Bring Them Hither

At the end of His first day among the Nephites, the Savior reached out in compassion towards those among them who were afflicted. He said, “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” (3 Nephi 17:7). This verse provides the key to us for how to help those we love who are in need: bring them to the Savior. That implies that we must ourselves come unto the Savior and have partaken of “his salvation, and the power of his redemption” (Omni 1:26). Then we will be able to bring someone else to Him so they too can be healed as these Nephites in need were on that day. This reminds me of the Savior’s words in modern revelation to Oliver Cowdery: “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16) Again the key word is bring—we bring others to the Savior by going there ourselves and helping them to follow. The most important thing we can do is to take others to Him. As the Savior said to John Whitmer, “The thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father” (Doctrine and Covenants 15:6).  

These verses remind us that when we are trying to help others in need, we don’t have to heal them ourselves—that is the Savior’s job. Elder Renlund taught, “We do need all our compassion, empathy, and love as we interact with those around us. Those who are struggling ‘need to experience the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected in [our] words and actions.’ As we minister, we encourage others frequently and offer help. Even if someone is not receptive, we continue to minister as they allow. The Savior taught that ‘unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.’ The Savior’s job is to heal. Our job is to love—to love and minister in such a way that others are drawn to Jesus Christ.” We cannot fix people, no matter how much we want to be able to. But we can love them and point them to the One who does have the power to heal and transform them. We can be like those who brought the man sick with palsy to the Savior: “And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus” (Luke 5:18). These friends brought the sick to Jesus, and when they couldn’t get in by the entrance, they did not give up but came through the roof. Through their determination they were able to get their friend to Jesus who both healed the man physically and spiritually. That is the kind of dedication we need as we try to help others receive His healing power.

My wife recently pointed out to me a painting by Minerva Teichert in the Layton Temple. It shows children being ministered to by angels and receiving food from them. They eagerly reach for the water and bread that the angels offer them. I looked it up, and it is called Look to Your Children. At the center of the picture is the Savior who is ministering to the children. The description reads this way: “Female angels descend in a graceful curve to join Christ in ministering to the children…. The youngsters are delighted by the offerings and their physical needs are met. This also symbolizes Christ’s sacramental promise that those who eat and drink of his blood and body shall never hunger or thirst. The angels appear similar to each other and to Christ, signifying their unity of purpose and their loving devotion to Christ and all of humanity. The children readily accept Christ and the angels, reminding us that they represent righteous generations unified by their faith in the Savior.” The angels love the children and surround His efforts to bless them. Like those angels, we can reach out in love to those around us while trying to help them see Him. As we seek for inspiration on how to help our loved ones, whatever their problems, we should always remember His instructions: “Bring them hither.”