Having praised Nephi for his faithfulness, the angel gives
Nephi a sign. ”[A]fter thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy
father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him
shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it
is the Son of God” (1 Nephi 11:7).
Nephi was then told to look, and he saw the tree which his
father had seen. “[T]he beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and
the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow” (1 Nephi
11:8).
Cynthia Hallen uses this example to show us the importance
of keeping records.
Because Lehi kept a record,
we can read about his vision of the tree of eternal life (see 1 Nephi 8:10–20).
His son Nephi saw the same vision, reporting that the beauty of the tree was
"far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty" (1 Nephi 11:8). The tree
was not just lovely; it was also pure, desirable, and wholesome, and the
fairness of it "did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow" (1 Nephi
11:8). Keeping a record of our dreams can enhance our ability to pluck
"excellent and comely" fruit from the "beautiful and
glorious" branch of the Lord (2 Nephi 14:2; Isaiah 4:2). If we emulate the
vision-keeping of Lehi and Nephi, our writing can be enriched by the images of
inspired dreams.[1]
After telling the Spirit he beheld this precious tree, he is
asked by the Spirit, what do you desire?
Nephi told the Spirit his desire was to understand the
meaning of his father’s dream. He breaks
into his account to tell us he spoke directly to the Spirit. He was in the form of a man and they spoke
as two people would speak with each other.
Nephi told to look, but he no longer saw the Spirit. He saw Jerusalem and other cities. He saw Nazareth and there, he “I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly
fair and white” (1 Nephi 11:13). Nephi
had seen Mary, the mother of Christ. “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused
to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name
was Mary” (Luke 1:26 - 27).
Some critics have questioned the use of “white” as a
description of Mary. She was not white
(as in Caucasian), they say. This is
another example of the many reasons why the Book of Mormon cannot be true.
This is a silly claim and it shows a lack of understanding
of the English language. Why might Nephi
had used the term “white?”
In the scriptures, white is used to represent purity. “Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
A look at a thesaurus gives alternate words that could be
used as white. For example - clean, fresh, new, spotless, untouched, virgin,
and virginal. Let’s look at pure - blameless, clean,
guileless, immaculate, lilywhite, maidenly,
righteous, sinless, spotless, unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled,
virgin, and virtuous.[2]
It also shows they do not understand the Book of Mormon and
key concepts. Daniel Peterson gives us a
powerful explanation for why a description of Mary would use “white.”
Even the language used to describe
her echoes the vocabulary previously used for the tree. Just as she was
"exceedingly fair and white," "most beautiful and fair above all
other virgins," so was the tree's beauty "far beyond, yea, exceeding
of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven
snow." Significantly, though, it is only when she appears with a baby and
is identified as "the mother of the Son of God" that Nephi grasps the
tree's meaning.[3]
The Spirit who had been speaking to Nephi departed. The heavens opened and an angel appeared and
stood before Nephi. He asked Nephi what
he saw.
Nephi told him he saw “[a]
virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins” (1 Nephi
11:15). Then he was asked, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”
(1 Nephi 11:16). He responded he knew
God loves his children, “nevertheless, I
do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17).
Richard Draper explains:
Nephi clearly understood the nature
of the ministry of the coming Messiah. An angel asked him, "Knowest thou
the condescension of God?" Nephi answered, "I know that he loveth his
children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi
11:16–17). The angel then revealed to Nephi not only the condescension of
God but also the love on which it was grounded. The term condescension means to
descend from a higher to a lower state, to waive the privileges of one's rank
or dignity.[4]
Richard Hafen shares an experience he had with Elder Neal
Maxwell before his death. This
experience helps us understand how we can apply the Book of Mormon in our
everyday lives.
It is hard to describe how watching
Elder Maxwell's experience, like watching the experience of my friend with MS,
has changed my perspective about what I've called my "religious problem."
Those who taste sanctification must often pay such a terribly high price that
they can't possibly understand the need for their suffering. Rather than
looking for a rational explanation, Elder Maxwell would just quote Nephi:
"I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the
meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17).[5]
The angel told Nephi he had seen Mary, the mother of
Christ. “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who
[JST Matt. 1:4 ... as the prophets have
written, who is called Christ] is called Christ [The Greek title ‘Christ’
and the Hebrew title ‘Messiah’ are synonymous, meaning ‘Anointed One.’]” (Matthew
1:16)
In his great sermon, King Benjamin would testify to the
assembled multitude, “And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father
of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother
shall be called Mary” (Mosiah 3:8).
After being awakened by Ammon, the first thing King Lamoni
did was testify of Christ. “For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen
my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall
redeem all mankind who believe on his name.
Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and
he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the
Spirit” (Alma 19:13).
[1] Beauty on the Mountains: Inspiration from the
Book of Mormon for LDS Writers, Cynthia L. Hallen, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed February 8, 2013.
[3] Not Joseph's, and Not Modern, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 9, 2013.
[4] The Mortal Ministry of the Savior as
Understood by the Book of Mormon Prophets,
Richard D. Draper, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 9, 2013.
Richard D. Draper, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 9, 2013.
[5] Reason, Faith, and the Things of Eternity, Bruce C. Hafen, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed February 9, 2013.
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