The Will of the Father in All Things

When the Savior came down from heaven among the people of Nephi, He introduced Himself with these words, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:10-11). He wanted them to know that He had always done the will of the Father, and throughout His visit among them His words confirmed that He was completely devoted to doing what His Father asked. After describing His doctrine, He said, “And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me” (3 Nephi 11:32). As He continued to teach them, He declared, “And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father” (3 Nephi 12:19). As He told them about other sheep He had, He showed His deference to the Father’s commandments: “And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem. Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land. This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them. But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity” (3 Nephi 15:13-19). Five times in these verses He referenced what the Father had commanded Him, showing how He was willing to obey the Father in all things, even in exactly what He would say to various groups of people. For the Savior, everything depends on what the Father commands.

            Jesus continued to show great deference to the Father and His commandments as He spoke to the people of Nephi. Speaking of those of His people not at Jerusalem or among the Nephites, He said, “But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice.” After referencing the covenant and mercies and judgments of the Father, He said, “And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them” (3 Nephi 16:3, 5, 9-10). Again, He was focused on what the Father commanded Him to say to them. He summarized towards the end of that first day among them, “I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time” (3 Nephi 17:2). Later as He spoke of His own commandments, He once more deferred to the Father: “Therefore blessed are ye if ye shall keep my commandments, which the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you… Behold verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you another commandment, and then I must go unto my Father that I may fulfil other commandments which he hath given me” (3 Nephi 18:14, 27).

On the next day the Savior again referenced the Father’s commandments multiple times. He said, “Behold now I finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this people, who are a remnant of the house of Israel…. And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.” After teaching them of things to come, He added, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled” (3 Nephi 20:10, 14, 46). All that He did and said and taught was in response to the will of the Father. When He later gave them the words of Malachi, Mormon summarized how He introduced them: “He commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them” (3 Nephi 24:1). And then after giving those scriptures, the Savior said, “These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you” (3 Nephi 26:2). All He did was in response to what the Father commanded. He summarized His gospel to them this way: “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me” (3 Nephi 27:13). The Savior always did the will of the Father, and His repeated deference to the commandments of the Father in His teachings to the people of Nephi should inspire us to likewise seek to do the will of God in our lives.