Mosiah 3:9-11

Brant Gardner

In verse 9, the phrase “he cometh unto his own” repeats John 1:11. Rather than just stating that His own did not receive Him, as in John, Benjamin highlights the dramatic rejection not only of His teaching but of His divinity. He was not only rejected, but crucified. It is unknown whether the concept of crucifixion would have been well understood in the New World Nephite setting, around four hundred years after Lehi left Jerusalem. It is possible that it is part of the translation because the translator understood the history.

The mission of the Messiah is to atone, or to reconcile humanity to the justness of Jehovah. Benjamin quickly reiterates the need for this atonement. The very fact that it is so concise should indicate that it is not a brand new teaching. The people should understand, and they are only being reminded. For a people accustomed to the law of Moses and a blood sacrifice providing the reconciliation between Jehovah and humankind, the emphasis on the Messiah shedding his blood in atonement would have resonated with the people and been understood that they needed to apply the law of Moses’ ritual context to this future action of Jehovah in a mortal state.

Book of Mormon Minute

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