This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers 3 Nephi 17-19, which includes Jesus Christ ministering to Nephite children.
3 Nephi 17
“Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, is the epitome of compassion. … In a Book of Mormon example of Christ’s compassion, Jesus appeared to a multitude and said:
“’Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt … 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. …
“’And he did heal them every one’ (3 Nephi 17:7, 9).
“Despite our every effort, you and I won’t heal everyone, but each of us can be the one who can make a difference for good in the life of someone.”
— Elder Ian S. Ardern, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2023 general conference, “Love Thy Neighbour”
“An incredible demonstration of the Savior’s love for God’s children is recorded in the Book of Mormon: ‘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’ (3 Nephi 17:5).
“The Savior had already spent a full day ministering to the people. Yet He had more to do — He was to visit His other sheep; He was to go to His Father.
“Notwithstanding these obligations, He discerned that the people desired for Him to tarry a little longer. Then, with the Savior’s heart full of compassion, one of the greatest miracles in the history of the world occurred:
“He stayed.
“He blessed them.
“He ministered to their children one by one.
“He prayed for them; He wept with them.
“And He healed them. (See 3 Nephi 17.)
“His promise is eternal: He will heal us.”
— Elder K. Brett Nattress, General Authority Seventy, April 2023 general conference, “Have I Truly Been Forgiven?”
“In 3 Nephi 17, we read that Jesus told the people it was time for Him to go unto the Father and also to show Himself unto the lost tribes of Israel (3 Nephi 17:4). As He cast His eyes on the multitude, He noticed that they were in tears, looking steadfastly upon Him as if they would ask Him to tarry a little longer (3 Nephi 17:5).
“The Savior’s response to the Nephites was both touching and instructive. He said, ‘Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you’ (3 Nephi 17:6).
“I believe that His compassion was much more than a response to the people’s tears. It seems that He could see them through the eyes of His atoning sacrifice. He saw their every pain, affliction and temptation. He saw their sicknesses. He saw their infirmities, and He knew from His agonizing suffering in Gethsemane and on Golgotha how to succor them according to their infirmities.
“Similarly, when our Savior, Jesus Christ, looks upon us, He sees and understands the pain and burden of our sins. He sees our addictions and challenges. He sees our struggles and afflictions of any kind — and He is filled with compassion toward us.
“His gracious invitation to the Nephites followed: ‘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).
“And the people came forth ‘with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him’ (3 Nephi 17:9).”
— Elder Peter F. Meurs, General Authority Seventy, April 2023 general conference, “He Could Heal Me!”
“Children are providing examples of some of the childlike qualities we need to develop or rediscover in ourselves in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are bright spirits who are untarnished by the world — teachable and full of faith. It is no wonder the Savior has a special love and appreciation for little children.
“Among the transcendent events of the Savior’s visit to the Americas, His tender ministry to the children stands apart. In a poignant way He reached out to each child.
“’And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
“’And when he had done this he wept. …
“‘And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones’ (3 Nephi 17:21–23).”
— Sister Jean A. Stevens, then the first counselor in the Primary general presidency, April 2011 general conference, “Become as a Little Child”
“We have the account in 3 Nephi of a people who actually saw the face of the Savior in this life. And while we may not see Him now, perhaps we can learn from their experience. After the Savior’s death, He appeared to these people, taught them and blessed them. And then ‘it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought’ (3 Nephi 17:11).
“It is our sacred responsibility as parents and leaders of this rising generation of children to bring them to the Savior so that they might see His face and the face of our Father in Heaven as well. As we do so, we also bring ourselves. …
“After the children had been brought, Christ bid the parents kneel down. Then He did for them that which He has done for all of us. He prayed for them to the Father, and as He did, His prayer was said to be ‘so great and marvelous’ that words could not describe it (3 Nephi 17:16). By coming to the Savior and accepting His Atonement, these parents were strengthened to do all that was necessary to ‘bring’ their children.”
— Sister Cheryl C. Lant, then the recently released Primary general president, April 2010 general conference, “That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior”
“During the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He directed the people to ponder His teachings and to pray for understanding. He healed the sick, and He prayed for the people using language that could not be written (see 3 Nephi 17:1–16). The impact of His prayer was profound: ‘No one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father’ (3 Nephi 17:17). Imagine what it might have been like to hear the Savior of the world praying for us.
“Do our spouses, children, and other family members likewise feel the power of our prayers offered unto the Father for their specific needs and desires? Do those we serve hear us pray for them with faith and sincerity? If those we love and serve have not heard and felt the influence of our earnest prayers in their behalf, then the time to repent is now. As we emulate the example of the Savior, our prayers truly will become more meaningful.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Pray Always”
“Eternal principles will take root in us as we take time not only to read the teachings of the prophets and the scriptures but also to ponder them in the spirit of prayer. … In a world that increasingly demands more of our time, it is essential that we take time to ponder in our homes, so that we may understand divine doctrine and its principles. As the Savior said, ‘Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon these things … that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow’ (3 Nephi 17:3).”
— Elder Walter F. González, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2007 general conference, “Today Is the Time”
3 Nephi 18
“As a means of being in the world but not being of the world, it is necessary that we communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer. He wants us to do so; He’ll answer our prayers. The Savior admonished us, as recorded in 3 Nephi 18, to ‘watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you. …
“’Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;
“‘And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you’ (3 Nephi 18:18-20).”
— President Thomas S. Monson, October 2011 general conference, “Stand in Holy Places”
“In His mercy, the God of heaven, the Creator and Ruler of all things everywhere, had heard a prayer about a very minor thing. One might well ask why He would concern Himself with something so small. I am led to believe that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that the things that are important to us become important to Him, just because He loves us. How much more would He want to help us with the big things that we ask, which are right (see 3 Nephi 18:20)?”
— Elder J. Devn Cornish, then General Authority Seventy, October 2011 general conference, “The Privilege of Prayer”
“Unfortunately, some Latter-day Saints seem to forego unselfish service to others, choosing instead to fix their priorities on the standards and values of the world. Jesus cautioned that Satan desires to sift us like wheat (see 3 Nephi 18:18), which means to make us common like all those around us. But Jesus taught that we who follow Him should be precious and unique, ‘the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13) and ‘the light of the world,’ to shine forth to all men (Matthew 5:14, 16; see also 3 Nephi 18:24).”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2009 general conference, “Unselfish Service”
“Have we ever stopped to think what it means to our salvation when we neglect prayer, or don’t develop daily from our prayers repeatedly gratifying experiences? We are continually referring to the ‘power of prayer,’ but are we always willing to pay the price so that the promise we find in 3 Nephi 18:18–20 may be fulfilled?
“’Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
“’Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;
“‘And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.’”
— Elder Angel Abrea, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1981 general conference, “The ‘Little Things’ and Eternal Life”
3 Nephi 19
“No matter our marital status or background, the Lord desires us to partner with Him in a powerful way — to ‘be one’ (3 Nephi 19:23) with Him ‘in all [our] doings’ (Alma 37:37). We don’t need to navigate this life alone, and we weren’t meant to. We can choose to find relief in partnering with the Lord through our covenants.”
— Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, in the September 2024 Liahona article, “Finding Relief in Our Covenant Relationship with God”
“We first should desire, yearn for and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost. You and I can learn a great lesson about righteous desires from the faithful disciples of the Master described in the Book of Mormon:
“’And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus. …
“’And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them’ (3 Nephi 19:6, 9).
“Do we likewise remember to pray earnestly and consistently for that which we should most desire, even the Holy Ghost? Or do we become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and take for granted or even neglect this most valuable of all gifts? Receiving the Holy Ghost starts with our sincere and constant desire for His companionship in our lives.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2010 general conference, “Receive the Holy Ghost”
“In a later prayer, Jesus included a plea for unity. ‘Father,’ He said, ‘I pray unto thee for them … that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one’ (3 Nephi 19:23). We too can pray for unity. We can pray to be of one heart and one mind with the Lord’s anointed and with our loved ones. We can pray for mutual understanding and respect between ourselves and our neighbors. If we really care for others, we should pray for them.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2009 general conference, “Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers”
“The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests. As I am blessed now to pray with apostles and prophets, I find [that] … they do not multiply many words, for it is given unto them what they should pray, and they are filled with desire (see 3 Nephi 19:24). The prayers of prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Pray Always”
