Why it Happened

Robert J. Matthews made this observation: “There is no other book in all this world that tells us as clearly about the mission of Jesus Christ as does the Book of Mormon. Whereas the Bible tells us what happened, the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures tell us why it happened” (see here).  I can think of three major events in the life of the Savior for which this is certainly true: baptism, the Sacrament, and the atonement.  The Bible testifies to us that the events really took place, and the Book of Mormon teaches us their meaning. 

                The Bible gives us this account of the Savior’s baptism: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17).  We learn here what happened, but there isn’t much detail on why He was baptized.  Nephi in the Book of Mormon helped us to understand that: “And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?  Know ye not that he was holy?  But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments. Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove. And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them” (2 Nephi 31:6-9).  So Christ was baptized not because He needed to become holy (He was already pure), but because He wanted to be perfectly obedient to the Father and show us the path and the gate by which we should enter in this life. 

                In the Bible we also have the account of the first administration of the Sacrament: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:26-28).  Again we see here that Christ did indeed give the bread and wine to His apostles, but we don’t get much detail on why or what this ritual was supposed to mean.  The record that we have of the Savior among the Nephites, though, helps us to understand its importance.  After administering the Sacrament to them, the Savior said, “And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.  And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you.  And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me.  And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you” (3 Nephi 18:6-7).  Here we learn that the Sacrament is a more than just a nice experience; it represents a promise we make to God (to always remember the Son) and a promise He makes to us (to give His Spirit to us).

                The most important event that we read about in the Bible is the atonement of the Savior, and yet the Gospel accounts give details mostly concerned about what happened, not why.  Of what happened in Gethsemane the most detail we have comes from Luke: “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41-44).  The words given by King Benjamin give us a much deeper understanding of why this was happened: “And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.”  His blood that was shed “atoneth for the sins,” and “the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood,” for “as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins” (Mosiah 3:7, 11, 15-16).  The Book of Mormon leaves no question that Christ had to shed His blood for the sins of mankind and that “salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:18).    

                We should thank God that we have the Bible accounts and in particular the Gospel testimonies that proclaim the reality of Christ’s existence and the things He did.  And we should also thank the Lord that we have the Book of Mormon to give a second witness of the reality of the Savior’s life and the meaning for the most important things He did.  As Brother Matthews said about the why of these events in the Savior’s life, “The Bible writers also knew why, but the Bible has not come to us in its original purity and clarity, and thus the Lord has brought forth these other records in plain terms so that we might not wander in darkness and oblivion.”  We praise God that we have both sacred records that “grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace…, and bringing [us] to the knowledge of [our] fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of [His] covenants” (2 Nephi 3:12).