The Sermon on the Mount as
taught in 3 Nephi differs in many instances from the same sermon as recorded in
Matthew 5-7.To help the reader identify the differences, the text from the Book
of Mormon version which differs from the Matthew version will be highlighted in blue text, while the text which is the
same as the Matthew version will be highlighted in
red text. For example, Matt 5:3, reads, “Blessed are the poor in
spirit…,” while the 3 Nephi version reads “Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit
who come unto me…” Therefore the 3 Nephi version will be represented as
follows, Yea,
blessed are the poor in sprit who come unto me.
If you’re color-blind, I apologize.
3 Ne 13:1 do not your alms before men to be seen of them
James E. Talmage
“The
tossing of alms to a beggar, the pouring of offerings into the temple treasure
chests, to be seen of men, and similar displays of affected liberality, were
fashionable among certain classes in the time of Christ; and the same Spirit is
manifest today. Some there be now who cause a trumpet to be sounded, through
the columns of the press perchance, or by other means of publicity, to call
attention to their giving, that they may have glory of men -- to win political
favor, to increase their trade or influence, to get what in their estimation is
worth more than that from which they part. With logical incisiveness the Master
demonstrated that such givers have their reward. They have received what they
bid for; what more can such men demand or consistently expect?” (Jesus the
Christ, p. 237)
3 Ne 13:2 Verily I say unto you, they have their reward
Thomas S. Monson
“Perhaps
no one in my reading has portrayed this teaching of the Master quite so
memorably or so beautifully as Henry Van Dyke in his never-to-be-forgotten
"The Mansion." In this classic story is featured one John Weightman,
a man of means, a dispenser of political power, a successful citizen. His
philosophy toward giving can be gained from his own statement: ‘Of course you
have to be careful how you give, in order to secure the best results—no
indiscriminate giving—no pennies in beggars' hats! . . . Try to put your gifts
where they can be identified and do good all around.’
“One
evening John Weightman sat in his comfortable chair at his library table and
perused the papers spread before him. There were descriptions and pictures of
the Weightman wing of the hospital and the Weightman Chair of Political
Jurisprudence, as well as an account of the opening of the Weightman Grammar
School. John Weightman felt satisfied.
“Then
he picked up the family Bible, which lay on the table, turned to a passage, and
read these words: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven.’ (Matthew 6:19-20.)
“The
book seemed to float away from him. He leaned forward upon the table, his head
resting on his folded hands. He slipped into a deep sleep.
“In
his dream, John Weightman was transported to the Heavenly City. A guide met him
and others whom he had known in life and said that he would conduct them to
their heavenly homes.
“The
group paused before a beautiful mansion and heard the guide say, ‘This is the
home for you, Dr. McLean. Go in; there is no more sickness here, no more death,
nor sorrow, nor pain; for your old enemies are all conquered. But all the good
that you have done for others, all the help that you have given, all the
comfort that you have brought, all the strength and love that you bestowed upon
the suffering, are here; for we have built them all into this mansion for you.’
“A
devoted husband of an invalid wife was shown a lovely mansion, as were a
mother, early widowed, who had reared an outstanding family, and a paralyzed
young woman who had lain for thirty years upon her bed—helpless but not
hopeless—succeeding by a miracle of courage in her single aim: never to
complain, but always to impart a bit of her joy and peace to everyone who came
near her.
“By
this time, John Weightman was impatient to see what mansion awaited him. As he
and the Keeper of the Gate walked on, the homes became smaller—then smaller. At
last they stood in the middle of a dreary field and beheld a hut, hardly big
enough for a shepherd's shelter. Said the guide, ‘This is your mansion, John
Weightman.’
“In
desperation, John Weightman argued, ‘Have you not heard that I have built a
schoolhouse; a wing of a hospital; . . . three . . . churches?’
“’Wait,’
the guide cautioned. ‘They were not ill done. But they were all marked and used
as foundations for the name and mansion of John Weightman in the world. . . .
Verily, you have had your reward for them. Would you be paid twice?’
“A
sadder but wiser John Weightman spoke more slowly: ‘What is it that counts
here?’
“Came
the reply, ‘Only that which is truly given. Only that good which is done for
the love of doing it. Only those plans in which the welfare of others is the
master thought. Only those labors in which the sacrifice is greater than the reward.
Only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself.’” (Live the Good Life,
p. 31-33)
3 Ne 13:3 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth
To
give without anyone else knowing is to give anonymously. But we are to give
without the left hand even knowing what is going on. In the metaphor, the left
hand represents the possibility of receiving something in return. The left hand
must be kept quietly at one’s side, or else it might hope to receive some kind
of benefit from the work of the right hand. Elder Carlos E. Asay has reminded us, “Those who strive to share the gospel with the hope of
some tangible reward uppermost in their minds are too much like those who give
with one hand and expect to receive with the other or who give a gift that sticks
to their fingers. On the other hand, those who give or share with an intangible
blessing in mind are required to exercise a greater faith. Their motive for
doing seems purer than those who do with the expectation of an immediate and
tangible return.” (The Seven M's of Missionary Service: Proclaiming the
Gospel as a Member or Full-time Missionary, chap. 6)
Henry B. Eyring
“…the
Lord said, ‘Do not your alms before men.’ (Matthew
6:1.) And the best people don't. They do good very privately. Now and then I
get a glimpse, always by accident, of the way some people live the simple
commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They don't know more than you and I
know; they just do more of the simple things you and I have already been taught
as children in a Primary class. I discover acts of kindness, of forgiveness, or
of moral endurance beyond what I had thought we could do.” (To Draw Closer
To God, pp. 67-68)
3 Ne 13:5 when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites
Bruce R. McConkie
“’For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that
which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall
do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted
unto him for righteousness .... And likewise also is it counted evil unto a
man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth
him nothing, for God receiveth none such.’ (Moro. 7:6-9.) Rather men are
commanded to ‘pray unto the Father with all the energy’
of their hearts, with all the strength that their whole souls possess.
(Moro. 7:48.)
“…’Do not pray as the Zoramites do, for ye have seen that
they pray to be heard of men, and to be praised for their wisdom. Do not say: O
God, I thank thee that we are better than our brethren; but rather say: O Lord,
forgive my unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy -- yea, acknowledge
your unworthiness before God at all times.’ (Alma 38:13-14.) Further: ‘Pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute
you.’ (3 Ne. 12:44; Matt. 5:44.)
“Those
formal, written prayers which are commonly read by ministers, and those recited
by lay church members in doing penance or seeking grace, are devoid of the true
spirit of prayer and should be shunned. Frequently they are spoken without real
intent; and their use keeps men from searching their own hearts in an attempt
to pray in faith according to an approved pattern so that actual blessings may
be gained from Deity. Not infrequently these prepared prayers are read, recited,
or chanted in ritualistic ceremonies in which the speakers do not concentrate
all the faculties of their whole souls upon the prayers being offered. As a
consequence the words often take on the nature of useless jargon and do not
open the door to the receipt of the Lord's blessings.” (Mormon Doctrine,
p. 585)
Charles W. Penrose
“Now,
prayer is not acceptable for its rhetoric.
It is that which comes from the heart, the sincere sentiment, the secret
feeling, which ascends to our Father and which He, who sees in secret, will
reward openly. It is not a multitude of
words and repetitions that is pleasing to the Lord, but the earnest desire of a
humble heart. And this will be
answered, no matter how broken or ungrammatical the language may be. On the other hand, no matter how flowery the
language of the petition may be, if it does not convey the feelings of the
heart, it is not true prayer.” (Collected Discourses 1886-1898,
ed. by Brian Stuy, vol. 2, Charles W. Penrose, March 22, 1891)
3
Ne 13:9-13 The Lord’s Prayer
There
are differences between the Nephi and Matthew versions of this prayer. Among
the Nephites, the Savior leaves out two phrases, Thy
kingdom come…and Give us this day our daily
bread. The reason for these two omissions is not clear. The student who
has identified the differences should be complemented for his or her
perceptiveness but most explanations are speculative at best.
3
Ne 13:9 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name
When
we approach God, the Father in prayer, we should be immediately humbled by the
relationship. Consider the way royalty has been approached in the past. With
great concern over the welfare of the Israelites, Esther bravely sought for
certain favors before the king of Persia. The custom of the time was that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king
into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him
to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that
he may live (Esther 4:11). Whether Esther lived or died depended upon
whether this king would acknowledge her as she approached him. What if the same
were true of our prayers to God?
Elohim
is greater than any king, yet He has no rules about who may approach Him.
Although infinitesimally greater than we or any worldly king, His golden
scepter is continually held out, inviting us to come to Him, for he giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not
(James 1:5). Still, there should be no casualness, no flippancy, no
triteness about the communication. Those who appear before royalty always
acknowledge their superiority, choosing their words carefully and respectfully.
The same reverence should be shown when approaching the Father of the King of
Kings, for it is our privilege to approach him without the fear of reproach or
punishment—even when we deserve to be punished!
David
O. McKay
“’Our Father
which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . .’ Hallow --to make
holy -- to hold in reverence.
’Reverence,’ wrote Ruskin, ‘is the
noblest state in which a man can live in the world. Reverence is one of the
signs of strength; irreverence one of the surest indications of weakness. No
man will rise high who jeers at sacred things. The fine loyalties of life must be
reverenced or they will be foresworn in the day of trial.’
“Charles Jefferson, the author of
"The Character of Jesus" writes: ‘Men in many circles are clever,
interesting, brilliant, but they lack one of the three dimensions of life. They
have no reach upward. Their conversation sparkles, but it is frivolous and
often flippant. Their talk is witty, but the wit is often at the expense of
high and sacred things.’” (Conference Reports, Oct. 1950, p. 164)
Bruce R. McConkie
“How glorious it is to address such a
holy and exalted person by the greatest of all titles, Father, and to be
privileged to have audience with him on our own invitation, anytime we pray in
faith with all the strength and energy of our souls!” (The Mortal Messiah,
Book 2, p. 151)
3
Ne 13:10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven
Orson
Pratt
“When I reflect that in heaven there is
a perfect union of spirit and feeling among the celestial throng,--when I
reflect that in that happy place there is no disunion one with another--no
different views, but that all will have the same mind and feeling in regard to
the things of God; and then reflect that the day is to come when the same order
of things is to be established here upon the earth; and then look at the
present condition of mankind, I am constrained to acknowledge that there must
be a great revolution on the earth. Where are there two men abroad in the world
that see eye to eye--that have the same view in regard to doctrine and
principle--that are of the same mind? They can scarcely be found. I doubt
whether they can be found in the world.
“How is it among us, the Latter-day
Saints?…I will say many of them: they do actually, in the great fundamental
principles of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, see eye to eye. I cannot suppose
that in our infancy and childhood we can attain to all this great perfection in
a moment, and be brought to see and understand alike. But there is one great
heavenly standard or principle? It is the restoration of the holy Priesthood,
the living oracles of God, to the earth; and that Priesthood, dictated,
governed, and directed by the power of revelation, through the gift of the Holy
Ghost,--that is the standard to which all the Latter-day Saints and the kingdom
of God must come, in order to fulfil the prophecy I have read in your hearing.”
(Journal of Discourses, 7:371)
Francis M. Lyman
“What a splendid condition would obtain
among the Latter-day Saints today, what an improvement there would be among us,
if we were to do the will of our Father as it is in heaven! It is possible for us to do the will of our
Father. We know what His will is, and
we beseech our Father that we may do His will as His will is done in heaven;
and when we pray with faith we will be enabled to live up to that prayer and
that petition, and this should be the endeavor of every member of this
Church. Our thoughts should be brought
to that point upon every occasion when we approach the Lord, that his will in
us may be done as it is done in heaven.” (Collected Discourses 1886-1898,
ed. by Brian Stuy, vol. 2, Francis M. Lyman, Oct. 6, 1895)
3
Ne 13:11 forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors
James
E. Talmage
“Forgiveness is too precious a pearl to
be cast at the feet of the unforgiving; and, without the sincerity that springs
from a contrite heart, no man may justly claim mercy. If others owe us, either
in actual money or goods as suggested by debts and debtors, or through some
infringement upon our rights included under the broader designation as a trespass,
our mode of dealing with them will be taken into righteous account in the
judgment of our own offenses.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 224)
3
Ne 13:12 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil
Although
the Joseph Smith translation does not include this change, Joseph Smith
taught that a better rendition of this verse is “leave us not in temptation.”
(Andrus, They Knew the Prophet, p. 87)
James
E. Talmage
“The first part of this petition has
occasioned comment and question. We are not to understand that God would ever
lead a man into temptation except, perhaps, by way of wise permission, to test
and prove him, thereby affording him opportunity of overcoming and so of
gaining spiritual strength …The intent of the supplication appears to be that
we be preserved from temptation beyond our weak powers to withstand; that we be
not abandoned to temptation without the divine support that shall be as full a
measure of protection as our exercise of choice will allow.
“How inconsistent then to go, as many
do, into the places where the temptations to which we are most susceptible are
strongest; for the man beset with a passion for strong drink to so pray and
then resort to the dramshop; for the man whose desires are lustful to voice
such a prayer and then go where lust is kindled; for the dishonest man, though
he say the prayer, to then place himself where he knows the opportunity to
steal will be found! Can such souls as these be other than hypocrites in asking
God to deliver them from the evils they have sought? Temptation will fall in
our way without our seeking, and evil will present itself even when We desire
most to do right; for deliverance from such we may pray with righteous
expectation and assurance.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 225)
3
Ne 13:15 if ye forgive not men their trespasses
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses
Thomas
S. Monson
“’Blame keeps wounds open. Only
forgiveness heals!’ (O Pioneers! By Willa Cather). Recently I read where
an elderly man disclosed at the funeral of his brother, with whom he had
shared, from early manhood, a small, one room cabin near Canisteo, New York,
that following a quarrel, they had divided the room in half with a chalk line
and neither had crossed the line nor spoken a word to the other since that
day—sixty-two years before! What a human tragedy—all for the want of mercy and
forgiveness….’He [who] cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he
himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be
forgiven’” (Ensign, May 1995, pp. 59-60 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 423)
Jeffrey R. Holland
“Life is too short to be spent nursing
animosities or in keeping a box score of offenses against us…We don’t want God
to remember our sins, so there is something fundamentally wrong in our
relentlessly trying to remember those of others. When we have been hurt,
undoubtedly God takes into account what wrongs were done to us and what
provocations there are for our resentments, but clearly the more provocation
there is and the more excuse we can find for our hurt, all the more reason for
us to forgive and be delivered from the destructive hell of such poisonous
venom and anger. It is one of those ironies of godhood that in order to find peace,
the offended as well as the offender must engage the principle of forgiveness.”
(Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 83 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the
Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 423)
3
Ne 13:17 when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and
wash thy face
Dallin
H. Oaks
“The Savior's commandments on the
mental attitudes that should accompany prayer and fasting, like the Beatitudes
and other teachings of this supreme sermon, establish an exquisitely difficult
standard for mortals. As F. W. Farrar observed in his great work The Life of
Christ (London: Cassell & Co., Ltd., 1874):
“It is easy to be a slave to the
letter, and difficult to enter into the spirit; easy to obey a number of
outward rules, difficult to enter intelligently and self-sacrificingly into the
will of God; easy to entangle the soul in a network of petty observances,
difficult to yield the obedience of an enlightened heart; easy to be haughtily
exclusive, difficult to be humbly spiritual; easy to be an ascetic or a
formalist, difficult to be pure, and loving, and wise, and free; easy to be a
Pharisee, difficult to be a disciple; very easy to embrace a self-satisfying
and sanctimonious system of rabbinical observances, very difficult to love God with
all the heart, and all the might, and all the soul, and all the strength. (Page
469, quoted in Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1980], 3:232.)” (Pure in Heart, p. 25)
3 Ne 13:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth
The scriptures clearly tell
us that we need to be careful not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth.
This may be particularly hard to do in a society which places so much
importance on riches and the vain things of this
world (Alma 4:8). The Lord’s 1831 warning still seems to apply, Now, I, the lord, am not well pleased with the
inhabitants of Zion, for…they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity,
but their eyes are full of greediness (DC 68:31). The parable of the
rich man is instructive:
‘…a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
And he spake a parable
unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
And he thought within
himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my
fruits?
And he said, This will
I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my
soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat,
drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those
things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Lu 12:15-21).
Dallin H. Oaks
“In
descending order of intensity, materialism may be an obsession, a
preoccupation, or merely a strong interest. Whatever its degree, an interest
becomes materialism when it is intense enough to override priorities that
should be paramount.
“From
the emphasis given to this subject in the scriptures, it appears that
materialism has been one of the greatest challenges to the children of God in
all ages of time. Greed, the ugly face of materialism in action, has been one
of Satan's most effective weapons in corrupting men and turning their hearts
from God.
“In
the first of the Ten Commandments, accepted as fundamental religious law by
Christians and Jews alike, God commands: ‘Thou shalt
have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3)…The first commandment is a
comprehensive prohibition against the pursuit of any goal or priority ahead of
God. The first commandment prohibits materialism…the treasures of our
hearts--our priorities--should not be the destructible and temporary things of
this world.
“…Another
lesson on materialism is taught in the example of the follower who asked the
Savior what he should do to ‘inherit eternal life.’
After this questioner represented that he had kept all the commandments from
his youth, the Savior said: ‘One thing thou lackest:
go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.’
When the follower heard this, ‘he was sad at that
saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.’ Seeing
this, Jesus said, ‘How hard it is for them that
trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!’ (Mark 10:17,21,22,24).
“This
man's failing was not his possession of riches but his attitude toward them…
“When
we place our trust in our property, we have ‘carnal
security.’ In that state of mind we are inclined to say that all must be
well with us and with Zion because we are prospering, thus relying on worldly
success as a mark of divine favor. He who does this is an easy mark for being
led ‘carefully down to hell.’” (Pure in
Heart, pp. 73-79)
3 Ne 13:20 lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
Bruce R. McConkie
“While
yet on earth men may lay up treasures in heaven. These treasures, earned here
and now in mortality, are in effect deposited to our eternal bank account in
heaven where eventually they will be reinherited again in immortality.
Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men
acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness
as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth, will find these same
attributes restored to them again in immortality. (Alma 41:13-15.) ‘Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this
life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.’ (D. & C. 130:18.)”
(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:239)
Orson Hyde
“Whenever
I see the hungry and feed him, the naked and clothe him, the sick and
distressed and administer to their wants I feel that I am laying up treasure in
heaven. When I am educating my children and embellishing their minds and
fitting them for usefulness, I am laying up treasures in heaven. I would ask
that little boy, who is well educated and well trained, ‘What thief can enter
in and steal the knowledge you have got?’ It is beyond the power of the thief
to steal, it is out of his reach, that treasure is laid up in heaven, for where
is there a place more sacred than the hearts of the rising generation which
beat with purity, and with love to their parents, and with love to God and his
kingdom? What better place can you find in which to deposit treasures than
that? But all our obligations are not pointing to one source or quarter, there
are many ways in which we can lay up treasures in heaven by doing good here on
the earth.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 17, p. 11)
3 Ne 13:22 if…thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light
Eye movements are controlled
by some of the smallest, most well-controlled muscles in the human body. Almost
imperceptible contractions of these muscles make incredibly large changes in
the visual landscape. This analogy is particularly effective, because it is so
difficult to keep our eyes focused on one thing. It takes no effort to take a
quick glance either to our right or to our left. Yet, in the microsecond that
we let our eyes wander, our mind can be filled with all sorts of evil. Like
racehorses, we need to keep these muscles finely tuned to the finish line; we
need blinders to block out the many worldly distractions which are always
pestering us from the periphery.
Certainly,
of all the skills we need to learn in mortality, keeping our eyes on the prize
requires the greatest self-discipline. Accordingly, it provides the greatest
reward:
‘And if your eye be
single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there
shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light
comprehendeth all things.
Therefore, sanctify
yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that
you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his
own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.’ (DC 88:67-68)
Gordon B. Hinckley
“If
you concentrate on the work of the Lord, if you give it everything you have,
your whole body shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in
you. Gone will be the darkness of sin. Gone will be the darkness of laziness.
Gone will be all of these negative things. That's the word of the Lord to you
and to me.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Missionary Service,
Full-time”)
Orson Hyde
“Have
you that control and dominion over your own minds that they cannot be caught
away by anything that is foreign to the purpose or object that engages your
attention? For instance, while we call upon the Lord for his blessings, is it
not sometimes the case that we think the old ox may be in the stackyard? Do we
not sometimes think we shall be cheated here, and lose that amount of money
there? If you have never been aware of this, when you go home and pray again,
see if you have power to control your mind and keep it from wandering on something
else. Until we discipline our minds, and have the complete control of them, we
cannot make that advancement that we ought.
“If
we cannot discipline and control our own minds, how can we discipline and
control kingdoms, nations, tongues, and people?
“Suppose
any of you mechanics erect a mill, and the stream is a small one—though, if
properly and economically applied, it would be quite sufficient to drive the
machinery you wish it to; but instead of the water being properly confined to
exert the greatest amount of power, it is spread all over the face of the
land;--has it that amount of force to drive the machinery that it otherwise
would have? No. But conduct the water through a narrow channel, and apply it
properly on the wheel, then your machinery rolls. It is just so with our minds:
when they are scattered on different objects, when we are calling upon the name
of the Lord, there is no power in that mind. Why? Because the eye is not
single. ‘If thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light.’ Again: The agent steam possesses great power
when confined and properly applied to shafts and wheels. But let the boiler
explode and the steam pass into the atmosphere, what power is there then in
that agent? None. Confine it, and it is as it were an almighty power, or it is
a portion of almighty power drawn out of the elements that surround us. So it
is with the mind: let it be concentrated and applied to any subject, and it has
great power. ‘If thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light.’ (Journal of Discourses, 7:152)
Orson Hyde
“If
thine eye were single, thou mightest sometimes see through the vail.” (Journal
of Discourses, 7:153)
3 Ne 13:24 No man can serve two masters
Brigham Young
“They
who love and serve God with all their hearts rejoice evermore…But they who try
to serve God and still cling to the spirit of the world, have got on two
yokes—the yoke of Jesus and the yoke of the devil…They will have a warfare
inside and outside, and the labor will be very galling, for they are directly
in opposition one to the other. Cast off the yoke of the enemy, and put on the
yoke of Christ, and you will say that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
This I know by experience.” (Journal of Discourses 16:123 as taken from
Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas
Bassett, p. 425)
Spencer W. Kimball
“One
man I know of was called to a position of service in the Church, but he felt
that he couldn’t accept because his investments required more attention and
more of his time than he could spare for the Lord’s work. He left the service
of the Lord in search of Mammon, and he is a millionaire today. But I recently
learned an interesting fact: if a man owns a million dollars worth of gold at
today’s prices, he possesses approximately one 27-billionth of all the gold
that is present in the earth’s thin crust…The Lord who created and has power
over all the earth created many other earths as well, even
‘worlds without number’ (Moses 1:33); and when this man received the
oath and covenant of the priesthood (DC 84:33-44), he received a promise from
the Lord of ‘all that my Father hath’ (v.
38). To set aside all these great promises in favor of a chest of gold and a
sense of carnal security is a mistake in perspective of colossal proportions.
To think that he has settled for so little is a saddening and pitiful prospect
indeed.” (Ensign, June 1976, p. 5 as taken from Latter-day Commentary
on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 425)
Neal A. Maxwell
‘Some
would never sell Jesus for thirty pieces, but they would not give
Him their all either! Unfortunately, we tend to think of consecration only in
terms of property and money. But there are so many ways of keeping back part.
One might be giving of money and time and yet hold back a significant portion
of himself…One might accept a Church calling but have his heart more set on
maintaining a certain role in the world…Each of us is an innkeeper who decides
if there is room for Jesus! Consecration is the only surrender which is also a
victory. It brings release from…selfishness and emancipation from the dark
prison of pride…Consecration may not require giving up worldly possessions so
much as being less possessed by them…Brother and sisters, whatever we embrace
instead of Jesus and His work will keep us from qualifying to enter His kingdom
and therefore from being embraced by Him.” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, pp. 66-67 as taken from
Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas
Bassett, p. 424)
3
Ne 13:25 he looked upon the twelve who he had chosen,
and said unto them…
One
of the oldest debates with regard to the Sermon on the Mount revolves around
the issue of Christ’s audience. Some argue that the entire sermon was given to
the Twelve in preparation for their ordination to the apostleship. Others argue
that the sermon was given to the entire multitude and therefore applies to
every disciple of Christ. Significantly, then, the Savior defined his audience
for the rest of chapter 13. It was to the chosen twelve in Bountiful to whom he
was speaking when he said, take no thought for your
life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink. These words are
especially appropriate for a witness of Christ who is required, as a
missionary, to preach without purse or scrip.
Even
though the next several verses were addressed to the twelve disciples, we
should also apply them, in context, to ourselves. This is the lesson we learn
from Nephi, Now these are the words, and ye may
liken them unto you and unto all men (2 Ne 11:8).
Jeffrey
R. Holland
“In a general sense these verses can
apply to all believers, but at their most literal level they apply to those the
Lord has called as his full-time witnesses. Most people must give some thought
to what they will eat and what they will wear; the necessities of life require
it. But the twelve disciples were not to do so, for they were chosen "to
minister unto [the] people." Their call was to give complete devotion to
their spiritual ministry and to trust in God's—and the people's—providence for
their temporal needs.” (Christ And The New Covenant, p. 265)
3
Ne 13:25 take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink
Bruce
R. McConkie
“…a
special rule applies to those who are called to go into the world … and preach
the gospel. For the time and season of their missionary service they are to
have no concern about business enterprises or temporal pursuits. They are to be
free of the encumbering obligations that always attend those who manage
temporal affairs. Their whole attention and all of their strength and talents
are to be centered on the work of the ministry, and they have the Father’s
promise that he will look after their daily needs.” (Doctrinal New Testament
Commentary, 1:243.)
Hugh Nibley
“We have been permitted to come here to
go to school, to acquire certain knowledge and take a number of tests to
prepare us for greater things hereafter. This whole life, in fact, is ‘a state of probation’ (2 Nephi 2:21). While we are
at school our generous patron has provided us with all the necessities of
living that we will need to carry us through. Imagine, then, that at the end of
the first school year your kind benefactor pays the school a visit. He meets
you and asks you how you are doing. ‘Oh,’ you say, ‘I am doing very well,
thanks to your bounty.’ ‘Are you studying a lot?’ ‘Yes, I am making good
progress.’ ‘What subjects are you studying?’ ‘Oh, I am studying courses in how
to get more lunch.’ ‘You study that? All the time?’ ‘Yes. I thought of studying
some other subjects. Indeed I would love to study them—some of them are so
fascinating!—but after all it's the bread-and-butter courses that count. This
is the real world, you know. There is no free lunch.’ ‘But my dear boy, I'm
providing you with that right now.’ ‘Yes, for the time being, and I am
grateful—but my purpose in life is to get more and better lunches; I want to go
right to the top—the executive suite, the Marriott lunch.’
“…I once had a university fellowship
for which I had to agree not to accept any gainful employment for the period of
a year—all living necessities were supplied: I was actually forbidden to work
for lunch. Was it free lunch? I never worked so hard in my life—but I never
gave lunch a thought. I wasn't supposed to. I was eating only so that I could
do my work; I was not working only so that I could eat. And that is what the
Lord asks us: to forget about lunch, and do his work, and the lunch will be
taken care of.” (Approaching Zion, p. 211-12)
3
Ne 13:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness
In
the world we live in, investors spend countless hours determining which stocks
are most undervalued and profitable. Everyone searches for the investment which
will bring a big return. But the greatest of all investments is to trust in the
Lord. No stock pays better dividends. No investment portfolio is as
well-balanced. Nothing provides a better tax-shelter.
But
there’s always a catch! The Lord doesn’t want us to buy just a few shares of
his kingdom. If you want the big return, you have to put all your eggs in His
basket, and that takes a lot of faith. When we fail to seek his kingdom first,
it is because we lack faith—we really don’t trust him. Maybe we believe in Him
but we don’t really believe what He says. The other requirement is to exclude
all distractions—the eye has to be single, there can be no other master, the
concerns over food, clothing, and shelter must become secondary. But the Lord
is able to make good his promises. The word of the Lord to his share-holders is
as follows:
‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye
have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands
and prepared for you;
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good
cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings
thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made
glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred
fold, yea more.’ (DC 78:17-19).
Robert E. Wells
“As I travel around the stakes of Latin
America, I am impressed with the lives and dedication of the Saints. Even in
the midst of political and economic problems, those who put the kingdom first
and who serve faithfully are prospering ore than the people around them. In one
country the amount of tithing contributions doubled recently, but with only a
few more full-tithe payers than before. The gross national product per capita
was decreasing, but the incomes of Saints who paid their tithing were doubling.
They were placing the kingdom first, and the Lord was blessing them.” (The Mount & the Master, p. 161)
LeGrand Richards
“When
I think of what our people do in this Church without having to be paid with
money for what they do, I know that it is a tremendous thing. You take the
General Authorities here on the stand. When they were called to be General
Authorities, there was nothing said to them about whether they would receive an
allowance to live on. I remember when I was back in Washington, just after
President Benson was called to be a member of the Twelve and he had not yet
been out West to be ordained and set apart. I was then the Presiding Bishop and
attended his stake conference. And he said: ‘Bishop, will there be any
provision that we will have a living while we are serving as General
Authorities of the Church?’ And I said: ‘Well, there will be a little
allowance. But,’ I said, ‘you will have to live differently than you have done
back here unless you have got a little bit tucked away!’ I happen to know of an
offer that was made to him while he was in the Department of Agriculture that,
in those days, was a tremendous offer; and he passed that by to come back here
to be a member of the Quorum without any assurance that he would have an
allowance given to him.
“I
think of when President Tanner was called to be one of the General Authorities.
President McKay told us that he was in line to become the prime minister of
Canada and that he was at the head of several great industrial organizations in
Canada. I am sure that if he were to stand here now, he would tell you that
when President McKay asked him to be one of the General Authorities, he did not
discuss with him anything about an allowance that he would receive.
“I
could go on down, and each one of these men could tell you how they gave up
their businesses and their professions, and why did they do it? Because they
had received the gift of the Holy Ghost that made it possible for them to do
what Jesus advised: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you’
(Matt. 6:33).”
(Conference Report, Oct. 1979)
3 Ne 13:34 Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof
The word, “evil,” is used in
this phrase to mean the troublesome, annoying, problems of everyday life. In
the Matthew version, it reads, sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof. In other words, every day brings
enough problems that we don’t need to waste our time worrying about the
problems of tomorrow or the next day. We should live in the present and concern
ourselves with today’s issues. Within reason, we are to live life one day at a
time.
Next, we should review how
the text was changed for the Nephi version. It reads, sufficient
is the day unto the evil thereof. Notice that the placement of the
words, “is” and “unto” are switched. This approach is more optimistic. It
focuses on the sufficiency of the day not the sufficiency of the evil. In other
words, the Lord provides us with enough time and means to effectively deal with
all of our problems. The key for us is to learn to live life without worrying
about every pothole in the road.
This is such practical
advice! Some have perfected worrying to a science. Others have fashioned it
into an art form. Yet, worrying doesn’t solve any problems. It just raises
blood pressure, hardens arteries, and shortens lifespans. In the eternal scheme
of things, the small things are not worth the sweat and tears we waste on them.
Brigham Young
“It's
basic to realize that we don't run things. We are not in control. We can't make
people do anything, and so we have nothing to lose. So don't get flustered and
don't worry. Your Heavenly Father is in control.” (Brother Brigham
challenges the Saints, p. 462)
Harold B. Lee
“…the
only day you have to worry about is today. There is nothing you can do about
yesterday except repent. That means if you made mistakes yesterday, don't be
making them today. Don't worry about tomorrow, because you may have no
tomorrows. This is the masterpiece you ought to be thinking about today. And if
you can always witness honestly that whatever you did, you did to the best of
your ability, and next day try improvement on that, when your life's end comes,
of you it can be said in truth, his was a successful life because he lived to
the best that was in him. That's all the Lord expects of any one of His
children. We are all born with different capacities, some to do one thing, some
to do the other, and all He asks is that we do our best; and that's the measure
by which we'll be judged when that time comes.” (The Teachings of Harold B.
Lee, p. 64-5)