In Lehi's sermon to Jacob on the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation, he declares that Christ is "the firstfruits unto God" (2 Nephi 2:9). According to Hugh Nibley, the image of "the firstfruits" is an image that the Jews all understood. It means the best you have--the best and most beloved. It is the prize. It couldn't be anything less, you see. Nothing less than the supreme sacrifice could be made. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, p. 266]