Feast on the Words of Christ

Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, New Orleans, LA

“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”

2 Nephi 32:3

A Little Logic Explained by Nephi

The most common way we think about "feasting on the words or Christ" is to use the scriptures. There is good reason for that, they are obviously the readiest source of the words to read about Christ, but in an of themselves they are not sufficient. Many Christian sects hold to the doctrine of the inerrancy of the bible, as well as their belief that the bible is the only perfect source of truth. But is it enough? Is scripture all that is needed to truly feast on His words? Nephi here teaches a wonderful principal that can be easily overlooked about what the words of Christ are and where we receive them in a personal way.

First, he tells us that angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. Nephi tells us that this means they speak the "words of Christ." He then reminds us that this is what we need to feast on. "The words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do." The words that the Holy Ghost speaks are the words of Christ and it is those words that we must feast on. If we compare other scriptures about the Holy Ghost's role and what He tell us I think it becomes a little more clear.

John 14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

John 16:13 - "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

Doctrine and Covenants 39:6 - "And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom."

Moroni 10:5 - "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Ezekiel 36:27 - "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

1 Corinthians 12:3 - "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

3 Nephi 11:32, 35-36 - "32 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, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. 35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one."

It is the Holy Ghost that teaches us the words of Christ. The scriptures are a means to an end, not an end in and off themselves. We must receive the Holy Ghost and hear the personal messages God would have us hear. He shares them through the Holy Ghost in our lives. We must be worthy to have the presence of the Holy Ghost. We must seek inspiration and revelation from God the Father, in the name of Christ, but then hear what is spoken to our soul through Him. It is the personal revelations we receive when reading and pondering on the scriptures that gives us the words of Christ. It is the answers to our prayers that we say to God, confirmed by the Holy Ghost, that we should feast on. Read, ponder, study, and listen to the personal messages our Father wants to tell us through the Holy Ghost. That is what keeps us on the path to eternal life.

Scriptures Open the Door and Allows Us to be Filled with the Spirit

It is reading the scriptures that gives us the chance to be filled with the spirit. The Holy Ghost can speak to our soul while we ponder the scriptures and the life of Jesus. While there are other ways the Lord can communicate with us, the tried-and-true method that always works (as long as we do it honestly and with intention) is opening and reading the scripture.

Spencer J. Condie in April 2002 reminded us of this, “In the first chapter of the Book of Mormon we learn that as Lehi read the scriptures ‘he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.’ (1 Ne. 1:8–12)  Nephi later promises us that as we ‘feast upon the words of Christ … the words of Christ will tell [us] all things what [we] should do.’ (2 Ne. 32:3) Reading, pondering, and listening allows the Holy Ghost to speak truth to us.

The Lord Will Teach Us Where We Are and With What We Understand

“Feasting” does not mean you need to change your entire life or be a monk or go overboard daily. We all have many good and important responsibilities, and balance is always the key. Nor does it mean that you need to try to understand everything at once. I have had many times in my life where I have had an impression, thought, or feeling in a place or a time that was so unusual that it was clear to me that it must be the Holy Ghost or a message from the Lord. These impressions are sometimes small, and often times not very informative, but they feel very strong to me. Often times I will later figure out what I was supposed to learn in that moment. It can take time. Parts of the plan our Father sets out for us can take time to make sense of. This has happened to me while watching movies, while listening to music, in work meetings, while watching TV, while watching internet videos and so many other times. I have always been thankful for them; even if I have to hide the tears that inevitably come with the inspiration. I’ve been in work meetings or watching a comedy on TV and something will cause eternal puzzle pieces to fall in place. It is a bit weird to have someone look over at me at a budgeting meeting while I have a tear in my eye. Believe me, at those times I have thought about asking the Lord, “Really??why now?”

I love that Jeremiah had the same thing happen to him. Once, the Lord told him to go to a potter’s studio while the potter was working. While there he had a vision and gained an understanding of how the Lord works with us. He learned that just like a potter at times needs to start the pot over that he or she was making, the Lord may need to break us down in order to build us up. I can see Jeremiah seeing clay on the wheel and then see it fall in the potter’s hand. The potter then probably kneaded it back together and put it on the wheel and started again. All the while Jeremiah was “feasting on the words of the Lord”.

The Lord will meet us where we are. He teaches us through everyday happenings if we are willing to listen, to see, and to learn. Even in the movie theater or at a conference table at a quarterly planning meeting for a work project.

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Scriptures are the starting place, not the ending point.

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Jesus as the Perfect Example Knew His Scriptures and Was Able to Use Them

As we emulate Christ, we should see that it takes more than just reading scripture. We need to understand and apply them. That is the role of the Holy Ghost that Nephi is speaking of. Feasting means understanding them in our personal life, and really listening to what God wants us to understand.

After Jesus went to the desert to commune with his Father, he was tempted by Satan.  Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, and I’m sure had incredible spiritual experiences and learned much during that time. Both of which would have left Him exhausted and weak. Satan knew this and thought this was his chance.

Jesus resisted each temptation, but how he resisted is sometimes overlooked.  The words, “it is written” is quoted 4 times in Matthew 4:1-11, where Matthew tells us of the temptations. Jesus used and quoted scripture to resist temptations. He pulled strength from the learning he had as a youth. I’m sure his parents both read and studied scripture with him.  His knowledge and wisdom were built on scripture, and the words of prophets. He used this knowledge to learn, to gain wisdom from his Father, to strengthen himself, to resist temptation, and to convince others of the truth.  During the interaction even Satan got the picture of what was happening. Satan tried to do the same and quoted scripture back to Jesus as one of his temptations.  He quoted from Psalm 91:11-12 in an attempt to turn the tables.  As a side note, It is interesting that Jesus quoted the law each time, but Satan used a Psalm to make his point.  Jesus quoted or used, Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 6:13, and Deuteronomy 6:16.

If we are to follow him, should we not also know the scriptures well enough to use them to strengthen ourselves?  Should we not work to gain the same strength from them? Listening to the personal promptings we receive while studying is one of the most important steps we can take.