The Hope of Healing

Reading: 3 Nephi 17-19

These chapters are some of the sweetest chapters in all of The Book of Mormon, in my opinion.  In fact, I usually can't read them without crying.  I was asked to read the verses about the Savior healing the sick people and I cried, barely finishing the passage aloud.  There is much to discuss in these three chapters.  I will only highlight a few things and trust that you will read them yourself, because I believe these chapters affect different people differently.  Find out how they affect you.

Here are the verses in chapter 17 that bring me such great hope:

 5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
 6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.
 7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.
 8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.
 9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.
 10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

The Savior was so perceptive of their needs and wants and discerned that the people had the faith to be healed of their physical problems.  I look forward to the day when I will be healed of my physical issues too.  Do I not have enough faith now?  Maybe. But maybe I can feel healed while actually being rid of my disease.  I believe this to be a truth in my life.  Do I believe that if it was the will of the Lord to heal me, he would? Absolutely.  And why wouldn't he want to heal me?  Of course he wants to heal me!  But not right now.  And I'm good with that.  Having a disease is certainly not easy, it's a 24/7 gig, with multiple ups and down daily. And while sometimes I wish it would all go away, I've made peace with the fact that this is one way to help me learn and make me humble.  Certainly he wants me to learn and be humble too.  But to know that someday I will have a complete healing is a hopeful and peaceful thought.

After this period of healing he brought the little children forward and blessed them, a time which was not fully recorded because of the sacredness of the experience and I think because each experience was so individual.  This is what happens after:

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
 21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

His joy was full because of their faith in him, to the point of making him weep.  He's done so much for us, we can at least try to have abiding faith in him, so that his joy will be full.

In chapter 18, Jesus introduces the sacrament to help them remember the sacrifice of his blood and body.  We do this every week in sacrament meeting.  The Father must have known that we forgetful humans would need a weekly reminder that for true happiness we are dependent upon him.  After the sacrament He gives these words of wisdom that need no explanation:

 15 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.

In chapter 19 the 12 Disciples start to teach and baptize the people.  This is a re-baptism for some.  Why?  Because this is a new church.  The authority was the same that existed with the Mosaic Law, but the covenants and ordinances are different simply because the Law was fulfilled by Christ and therefore hold different meaning.

And then Jesus offered this touching and almost yearning prayer, which to me is more of a pattern of prayer than "the Lord's Prayer" that is quoted in the New Testament and also earlier in 3 Nephi:

 19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said:
 20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.
 21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.
 22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.
 23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.