well as in approaching Christ.
 25 ^aAgree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, what does it mean to be "in the way with him"? Does that mean to agree with him on things you disagree about? I don't think so. I think it means to find your common ground first and quickly when you meet someone.  lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison. How does our adversary cast us into prison? Does he catch us in our sins? Does he trap us with debt? 
 26 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost senine. And while ye are in prison can ye pay even one ^asenine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay. This is more about being in debt to an adversary. So maybe "agreeing with him quickly" means to pay him quickly before he can call the debt due and cast you in to prison for nonpayment.
 27 Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery;
 28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to ^alust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.
 29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer ^anone of these things to enter into your ^bheart; Temptations are thoughts that have not yet entered into your heart. To get there, you have to choose to take it in. Then it is a sin.
 30 For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your ^across, than that ye should be cast into hell. In the current climate of pro-LGBTQIA+ ideology...it would seem that those who want to follow Christ need to accept that this is something they have to "deny themselves" and "take up their cross" until it is removed by Christ.
 31 It hath been written, that whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of ^adivorcement.
 32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall ^aput away his wife, saving for the cause of ^bfornication, causeth her to commit ^cadultery; and whoso shall marry her who is divorced committeth adultery. How do we explain this? These are words straight from the Savior Himself, who is the same today and yesterday
 33 And again it is written, thou shalt not ^aforswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine ^coaths;
 34 But verily, verily, I say unto you, ^aswear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
 35 Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white;
 37 But let your ^acommunication be ^bYea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.
 38 And behold, it is written, an ^aeye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
 39 But I say unto you, that ye shall not ^aresist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right ^bcheek, ^cturn to him the other also; hmmm...how do you square not resisting evil with standing for truth? 
 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, ^alet him have thy cloak also;
 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to ^ago a mile, go with him twain.
 42 ^aGive to him that asketh thee, and from him that would ^bborrow of thee turn thou not away.
 43 And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;
 44 But behold I say unto you, love your ^aenemies, bless them that curse you, do ^bgood to them that hate you, and ^cpray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
 45 That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise ^aon the evil and on the good. More commandments: be reconciled to our brethren; come before God with full purpose of heart; agree with our adversaries quickly (surely needs qualified?); no lust; watch what enters your heart; do all unto God; simple communication; don't pick up the sword; love your enemy - bless them, do good to them, pray for them. These verses are about ministering in a Christlike manner with our adversaries, our spouses, and our behavior before our fellow man, our loved ones, and our God.
 46 Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all ^afulfilled.
 47 ^aOld things are done away, and all things have become ^bnew. When Christ comes again, will there be another level of "old things" that are done away as things become "new" in the Terrestial order of the new world? It would seem that we should be prepared for this and not resist the changes.
 48 Therefore I would that ye should be ^aperfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. One definition of perfect is 'complete'. Christ adds the words "as I" to the words He spoke in Jerusalem, perhaps because He has completed His perfection upon His resurrection. His death and resurrection has fulfilled the old law of Moses, and He is giving them the new 'Way.' By obedience to His Father, He was ministering to Elohim, by helping, assisting and taking care of the things Father sent Him to do. He wants us to become perfect, even as He and Father are. I'm seeing patterns of ministering up, and ministering out, so to speak. How can one resist an invitation like that, especially with the help (ministering) He offers?