19 - And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yeah, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
Why were these sacrifices and burnt offerings being done away with? Wasn't there original purpose to be a type and point the children of Israel towards Christ? When did sacrifices start? With Moses? With Adam? Was animal sacrifice done before the time of Moses? Why were the laws of animal sacrifice given to Moses to give the children of Israel? Is there a difference between the sacrifices that Adam gave and the sacrifices that the Israelites after Moses gave? Which are being referenced here?
20 - And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
What does a broken heart mean? Does it have something to do with the desires of the natural man? What does a contrite spirit mean? Does it have something to do with obedience? With willing obedience? How does one come to him with those? In the context of the statement that Jesus says here, who needs to move? What does that imply that you have to do with your broken heart and contrite spirit? Isn't it sufficient to have those attributes, or is there more to it? Why is a baptism of fire mentioned separately from the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Are these two different things? Is the order of these two baptisms mentioned important? Is one a preparation for the other? What kind of preparation would need to be done to the heart of a person so that the Holy Ghost could reside there in such abundance as to be baptized in the Holy Ghost? Would sin be there? The Lamanites had this happen to them and they didn't notice it! When did this happen? How did they not notice it? Do all people who have these to baptisms happen to them not notice it? If that were the case, how come Mormon takes the time to engrave on the plates that in that particular case, they didn't notice it happening to them? Why would their circumstances be any different?
21 - Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.
Is redemption and to save from sin the same thing? Is there more implied by redemption?
22 - Therefore, who repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.
In verse 20 we are asked to come unto him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In this verse we are asked to come unto him as a little child. Is there a relationship between being as a little child and having a broken heart and a contrite spirit? What does repentance have to do with having those attributes? How to little children trust in their parents before the age of accountability? Is the only way to obtain that state again after the age of accountability through repentance? What is implied by the use of the word receive? Is this different than letting in? Is this different than acknowledging you made it? How would you receive someone you hadn't seen in a long time? Is there somewhere we are taught about this? Why is it so important to know about the meaning of the word receive in this case? Could it be that Christ himself said that for the ones that repent, become as a child and have a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and are received of him are those who he came to start the atonement for and no one else?
... Great things 2 ponder upon.
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