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

An Introduction to Nephi

Around 550 B.C. a man wrote, "…the words which I have spoken are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ." Who was this man, boldly proclaiming his teachings would help men and women know the right way and draw closer to God? Where did he live, how did he see the world, and what did he experience? What can we gain by trying to learn of Nephi’s perspective?

Nephi left his family's estate near Jerusalem when they fled the Holy Land around 600 B.C., avoiding the destruction that had been prophesied. He became the group's leader as his family attracted more followers and grew into an industrious community.

By developing his faith, humility, and determination, he helped the community navigate and survive for years, eventually building a ship, crossing the ocean, and settling in the Americas—a journey that lasted well over a decade. He recorded the historical and spiritual high points of his family and community throughout his adult life, and those writings begin what is now known as the Book of Mormon.

Nephi had visions, including seeing the birth and atonement of Jesus Christ. He taught powerfully; his words are the introduction for many to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2500 years after he wrote them. 'Mormons' get their nickname from the ancient prophet-historian who compiled centuries' worth of writing into the volume that would bear his name, The Book of Mormon.

As a lifelong Latter-day Saint, or “Mormon” I have read the stories of Nephi’s extraordinary life countless times. I have a Bible and Book of Mormon that I have read in tandem for nearly 30 years. As you can imagine, these scriptures are well-marked and well-worn; lots of dog-eared pages, a few torn sheets, a little water damage here and there, with margins full of scribbled thoughts and many notes pasted in between pages. These volumes are like close friends—I can find favorite passages almost instinctively, through the color of the ink or a note pasted or scribbled on a sheet, or the way the books open to certain pages. A couple months ago, however, I had an impression that I should try studying the scriptures with a fresh approach.

For about four months, I’d traveled almost non-stop for my job. Most nights were spent in hotels, and I found myself with a bit of spare time, in spite of the increased hours I was putting into work. During this time, I fell in love with reading some old classics all over again—Shakespeare, poetry from Whitman, Thoreau, and others, and favorites from my youth, like Tolkien and Ray Bradbury. As I re-read a lot of this stuff—works I hadn’t touched in well over 20 or 30 years, as well as a few pieces I’d never read before, the beauty and complexity and depth of the language, not just the stories, struck me profoundly.

As I pored over these books, I recalled a high school English teacher talking about close reading almost thirty years ago. Close reading is just that—finding new depth and meaning by really exploring the wording, phrasing, syntax, etc. of an author. To me, it is like trying to discover how many new possible layers or meanings you can get out of a paragraph or line, or even the choice of one word. Reading some of these works with the desire to closely read and discover new meaning was a thrill.

Most thrilling, though was taking a similar approach to my study of the Book of Mormon, the 531 pages of which I have read dozens of times in 35 years or so of scripture-reading. I got a new, unmarked, cheap paperback copy of the Book, and started reading for thirty minutes a day or more, noting insights and discoveries in its margins and in a notebook.

The flood of knowledge and insight that filled my mind and heart is indescribable! Approaching the Book of Mormon with a fresh approach, and a newly rekindled desire to discover new direction and meaning within its pages became like a treasure hunt for me, and I found those hidden gems daily. Within just a few days, I gained a belief that I could study just the works of Nephi for months (or even years) and never stop learning from and loving his words. And for the past few months I have been re-reading the words of Nephi, and still finding new connections or insights every day! It's been fun trying to better understand Nephi’s perspective—what he wrote, why he wrote it, what he meant.

Reading with this perspective and a sense of discovery, and not simply reverting to the previous insights I've already had, I have tried to capture my thoughts and will share them with my friends and family. I hope you find a fraction of the pleasure, and the desire to further study, that I have been blessed with by more closely reading the words of the prophet Nephi.