"Behold, My Joy Is Full"

Walter Rane (American, born 1949)
Angeles Ministered to Them (2009)
oil on canvas, 92 x 70 inches
Used with permission of the artist
artist’s website

A word that leaps off the page of 3 Nephi 17 is “joy.” After Jesus prays to His Father, the scriptures say, “…and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” “…but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.” (3 Nephi 17:17, 18). Then Jesus added, “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.”

Walter Rane’s painting captures that moment. The artist writes, “I felt that having all those children together with the resurrected Christ and then the heavens opening up and angels joining in, it had to be an amazing, scene of uncontainable joy.  Reverence can be expressed in many ways.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Jesus taught the people (3 Nephi 17:1-3), blessed the people (3 Nephi 17: 5-9), prayed with the people (3 Nephi 17: 13-18) and wept with the people (3 Nephi 17: 21-22). What do these activities help you to appreciate about the personality of Jesus?

2. The people brought their sick to Jesus to be healed and their little children to be blessed. If you had been there, who would you bring to Jesus and with what intention?

3. Knowing that Jesus would be coming back again, the people worked all through the night to get ready (3 Nephi 19:1-3). What sort of "labor" would you do through the night to get ready to see Jesus in the morning?

Questions for Youth & Children:

1.  Jesus loves children.  He told the people to bring their little children to Him.  The children gathered all around him on the ground (3 Nephi 17:11-12), and he blessed them one-by-one (3 Nephi 17:21).  Why do you think Jesus loves little children so much?  What can you do to show Jesus that you love Him, too?

2.  Jesus taught the people how to administer the sacrament  (3 Nephi 18:1-11).  Jesus then told them that if they obeyed and had the sacrament, this showed they were "built upon my rock" (3 Nephi 18:12, 13).  Why do you think that taking the sacrament will keep you steady with Jesus when things in life get tough?

3.  Jesus says that we should "meet together oft" (3 Nephi 18:22).  When are times when you can meet with other Saints?  Why are these gatherings important for you?  Why are they important for others in the group?  What can you do to prioritize those chances to be together when you have other pulls on your time?