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Matthew 5:3-48
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3 Nephi 12:3-48
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11 Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake [GR on account of me]
12 Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they
the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light
a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.
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, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you,
That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall
kill shall be in danger of the judgment [GR subject to condemnation];
22 But I say unto you,
That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger
of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [A word
suggesting contempt or derision in both Aramaic and Greek], shall be in
danger of the council [IE subject to the Sanhedrin]: but whosoever shall say,
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift
before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and
then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine
adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto
thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the
uttermost farthing [GR the last penny].
27 Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend
thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell.
31 It hath been said,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you,
That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is
divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard
that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself,
but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you,
Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth;
for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city
of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your
communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh
of evil.
38 Ye have heard that
it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you,
That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will
sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall
compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that
asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that
it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love
you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
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11 And blessed are ye when
men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake;
12 For ye shall have great joy and
be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so
persecuted they the prophets who were before you.
13 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I give unto you to be the salt 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.
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.
15 Behold, do men light a
candle 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
light so shine before this people, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
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, one jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the law,
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 broken heart and a
contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is
fulfilled.
20 Therefore come unto me and be
ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my
commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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 kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the
judgment of God;
22 But I say unto you,
that whosoever is angry 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.
23 Therefore, if 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 reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of
heart, and I will receive you.
25 Agree with thine
adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time he
shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison.
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 senine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay.
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 lust after her, hath committed adultery
already in his heart.
29 Behold, I give unto you a
commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart;
30 For it is better that ye
should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross,
than that ye should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been written, that whosoever
shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.
32 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whoso shall marry her who is
divorced committeth adultery.
33 And again it
is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths;
34 But verily,
verily, I say unto you, swear 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
communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of
more than these is evil.
38 And behold, it is written,
an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
39 But I say unto you,
that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other also;
40 And if any man will
sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;
41 And whosoever shall
compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that
asketh thee, and from him that would borrow 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 enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray 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 on the evil and on the good.
46 Therefore those things which
were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.
47 Old things are done away, and
all things have become new.
48 Therefore I would that ye
should be perfect even as I, or your Father who
is in heaven is perfect.
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Let’s begin examining Matthew 5 and 3 Nephi 12.
In the book The Sermon
at the Temple, John Welch looks at the sermon from a different perspective.
He “offer[s] a Latter-day Saint interpretation of the Sermon that sees it in
the context of a sacred temple experience, for that is the setting of Jesus’
Sermon at the Temple. Seeing the teachings, instructions, doctrines, and
commandments of the Sermon on the Mount in this way—in connection with the
ceremonial stages and ordinances of covenant making—opens new insights into a
unified meaning and comprehensive significance of the otherwise segmented
Sermon on the Mount. I invite readers to ponder the prospects of the exceptional
view of the Sermon that the Book of Mormon presents to us, for that view has
far-reaching implications.”[1]
An important point to remember, “In Matthew. Jesus is
mortal; in 3 Nephi he is resurrected.”[2]
As we review the Sermon at the
Temple, I suggest looking at the Sermon as something resembling a sacred,
temple experience.
The Savior begins His sermon as He did in Jerusalem. “[B]lessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). At
the Temple, He teaches us we must do more than being poor in spirit. After
this, He adds an important qualifier. He adds “who come unto me.” To
receive the “kingdom of heaven,” we must come to Him. Only when we do this do
we receive the kingdom of heaven.
“Matthew
5—7 contains one of the most powerful sermons ever given—the Sermon on the
Mount. Jesus repeated many of the same teachings to his people in the Americas.
In comparing discourses, the Book of Mormon account contains additions which
clarify to whom Jesus was speaking as he taught various segments of his sermon.
The Beatitudes were for those who would come to Christ. To ‘Blessed are the
poor in spirit;’ the Book of Mormon adds, ‘who come unto me, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3; 3 Nephi 12:3; italics added). In the New
Testament the clarifying phrase ‘who come unto me’ is omitted. It is not a
blessed condition to be poor in spirit, as the Matthew account portrays;
however, if one finds oneself poor in spirit, and as a solution to that
condition comes to Christ, as the Book of Mormon suggests, his is the kingdom
of God.”[3]
Verses 4 and 5 contain the same wording, with And
again at the beginning of
verse 4. “And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be
comforted” (3 Nephi 12:4).
Verse 5 blesses the meek, “for they shall inherit the earth”
(3 Nephi 12:5). But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalms 37:11).
“Mormon’s emphasis on ‘meekness’ (7:39, 43, 44), a virtue
that was sorely lacking among his people, who were losing their lands, is
likely an elliptical reference to the statement ‘Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth’ (3 Nephi 12:5).”[4]
In Jersualem, the Savior told the people those that hunger
and thirst after righteous will be filled; but with what? In 3 Nephi 12:6, the
Savior answers the question. They “shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (3
Nephi 12:6).
“In physical captivity, exiles suffer from hunger and
thirst. The heat of the sun threatens them. Spiritual exiles thirst for gospel
truth and peace. The Lord protects and nourishes them. In all circumstances, it
is only through Christ that spiritual hunger can be satisfied (John 6:35; Alma
31:38; 32:42; 3 Nephi 12:6; 20:8). The expression ‘springs of water’ symbolizes
living water (Isaiah 35:6–7; 41:17–18; 43:19–20), or Jesus Christ.”[5]
Verses 7 (“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy”), 8 (“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”), and 9 (“And
blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”)
are the same in Matthew 5 and 3 Nephi 12.
“The Savior taught, ‘And blessed are all the pure in heart,
for they shall see God’ (3 Nephi 12:8). The promises of the gospel are
uplifting and ennobling, even exalting. We receive those promises by covenants
which are conditioned on our living lives of purity and morality. When we live
right and seek to purify our hearts, we draw closer to God and the Spirit. The
condition of our heart determines how much evidence of divinity we see in the
world now and qualifies us for the eventual realization of the promise that the
pure ‘shall see God.’ Ours is a quest for purity.”[6]
Verse 10 has two changes. Matthew 5:10 reads, “Blessed are
they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”
The beginning of verse 10 reads “Blessed are they…” In the
Sermon at the Temple, the Savior says, “blessed are all they...” The change
in 3 Nephi 12:10 is not a major change. One can infer the word, “all”
in Matthew 5:10.
The second change further clarifies the Savior’s
teachings. Matthew 5:10 reads, “… are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” In the Sermon at the Temple, the Savior is
more significant. 3 Nephi 12:5 reads, “…
are persecuted for my name’s sake…” One statement is general (righteousness’ sake)
and the other is specific (my name’s sake). The Savior makes it
clear we are blessed if we are persecuted because we are disciples of Christ.
“Enemies will revile or rise up against the servants of the
Lord (see Alma 30:31). Instead of suffering permanent damage, Zion will be
blessed when she remembers the Lord's kind words of affirmation: ‘And blessed
are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake’ (3 Nephi 12:11; compare Matthew 5:11).”[7]
[1] The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on
the Mount, Introduction, accessed on the Maxwell Institute website.
[2] A
Listing of Points and Counterpoints, John Wm. Maddox, FARMS Review of Books 8/1 (1996): 16, Review of New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations
in Critical Methodology (1993), edited by Brent Lee Metcalfe.
[3] The
Book of Mormon, an Interpretive Guide to the New Testament, Dennis Largey,
Reprinted by permission from The New
Testament and the Latter-day Saints (Orem, Utah: Randall Book Company,
1987), 129—48.
[4] Worthy of
Another Look: Reusages of the Words of Christ, John W. Welch, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other
Restoration Scripture 22/1 (2013): 68.
[5] Blessings
and Duties of the Righteous, Visualizing Isaiah, 67, Maxwell Institute
website.
[6] Blessed
Are All the Pure in Heart, Elder L. Whitney Clayton, October 2007 General
Conference.
[7] Redeeming
the Desolate Woman: The Message of Isaiah 54 and 3 Nephi 22, Cynthia L.
Hallen, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies
7/1 (1998): 47.
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