“Ether 3: ‘Such Exceeding Faith,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“Ether 3,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

Ether 3

“Such Exceeding Faith”

the brother of Jared seeing the finger of the Lord

Have you ever truly considered the difference faith in Jesus Christ can make in our lives? A great example is the brother of Jared, who approached the Lord with a plan to solve his problems and humbly prayed with “such exceeding faith” (Ether 3:9) that “the veil was taken from off [his] eyes” (Ether 3:6) and he saw and conversed with the Lord. This lesson is intended to help you humbly exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

Focus on Jesus Christ as you teach the scriptures. Take time to help students recognize truths about the Savior and His redeeming power. Point out scripture passages that may increase their faith in Him. Consider asking questions that will invite students to ponder how Jesus Christ can bless, strengthen, and guide them.

Student preparation: Invite students to think of three people they admire from Church history or scriptures and how these people showed faith in Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

How do you show faith?

The following will help prepare students to learn more about faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of having students list examples, you could turn to the end of the lesson to show one of the videos or tell the story of Jan Roothoff.

Make a list of three people you admire from Church history or scriptures.

What are some ways these people showed faith in Jesus Christ?
How can you tell if you are exercising faith in Jesus Christ in your life?
Why would you want to exercise faith?

Consider writing students’ answers to the second question on the board. Invite students to ponder these answers and to evaluate their own faith. If helpful, add some or all of the following self-evaluation statements and invite students to complete them.

To help you ponder your own faith in Jesus Christ, write how true the following statements are on a scale of 1–5 (1 = never; 2 = sometimes; 3 = often; 4 = almost always; 5 = always):

I believe in Christ and accept Him as my Savior.
Through sincere prayer to Heavenly Father, I seek for help from God and Jesus Christ with my problems and trust in Their direction and help.
I take action and trust the Lord to help me.

As you study this lesson, seek to learn more about how you can humbly exercise faith in Jesus Christ and why you may want to.

Exercising faith

In the previous lesson, you learned that the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to build barges and cross the ocean to the promised land; however, the barges had no light. The Lord asked the brother of Jared to propose a solution (see Ether 2:23). As the brother of Jared acted in faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord helped solve his problem and blessed him in ways beyond what he asked for.

Provide the following handout, and invite students to fill it in individually or in small groups.

the brother of Jared climbing a mountain

the brother of Jared praying on a mountain

What did you learn from the brother of Jared’s experience?

Invite several students to share their answers. Write true principles they state on the board.

One principle we can learn is that as we humbly exercise faith in the Lord, we will come closer to Him.

To help students better understand the faith of the brother of Jared, consider dividing the class into small groups to do the following four activities. Alternatively, invite students to work in groups of four, each student doing one of the activities. Then students could share what they learned in their groups and, if useful, share highlights as a class.

The brother of Jared “did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones,” carried them to “the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord” (Ether 3:1). Write why you feel being willing to act and do what we can to solve the problem is an important part of our faith in the Lord.
As the brother of Jared prayed, he spoke of “his weakness before [God]” (Ether 3:2) and humbly asked for help. Write how understanding our own weakness and our total dependance on the Lord can affect our prayers and our faith in Him.
As the brother of Jared asked the Lord to touch the stones to make them shine, he testified, “I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man” (Ether 3:4). Write how you have come to know or could come to know that the Lord has the power to help us with our problems. You might include how that knowledge can affect our faith in Him.
The brother of Jared promised that he would believe the words the Lord would speak in the future (see Ether 3:11–12). Write why you think the brother of Jared trusted in the Lord so much that he agreed to this.

Coming closer to the Lord

What are the different ways the Lord blessed the brother of Jared because of his faith?
In what ways did the brother of Jared come closer to the Lord through this experience?

It may be helpful to mark the Lord’s words to the brother of Jared: “Ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence” (Ether 3:13). As we exercise faith in the Lord with our individual problems, we can also receive His help with our eternal goal to overcome our separation from Him and return to live with Him.

Watch or read one of the following examples of youth exercising their faith.

Watch “Faith and the Goal” (4:40). A young professional soccer player tells how she exercises faith in the Lord.

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Watch “Rebuilding My Faith When I Felt Lost” (6:25). After returning early from a mission, a young man rebuilds his faith in Jesus Christ.

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Read the account of Jan Roothoff, a young boy in the Netherlands who sought the prophet Joseph F. Smith to heal his diseased eyes (Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 3, Boldly, Nobly, and Independent, 1893–1955 [2022], 123–25).

Invite students to share what they learned from the video or story.

What experiences have you or those you know had that have strengthened your faith in Jesus Christ?

Conclude by writing one way you would like to exercise more faith in Jesus Christ and why. The following are some general ideas to help you complete this activity. You will need to add details that apply to you.

Take a specific action to solve a problem and seek the Lord’s help.
Make a goal to pray more humbly and trust in the Lord.
Actively do one thing to bring you closer to the Lord.

Look for ways you feel closer to the Lord as you act in faith.

Students will have an opportunity to share how they have exercised faith and what results have come from it in an upcoming assessment lesson (“Assess Your Learning 9”).

Conclude by bearing testimony of the Savior and the blessings that come from exercising faith in Him.

Commentary and Background Information

Ether 3:7, 9. Why does the Lord ask us questions even when He knows the answers?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

God “knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it” [2 Nephi 9:20]. … Nevertheless, God has frequently asked questions of mortals, usually as a way to test their faith, measure their honesty, or develop their knowledge. (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 19–20)

Ether 3:15. Had the Lord never shown Himself to anyone before the brother of Jared?

Verse 15 is a difficult passage, given that we know that God had appeared to Adam (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:53–55), Enoch (see Moses 7:4), and Noah (see Genesis 6:8–9), all of whom lived before the brother of Jared. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered several possible meanings: (1) the Lord is indicating that he had never appeared to a Jaredite before; (2) the use of the word “man” may imply that the Lord has never revealed himself to unredeemed or unsanctified persons; (3) never had the Lord revealed himself in such a full and complete manner as he did with the brother of Jared; (4) this may have been the first time the Lord had appeared and identified Himself as Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and (5) not only did the brother of Jared see the finger of the Lord, but also “some distinctly more revealing aspect of Christ’s body of flesh, blood, and bone” (See Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 21–22).

Supplemental Learning Activities

Ether 3:11. Believing in what the Lord “shall speak”

If it would be useful to discuss Ether 3:11–12 in more detail, consider sharing the following: “Redemptive faith must often be exercised toward experiences in the future[.] … Faith is to agree unconditionally—and in advance—to whatever conditions God may require in both the near and distant future” (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 18–19).

Invite students to discuss scenarios in which it is important to choose in advance to believe the words the Lord will speak to us, such as preparing to receive a patriarchal blessing or awaiting a mission call.

Truths about the Lord Jesus Christ

If it would be useful for students to understand more truths about Jesus Christ, invite them to read Ether 3:14–20, looking for truths the brother of Jared personally learned about the Lord because of his faith. Some truths they may identify are Jesus Christ was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem us (see Ether 3:14); God created us in His own image (see Ether 3:15); Jesus Christ showed Himself in the spirit before He was born in the flesh (see Ether 3:16); Jesus Christ’s physical body is in the likeness of His spirit body (see Ether 3:16–17); and Jesus Christ ministers to people to help them know that He is God (see Ether 3:18).

Consider inviting students to share which of these truths are most meaningful to them and why. They could also share what they have learned about the Lord as they have exercised faith in Him.

handout the faith of the brother of Jared