3 Nephi 11:12–17

“Come Forth unto Me”

After being introduced as Heavenly Father’s Beloved Son, Jesus Christ invited the people to personally witness that He had been slain for the sins of the world. One by one they approached Him and felt the wound in His side and the prints of the nails in His hands and feet. This lesson can help you obtain or strengthen your testimony that Jesus Christ suffered and died for you.

Helping students visualize what they read. When students have a visual image of scripture events and ideas, they are more likely to remember them. In addition to using videos, pictures, and other media, consider inviting students to visualize significant events and what it may have been like to be there. This can invite the Holy Ghost into their study and help students feel the truth and importance of what they are learning.

Student preparation: Invite students to read 3 Nephi 11:12–17 and imagine how they would have felt having this personal interaction with Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

Take charge of your testimony

Think about how the following invitation from President Russell M. Nelson applies to you.

I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with the false philosophies of unbelieving men and women and then wonder why your testimony is waning. (Russell M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity” [worldwide devotional for young adults, May 15, 2022], ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

• Why do you think it is important for each person to “take charge of” their testimony?

One of the most important truths we can have a testimony of is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Ponder why people need to know this about Him. You could study John 14:6 and Mosiah 3:17 to help you see some of these reasons.

Share the following to help students evaluate their feelings about and testimony of Jesus Christ. Display the questions and give students time to record their answers in their study journals.

• Do you feel that you have a testimony of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world?

• What has contributed to you feeling the way you do about the Savior?

Today you will study a sacred interaction Jesus Christ had with the Nephites. As you study, think about what you can do to obtain or strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ invites the Nephites to feel His wound marks

If needed, invite students to review what they previously learned by asking them to summarize the events of 3 Nephi 11:1–11.

Recall that while a group of Nephites was gathered in the land of Bountiful, the Resurrected Lord descended out of heaven. He declared that He was Jesus Christ and that He had glorified the Father by suffering for the sins of the world (see 3 Nephi 11:1–11). The multitude consisted of men, women, and children, numbering about 2,500 people (see 3 Nephi 17:25).

Read 3 Nephi 11:12–15, looking for the Risen Lord’s first invitation to the people. You could also watch “Jesus Christ Appears in the Ancient Americas,” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 13:29 to 16:03.

As you study, try to visualize yourself as part of the multitude. Visualizing events or ideas from the scriptures can invite the Holy Ghost into your study. Record any thoughts or feelings that come to you while you study, ponder, and visualize.

Give students adequate time to study, visualize, and record their thoughts. Questions like the following could help students find success visualizing:

• As you think of yourself at the temple in Bountiful, how do you picture your surroundings as you hear Jesus Christ’s voice declare, “Come forth unto me”? (3 Nephi 11:14).

• What expression do you picture on the Savior’s face as you examine the nail marks in his hands and feet?

• How do you think the people felt as they saw the Savior and interacted with Him “one by one”? (3 Nephi 11:15).

• What parts of this account did you choose to visualize? What were some of your thoughts and feelings as you did so?

• What do these verses teach you about the Savior’s desire for each of us?

The following is one principle we can learn from this sacred account: Jesus Christ invites me to receive a personal testimony that He is the Savior of the world. Consider recording this principle in your scriptures or in your study journal.

Speaking of the Savior’s personal invitation and ministry among the Nephites, Bishop Gérald Caussé of the Presiding Bishopric taught:

This sublime scene is the climax of the Book of Mormon. The entire “good news” of the gospel is contained in this image of the Savior tenderly extending His “arms of mercy” [Alma 5:33] to invite each individual to come unto Him and receive the blessings of His Atonement. …

… Just as Jesus invited each one of the Nephite disciples to feel His wounds, He died for each one of us, personally, as if you or I were the only person on earth. He extends to us a personal invitation to come unto Him and draw upon the marvelous blessings of His Atonement. (Gerald Causse, “A Living Witness of the Living Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 39–40)

Invite multiple responses to the following question. Students could also share what has helped them gain a testimony of Jesus Christ. Consider sharing what has helped you gain a testimony as well.

• What are some ways we can obtain our own testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world?

If needed, share an account from the scriptures or a general conference address that illustrates how individuals gained a testimony of the Savior. Examples in the scriptures could include the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1–29), King Lamoni’s father (Alma 22:1–18), or Alma the Younger (Alma 36:5–23).

“Hosanna!”

The Nephites were deeply impacted by their personal interactions with the Savior.

Read 3 Nephi 11:16–17, looking for how the multitude responded following their experience with the Resurrected Lord.

It may help to know that hosanna is a Hebrew word meaning “save now” or “please save us.” It is used throughout the scriptures as an expression of praise and supplication and has become a celebration of the Messiah in all ages (see Bible Dictionary, “Hosanna”; Guide to the Scriptures, “Hosanna,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

The following will help you take time to express your feelings about the Savior or study about others who have shared their testimonies of Him.

The following activities are intended to help students express their own testimonies about Jesus Christ or learn from the testimonies of others. Display the options so students can refer to them during the activity. Feel free to adjust the options to better meet the needs of your students.

1. Share your personal testimony of Jesus Christ by writing a letter to someone you feel could benefit from it.

2. Choose a verse in the scriptures or a hymn that describes your feelings about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for you. Write a brief explanation of why this verse or hymn is meaningful to you.

3. Write a poem or lyrics to a song that describe your feelings about Jesus Christ.

4. Study another person’s testimony of Jesus Christ. Summarize what you studied and how that account made you feel. Examples could include Alma 26:1–16, 35–37 or “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Invite a few willing students to share what they did for the previous activity. Thank them for their willingness to participate. Testify of the truths you have discussed and encourage students to continue making efforts to obtain or strengthen their testimony of Jesus Christ.

Commentary and Background Information

3 Nephi 11:14. How can I “come forth unto” the Savior?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. All members of the Church have access to the doctrine, ordinances, priesthood keys, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their location. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming,” Ensign, Apr. 2020, 15)

How can a personal testimony of Jesus Christ influence my life?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Simply stated, testimony—real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost—changes lives. It changes how you think and what you do. It changes what you say. It affects every priority you set and every choice you make. To have a real and abiding testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be “spiritually … born of God,” to “[receive] his image in your countenances,” and to experience a “mighty change in your hearts” (Alma 5:14). (M. Russell Ballard, “Pure Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 40)

What is significant about the wounds and marks in the Savior’s resurrected body?

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Our Savior invites us to always remember Him as He always remembers us.

In the New World, our resurrected Savior invited those present to come, one by one, to thrust their hands into His side and to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet.

… Please consider how it is that our Savior’s perfect, resurrected body still bears the wounds in His side and the nail prints in His hands and feet.

At times in history, mortal men have been executed by crucifixion. But only our Savior, Jesus Christ, embraces us still carrying the marks of His pure love. Only He fulfills the prophecy of being lifted up upon the cross that He might draw each of us, by name, to Him [see 3 Nephi 27:14].

Our Savior declares:

“Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” [Isaiah 49:15–16]. (Gerrit W. Gong, “Always Remember Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 110)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Ministering to the one

While studying 3 Nephi 11:12–15, consider highlighting the Savior’s example of ministering to people one by one. You could invite students to think of additional scripture accounts of Jesus ministering in a personal way. Ask students to think of how Jesus Christ continues to minister to us one by one today. Encourage students to follow the Savior’s example of helping those in need one by one.

“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

As you discuss the importance of gaining a personal testimony of Jesus Christ, it may be helpful to sing or listen to the hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136). You could share the following account that describes some experiences of Samuel Medley, who wrote the lyrics of this hymn.

While serving in the British Navy in 1759, Samuel’s leg was severely wounded. A doctor said it needed to be amputated. Samuel, who had not been a religious person, spent the night pondering teachings about Jesus Christ and praying for his life and leg to be spared. The next morning, Samuel’s leg had improved so much that it no longer needed to be amputated. Samuel spent the rest of his life as a faithful Christian (see “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” What’s New with The Tabernacle Choir [blog], Feb. 12, 2014, thetabernaclechoir.org).