While pondering how I could better come to know Jesus Christ, I thought of how prophets have told us to read The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. At first, I shrugged off the thought. How was that supposed to work? Jesus doesn’t even show up until 3 Nephi, right?
Well, I listened to the prompting anyway. And I’m glad I did. I had opened up to 1 Nephi, hardly reading past “I, Nephi…”, when I had another thought—“Stop. Go back and replace the words the Lord with Jesus.”
As a little background the name Lord, at least as used in the Old Testament, comes from an ancient Hebrew tradition. They considered the name of God as too sacred to write out fully. Instead, it was abbreviated as YHWH. When the Bible was translated to English, YHWH was translated as Lord. A similar tradition carried into the New Testament times as well. Which means almost anytime Lord is used in the scriptures, the names Jehovah or Jesus are legitimate replacements.
So I did an experiment, silently replacing every occurrence of Lord with the more familiar name of Jesus. Suddenly, the scriptures felt different.
“ I, Nephi, …having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of [Jesus]…
Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto [Jesus], yea, even with all his heart, on behalf of his people.
… And it came to pass as he prayed unto [Jesus], there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him…
And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto [Jesus]; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O [Jesus] God Almighty!
…After [Jesus] had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea… he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy…
And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him… and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of [Jesus] are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
1 Nephi
It didn’t take much more reading to realize how blind I’d been. Jesus shows up in the very first verse. And He sticks around for the rest of it, ‘til the very end.
“Remember how merciful [Jesus Christ] hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
…Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
…And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.”
Moroni 10:3-4, 32, 34
The Book of Mormon is entirely about Jesus! I hadn’t realized how true that was until now. It had sermons about Him and a miraculous visitation by Him, yes, but it also had story, after story, after story of people and prophets interacting with Him.
He was there with Nephi building the ship, with Helaman and his stripling warriors as they defended their homeland, with the Jaredites as they crossed the great deep, and with Moroni as he protect the sacred records entrusted to his keeping. And if Jesus was there with them, that means He can be here with you and me.
As you read The Book of Mormon this year, I encourage you to seek for Jesus in its pages. Maybe try the same experiment, replace His many names with the familiar name of Jesus. But however you go about it, I promise you can find Him there.
Thoughts about Jesus Christ—our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.
Questions To Ponder On
How can I better come to know Jesus Christ?
Prophets have told us to read The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. At first, that might not seem like it would work—after all, Jesus doesn’t even show up until 3 Nephi, right? But when I listened to that prompting and started reading, I found Jesus in the very first verse. The Book of Mormon is entirely about Jesus.
Is Jesus really present throughout the whole Book of Mormon?
Yes. It didn’t take much reading to realize how blind I’d been. When I silently replaced every occurrence of “Lord” with “Jesus,” the scriptures suddenly felt different—more personal, more real. Jesus shows up in the very first verse of 1 Nephi and sticks around ‘til the very end. It has story after story of people and prophets interacting with Him.
Where can I find examples of Jesus’s presence in the Book of Mormon stories?
He was there with Nephi building the ship, with Helaman and his stripling warriors as they defended their homeland, with the Jaredites as they crossed the great deep, and with Moroni as he protected the sacred records entrusted to his keeping.
How can I find Jesus in the Book of Mormon for myself?
As you read The Book of Mormon, seek for Jesus in its pages. Maybe try the same experiment—replace His many names with the familiar name of Jesus. But however you go about it, I promise you can find Him there.
Our Advocate 
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