Mormon Focuses our Minds on Christ
Book of Mormon Notes - Sunday, October 1, 2023, Alma 36
By now it is common knowledge that Alma 36 represents one of the best examples of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. It is no accident therefore that the very center of Alma’s teachings in this particular testimony to his son Helaman focuses uniquely on Jesus Christ (see also here, here, and here):
And it came to pass that as I was thus aracked with torment, while I was bharrowed up by the cmemory of my many sins, behold, I dremembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ahave mercy on me, who am bin the cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting dchains of edeath.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my apains bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! (Alma 36:17-20)
In both form and content, Alma magnifies Jesus Christ and points us to the Mark, to Him. By quoting Alma directly and extensively, Mormon, like a spiritual father speaking from the dust, does the same for each one of us, his spiritual offspring in the last days. And Mormon allows us to see that Alma the Younger was doing for his son Helaman precisely what Alma the Elder had done for him, and for the people of Zarahemla. Alma the Younger’s teachings to his son Helaman are saturated with Alma the Elder’s teachings. (see e.g. verse 2 in particular) But more importantly, Alma the Younger teaches his son Helaman by simple testimony - with statements such as “I swear,” “I would not that ye think that I aknow of myself—not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the bcarnal mind but of God,” “I say unto you,” “methought I saw,” “I know,” and “ye ought to know as I do know” - and by sharing his own experiences.
I used to think that someday I would write a book about fathers and sons in the Book of Mormon, that is until I discovered that someone had already written such a book. But it is still a great topic to ponder, especially in connection with the relationship of Abraham and his son Isaac that is the great microcosm of the great macrocosm: the relationship of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. (And the character of Jesus Christ as both Father and Son, of which Abinadi, with the help of Isaiah, testified).
Elder Andersen has recently taught what it means for our minds to catch hold upon this thought of Jesus Christ:
Securing the Thought of Jesus Christ
My prayer at this Easter season is that we will more consciously shape, strengthen, and secure this preeminent thought of Jesus Christ in the chambers of our soul,10 allowing it to eagerly flow into our mind, guide us in what we think and do, and continually bring the sweet joy of the Savior’s love.11
Filling our mind with the power of Jesus Christ does not mean that He is the only thought we have. But it does mean that all our thoughts are circumscribed in His love, His life and teachings, and His atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection. Jesus is never in a forgotten corner, because our thoughts of Him are always present and “all that is in [us adores] him!”12 We pray and rehearse in our mind experiences that have brought us closer to Him. We welcome into our mind divine images, holy scriptures, and inspired hymns to gently cushion the countless daily thoughts rushing through our busy lives. Our love for Him does not shield us from the sadness and sorrow in this mortal life, but it allows us to walk through the challenges with a strength far beyond our own.
Jesus, the very thought of thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see
And in thy presence rest.13
Remember, you are a spirit child of Heavenly Father. As the Apostle Paul explains, we are “the offspring of God.”14 You have lived with your own individual identity long before coming to earth. Our Father created a perfect plan for us to come to earth, learn, and return to Him. He sent His Beloved Son that through the power of His infinite Atonement and Resurrection, we live beyond the grave; and as we are willing to exercise faith in Him and repent of our sins,15 we are forgiven and receive the hope of eternal life.16
In the same talk, Elder Andersen counseled us to give our mind and spirit exceptional attention. After studying Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, I understand a little bit better why American democracy sometimes pushes otherwise good people to give inordinate attention the body and to material wealth. Elder Andersen’s counsel is very much like Alma’s counsel to his son Helaman, and Mormon certainly foresaw that latter-day parents and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ would need Alma’s own words embedded in their own hearts. First consider Elder Andersen’s counsel on giving our mind and spirit exceptional attention, the improvements that we have made as a Church, and the promised blessings for focusing more intently on our Savior:
In this mortal life, our mind and spirit need exceptional attention.17 Our mind allows us to live, to choose, and to discern good and evil.18 Our spirit receives the confirming witness that God is our Father, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that Their teachings are our guide to happiness here and eternal life beyond the grave.
The mind of Alma caught hold upon this thought of Jesus Christ. It changed his life. General conference is a time to understand what the Lord would have us do and become. It is also a time to reflect on our progress. As my assignments have taken me throughout the world, I have observed an increasing spiritual strength in the righteous, devoted members of the Church.
Five years ago, we were asked to place the Savior more prominently in all we do by using the true name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.19 We are speaking His name more earnestly.
Four years ago, by reducing the time of our sacrament meeting, we increased our focus on partaking of the Lord’s sacrament. We are thinking more of Jesus Christ and are more serious in our promise to always remember Him.20
With the isolation of the worldwide pandemic and the help of Come, Follow Me, the teachings of the Savior are becoming more prominent in our homes, helping our worship of the Savior during the week.
By following President Russell M. Nelson’s counsel to “hear Him,”21 we are refining our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost and to see the hand of the Lord in our lives.
With the announcement and completion of dozens of temples, we are more frequently entering the house of the Lord and receiving His promised blessings. We are feeling more powerfully the transcendent beauty of our Savior and Redeemer.
President Nelson said: “There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming [a] powerful [disciple]. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought.”22
By focusing our attention on Jesus Christ, all else around us—while still present—is viewed through our love for Him. Less important distractions fade, and we remove those things that are not in keeping with His light and character. As you continue to attentively catch hold of this thought of Jesus Christ, trust in Him, and keep His commandments, I promise you not only heavenly guidance but heavenly power—power that brings strength to your covenants, peace to your difficulties, and joy to your blessings.
Then, this testimony and invitation:
In this Easter season, I witness the complete and absolute truth of the Savior’s incomparable atoning sacrifice and of His glorious Resurrection. As your mind remains firmly and forever upon the thought of Jesus Christ, and as you continue to focus your life more fully on the Savior, I promise you that you will feel His hope, His peace, and His love. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Again, Elder Andersen’s counsel to us is essentially the same as Alma the Younger’s counsel to his son Helaman. The very Christ-centered Mormon was surely inspired to transmit Alma’s Christ-centered life and testimony to his latter-day audience in such a way that we might feel that we are sitting next to Helaman at the feet of Alma the Younger as he testifies to and counsels his son.
Alma begins by counseling his son to listen, to keep the commandments, to follow his example, to remember what the Lord had done for Moses and the ancient Israelites (as well as for Alma’s own fathers in the Promised Land - from Lehi to the present), to listen and to learn from his own example, and to trust in God. Alma explains that his own testimony came as a result of his own conversion or spiritual rebirth, through the voice of an angel, by a vision of God, and especially by the witness of the Holy Ghost. Alma the Younger does not hide from his son the reality of his former life as an abject sinner and opponent of the Church, but neither does he dwell upon his former life or catalogue his sins. He tells the story in order to demonstrate that it was God and His angel who brought about the required change. We know from earlier passages in the Book of Mormon that this miraculous conversion was in turn brought about by the faith and prayers of Alma’s father, also named Alma, and that Alma’s miraculous conversion was brought about by the heroic testimony of the martyr Abinadi. Again I am reminded of how pivotal Abinadi was to all of Nephite history.
The angel stunned Alma the Younger and brought him face to face with his fallen condition, so much so that he and his friends all fell to the earth. Not only that, but when the angel commanded Alma the Younger to arise, after he arose, he fell to the earth again because of the angel’s message. For three days and three nights (pointing us to Christ’s time after the crucifixion), Alma the Younger’s body was in a kind of comatose state. He could not speak. He could not move his limbs. But his mind was more active than ever. At first, Alma was “racked with aeternal btorment” and his soul was “charrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.” During these three days of coma, Alma remembered all of his “sins and iniquities,” and he was “atormented with the bpains of hell”. He finally saw himself clearly, and he understood that he had crebelled against his God, and that he had not kept his holy commandments.” He even confesses that he had “amurdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction”. I have often wondered if this is one of Alma’s own “typos” or engraving errors that he immediately corrected after engraving the word “murdered”. There are several instances in the Book of Mormon where it appears that the author engraved a word or a phrase and immediately corrected himself, not by erasing the word or the phrase (which must have been a difficult thing to do on metal plates), but by rephrasing his thought, as Alma seems to do here with the phrase “or rather”. I don’t think that Alma had murdered many of God’s children, but the reformed Egyptian word for “murder” might have been similar to whatever Alma meant to convey, such as leading people away unto destruction, a kind of spiritual murder, if you will.
As a brief aside, here is a short list of the “or, rather” phrases that I have found in the Book of Mormon:
Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy abrother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death. (Alma 54:5)
And now behold, I have somewhat to say concerning the apeople of Ammon, who, in the beginning, were Lamanites; but by Ammon and his brethren, or rather by the power and word of God, they had been bconverted unto the Lord; and they had been brought down into the land of Zarahemla, and had ever since been protected by the Nephites. (Alma 53:10)
Now behold, the people who were in the land Bountiful, or rather Moroni, feared that they would hearken to the words of Morianton and unite with his people, and thus he would obtain possession of those parts of the land, which would lay a foundation for serious consequences among the people of Nephi, yea, which aconsequences would lead to the overthrow of their bliberty. (Alma 50:32)
And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their achildren to hear the word at the time of his coming. (Alma 39:16)
Therefore, blessed are they who ahumble themselves without being bcompelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without cstubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe. (Alma 32:16)
And thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west of the river Sidon, throwing the bodies of the Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites on the west side of the river Sidon. (Alma 2:34)
And it came to pass that they took him; and his name was aNehor; and they carried him upon the top of the hill Manti, and there he was caused, or rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had taught to the people was contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered an ignominious bdeath. (Alma 1:15)
Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having ablessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. (Alma 17:18)
But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. (Mosiah 8:17)
And it came to pass when they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and were permitted, or rather acommanded, that they should answer the questions which he should ask them. (Mosiah 7:8)
Is it a coincidence that almost all of these “or rather” phrases are found in the Book of Alma? Probably not.
To be continued…