Mosiah 15:1-7

Chapter 15

How Christ is both the Father and the Son—He shall make intercession and bear the transgressions of his people—They and all the holy prophets are his seed—He bringeth to pass the resurrection—Little children have eternal life. About 148 B.C.

1 AND now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

Mosiah 15:1-7

Abinadi continues his sermon to the priest of Noah, quoting Isaiah 53.  This chapter deals with the “suffering servant.”  M. Catherine Thomas writes, “The Book of Mormon clarifies many of the writings of Old Testament prophets … [A]bout 148 B.C. the Nephite prophet Abinadi identified the “suffering servant” of Isaiah 53 as Jesus Christ (Mosiah 15:2—5) and enlarged on Isaiah’s discussion of the Messiah’s atonement (Mosiah 14—15).”^[1]  Donald Parry clarifies, “Isaiah used the prophetic perfect in Isaiah 53 to prophesy of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice more than seven hundred years before Jesus’ mortal ministry.”^[2]  In fact, Isaiah 53 could also refer back to the servant in the Allegory of the Tame and Wild Olive Branches.  “[T]he servant in Jacob 5 can be associated with the “righteous servant” of Isaiah 53, whom Abinadi explicitly identifies as Christ (Mosiah 15:5–7).”^[3]

Abinadi continues his message.  God Himself, Abinadi said, will come down to Earth and become mortal.  As a mortal, His work will be to redeem all mankind.  Writing to Timothy, Paul told him, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the [GR approved by the] Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

When God comes to Earth, he will be called the Son of God.  He will be “subjected [in] the flesh to the will of the Father.”  The Savior taught this during His mortal ministry. 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

“My Father, which ^agave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

“I and my Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

“ Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?  he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?  the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:8-10).

Christ was the Father, “because he was conceived by the power of God.”  He was the Son because He became a mortal, taking upon Himself a body of flesh.  They are one God, “the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.”

Amulek would tell Zeezrom:

“And Amulek said unto [Zeezrom]: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last;

“And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else” (Alma 11:39-40).

“See, when you have a reference to the flesh, you are talking Son, and when you have a reference to the spirit, you are talking spirit, or Father. Hence, Father and Son. Now, knowing that, watch verse 4: ‘And they [the Father and the Son? No, the man and the God] are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.’ Jesus and Jehovah are one. And thus the flesh (Jesus, the man) becomes subject to the spirit (Jesus, the God, or the Son to the Father), being one God, suffering temptation, yielding to temptation, suffering himself to be mocked, scourged, and so on.”[4]

Further:

“But note again where Abinadi says, ‘And they are one God’ (Mosiah 15:4). Abinadi is emphasizing the perfect unity shared by the members of the Godhead; the plural pronoun makes it clear that he is not teaching any idea like modalism. A modalistic teaching would have to say, ‘And he is one God, manifesting himself in different ways.’ No such teaching ever appears in the Book of Mormon.”[5]

Christ will become subject to the temptations that are a part of mortality.  “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities [unable to sympathize with our frailties, imperfections]; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  “Abinadi stressed that the mortal Savior always placed his sonship, that is, his physical wants and needs, under the strict control of his fatherhood, that is, his spirit.”^[6]

[John] Welch, “10 Testimonies of Jesus Christ,” observes that “Abinadi strongly emphasized the fatherhood and sonship of Christ, seeing Christ as the ‘very Eternal Father of heaven and earth’ (Mosiah 15:5). Interestingly, the words of Abinadi contain the word ‘Father’ exactly eight times, ‘Son’ eight times, and ‘Christ’ eight times, as if to signal Christ’s fatherhood and sonship equally.”[7]

He will suffer during His mortality.  “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).  He will be mocked, scourged, cast out, and disowned by the Israelites. 

Christ will work miracles as a part of His ministry.  Even so, in the words of Isaiah, “he shall be led … as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”  When Christ stood before Herod,

“And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.

“Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing” (Luke 23:8-9).

and before Pilate,

“And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou?  But Jesus gave him no answer.

“Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me?  knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee” (John 19:9-10).

He will be crucified and die, as all mortals must; nevertheless, His desires will be sacrificed to serve the will of the Father.  “So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality. Abinadi cited the key example, for he spoke of how Jesus let His will be ‘swallowed up in the will of the Father’ (Mosiah 15:7).”^[8]

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).

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[1] Scripture, Interpretation within Scripture, M. Catherine Thomas, Maxwell Institute.

[2] Hebraisms and Other Ancient Peculiarities in the Book of Mormon, Donald W. Parry, Maxwell Institute.

[3] The Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob, Paul Y. Hoskisson, Maxwell Institute.

[4] Abinadi: The Message and the Martyr (Part 2), Todd Parker, Maxwell Institute.

[5] Letters to an Anti-Mormon, reviewed Russell C. McGregor and Kerry A. Shirts, Maxwell Institute.

[6] The Mortal Ministry of the Savior as Understood by the Book of Mormon Prophets, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute.

[7] Looking before and after the Exile, Kevin Christensen, Maxwell Institute.

[8] King Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Maxwell Institute.