Feast Upon the Words of Christ

Fifty-five years after Nephi left Jerusalem, he concludes his record. He had kept these records for decades, leaving Jerusalem as an ‘exceedingly young’ man, and had reflected, pondered, and recorded the most sacred, precious events of his life. He surely put a lot of thought into his parting words, and they ought to be studied!

Nephi lays out the basic principles of faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost—all the key steps of getting onto the straight and narrow path leading back to our Heavenly Father’s presence. He then talks of the importance of what we do after getting onto the path. Among Nephi’s final words of advice to us: “Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”

Nephi’s love of the scriptures—the ‘words of Christ’—is evident throughout his writings; he quotes many prophets, expounds on the visions he and his father Lehi had, used scripture stories to teach his family, and drew strength from the accounts of others in facing his own spiritual and physical challenges. Perhaps no other phrase than ‘feasting on the words of Christ’ can sum up his conviction on the importance of scripture study.

A tray of fruit to start-- Rob has killer knife skills!

One of the appealing things about the Book of Mormon is the straightforward approach of much of its language, especially when compared to the Old Testament. For example, Ezekiel had a vision where an angel lays out a roll of parchment. We pick up the narrative in Ezekiel 3:1. “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.” While the Book of Ezekiel contains beautifully written prophecy and counsel, I appreciate Nephi’s directness in proclaiming, “feast upon the words of Christ.”

I’m reminded of a time when my wife’s brother Robert came to visit our family during the week of Mother’s Day. Robert, a trained chef, cooked for us seemingly all weekend, delivering what can only be described as an exquisite feast!

Chef Rob and Me

Every ingredient of every dish had been chosen with care—he and Darcie had visited several markets to get the freshest meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, all grown or harvested locally. His knives were sharpened to exact precision, he had specific music he liked to cook to. Every dish was prepared with exact attention to detail—the vegetables and fruit were sliced uniformly, each component seasoned precisely, all of it cooked to perfection; every course building on the flavor and delight of the previous one. It was remarkable! He is a true craftsman, and it was a joy to watch him work.

And of course, eating the literal fruits of all that labor was just awesome! A highlight was the seared halibut cheeks in an incredible sauce—it all came together amazingly! Every bite was to be savored—I chewed slowly, letting the layers of flavor permeate what felt like my whole soul. Each bite was anticipated and treasured, and I’ll never forget that meal. That was feasting!

How much more lovingly has God prepared His plan for us! How much more detailed is the creation, how much deeper the impact of the Atonement, how much more to be sampled, treasured, and feasted upon in His Word, than in that magnificent meal Chef Rob prepared for me? The answer, of course, is infinitely more. God’s love, power, glory, grace, and words are to be not just read about, thought about, or wondered about. As Nephi counsels, they are to be feasted upon, for a lifetime and beyond!

Just a portion of Rob's feast prep