1  AND it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) [ These twelve are just referred to as disciples. Are they apostles? I know of no reference in the Book Of Mormon that calls them apostles. I that because they are simply not called as such? Or is it because of the fact that Jesus called his Twelve Apostles while he was alive, he gave them the keys, Peter James and John would have still be functioning as the twelve apostles on the earth at this time. So in my opinion they are the twelve apostles and these are just disciples - note they are not ordained as apostles just are given power and authority to baptise. ] and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, [ Compare to the sermon on the mount Matt 5-7, there Jesus was addressing the apostles in a special apostle training session so to speak, here he is delivering it to both the multitude and the apostles, when he has special remarks they are directed to the apostles as in 3 Ne 12:1, 13:25,14:1, 18:26 and they are so noted. ] and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve [ So the first beatitude here to the Nephis is blessed are those who listen to and obey the direction from the prophets, seer and revelators of God. This one is only found in the Book Of Mormon. We honor the Lord when we do what his servants ask ] whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I [ Note the Lord will be the one to baptize us with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 3 Ne 9:20. ] will baptize you with fire [ This comes after the baptism of water. Presence of deity, fire creates change - what has been touched by the heat of a fire that is not changed?, the atoning blood of Jesus Christ when accepted creates change or sanctification from sin, cleansing and purification. ] and with the Holy Ghost; [ "And" with the Holy Ghost - 3 different baptisms. Because of tradition or opinion, we have had the tendency to teach that after the baptism of water comes the baptism of “fire and the Holy Ghost” as if they are the same thing, not two separate and distinct events. In all of the references in the Book of Mormon, the word “or” is never used to connect the two cleansings. It never says baptism of fire “or” the Holy Ghost; the word “and” is always used, indicating that they are separate and distinct. ] therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, [ The gate by which we enter the covenant. ] after that ye have seen me and know that I am.

2 And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, [ So the audience here is to those who have been baptized, thise who have taken the first step toward God. ] and come down into the depths of humility [ Freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth. In theology, humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will: 2. Act of submission. ] and be baptized, [ Those who have entered the gate or made the covenant. ] for they [ WHO? Those that have made the covenant. ] shall be visited with fire [ Presence of deity and again the heat of the fire does what? it changes things. So who is visited with fire? Those who have done something on their own to have the privilege those who are baptize, or more appropriately - those who have made the covenants of Baptism. ] and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. [ Sins are remitted not in the waters of baptism, but rather when we are sanctified by the Holy Ghost who by fire burns the filthy dross from our souls, 2 Ne 31:17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost ]

3 Yea, blessed are [ This whole sermon verses 3-9 is the endowment without the ordinances. These are all ‘celestial blessings.’ ‘If these are what you want—being in the presence of God, becoming a child of God, inheriting the earth—then you need to become the salt of the earth.’ That is in essence what is being taught. ] the poor in spirit who come unto me, [ We all have trials but what do we do when we are depresses and discouraged? Note that it does not stop with blessed are the poor in spirit, but extends to those who come to him in their trials. Do we come unto the Lord or do we curse the Lord? – in other words nothing intrinsically good about being depressed or being broken in spirit – but there is in those who come unto him for the answer. See Alma 32:13. ] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 And again, blessed are all they that mourn, [ Does this mean that we should walk around moping all the day because of all the sadness in the world? NO it is those that morn for a reason and then do something about it – those who take action on the covenants that they have made. See Mosiah 18:8-9  bear one another's burdens,  willing to mourn with those that mourn; and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. 1) those who are empathetic and sympathetic to the plight of others, 2) those who recognize their own hopeless condition unless they repent, accept and gain the blessings from the atonement, and then repent we might add - the feeling of sorrow is not enough. ] for they shall be comforted.

5 And blessed are the meek, [ What does it mean to be meek? Does it mean be a wimp? NO. power under control, poise under provocation. These are those who submit themselves to the chastening of God so that they might be made righteous. Duet. 8:5, Job 5:17, Prov 3:11, Isa 26:16, Hebr 12:5-11, James 4:7, Mosiah 3:19, D&C 101:5. Also Ether 12:26 defines "meek" as those "that ...shall take no advantage of your weakness". ] for they shall inherit the earth. [ Inherit the earth in what state? What do we know about the earth? D&C 88:16-17; 16 And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.17 And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. Now see D&C130:7-9. ]

6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness,[ Note the use of the two things that are required to sustain life. Food and water. So must one feed themselves spiritually in order to live eternally. ] for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

7 And blessed are the merciful, [ the Greek is "eleos" and means a moderation in the severity of Justice. Mercy cannot rob justice (cf. Alma 42:25) ] for they shall obtain mercy. [ Or they will get as they give. I choice to show Mercy without Justice is permissive, to side with Justice without Mercy is utter destruction. Both must be present and in proper balance in the Atonement. Those who are merciful will be dealt with mercifully, those who judge mercilessly will be mercilessly judged. Or what goes around comes around. ]

8 And blessed are all the pure in heart, [ What does it mean to be pure in heart? when one's desires or motivations are righteous or just; virtuous = conformity to a standard of right - Zion ] for they shall see God. [ If we are pure in heart we can see how God works in our lives - the hand of God so to speak. 1) figurative - means God's face is inclined towards you, so you are in his favor; 2) literal - actually see the face of because they will be living with him . Notice the pure in heart is toward the end but receives the greatest of all of the blessings - to be with; to see God They shall have the confidence to do so; to stand in his presence. The pure in heart are those who are virtuous. See D&C 121 3) also those are the one's who when all is said and done they will live with God, and see him daily. ]

9 And blessed are all the peacemakers, [ What is a peacemaker? a person who brings about peace, especially by reconciling adversaries ] for they shall be called the children of God. [ Why such a calling? Because Zion is a people of one heart and one mind. Those who are peacemakers are those who work to bring that unity to reality to fruition. as opposed to the children of man; the son's of God vs the son's of man. The children of God are those who will live with God in the next life, as well as those who are righteous followers while on earth see Mosiah 5:7 . - Which do you want to be? ]

10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, [ Those who love me enough that they will take a stand for me; even at the cost of their life. Those who are willing to be persecuted not because of something they might have done; but rather because they have chosen to follow the Savior. ] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [ Celestial glory - to live with him of whom they were persecuted for. ]

11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;

12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; [ Or the Lord will not forget you; but remember you with your reward you in the celestial kingdom. ] for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. [ With your persecution you are becoming like them - the prophets of old. And if there rewards will be glory in the celestial kingdom so to will yours be. ]

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; [ What then is our role as the salt of the earth? 1) used to perserve meats and prevent infection; 2) seasoning that makes all living things taste better; 3) an essential nutrient for both man and animals; 4) valuable export commodity and a source of revenue for the Israelites. Roman solider were paid their wages in salt; 5) inferior salt was not suitable for human or animal consumption - it was used as fertilizer or as an additive to dung to make it break down faster (decompose) ]but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? [ Suggesting that we are to be there to make things better; and that as such we are essential to working out Gods plan - we are his hands. ] The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. [ If we do not then we will not be fulfilling our mission that we were sent here to do. As such we are of little value in the Lords plan. We have chosen not to participate. ]

14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. [ What is the purpose of light? to enlighten, to visible, to bring things that cannot otherwise be seen into view. ] A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law [ Which law? The Law of Moses. What was the purpose of the law of Moses? To point me toward the Savior. The gospel since the beginning was designed to point man to Christ. This is what was taught to Adam and Eve - it has been there all along, and yet the gospel truths were moved away from, there was a apostasy from the truth going back to the very beginning. Changes have been made to the truths to fit the philosophies of man. ] or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil; [ Word here is "rmg gamar", among the rabbins,it signifies not only to fulfill, but also to teach. So we might infer that the fullness of the law and the prophets were still to be taught by him and his disciples. ]

18 For verily I say unto you, one jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the law, but in me it hath all been fulfilled. [ This is very different from the Matthew account the Matthew account references the necessity
in keeping the Law until it is all fulfilled and here the discussion is that the Law has been fulfilled. ]

19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled.

20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, [ Or the old law. Telestial people cause pain of a physical nature to others; they hit, they hurt others. ] and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God;

22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry [ The bare minimum of the law suggests that you cannot kill , or murder someone. But the spiritual (the Terrestial law) law suggests that you cannot even have feelings of hate, contention or anger. Do you allow violence in your heart? Do you even want to hurt someone? So Telestial people act out and hurt others; terrestial people just think about hurting another, getting back but not actually acting on it, whereas Celestial do not even want someone to get hurt no matter what they may have done. This is backed up by the fact that both the JST and 3 Ne 12:22 omit the phrase "without a cause". ] with his brother [ "Æo orgizomenov-eikh", who is vainly incensed. The translation is literal; however the very objectionable phrase, without a cause, is left out, "eikh" being more properly translated by that above. so what is the implication here? Are you one who flys off the handle in anger at every little thing that is done to you. Best example I have is road rage, maybe some athletic contests... it becomes very easy to develop such an attitude toward life that you can become upset at every little cause that you feel is unjust and act out toward that in a fit of anger. ] shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, [ "hqyr" from the Hebrew qr rak, to be empty. It signifies a vain, empty, worthless fellow, shallow brains, a term of great contempt. a term that in Aramaic means "empty head". This would be expressed by one who is casting irrational and demeaning personal attacks on someone. Opposite advice is found in D&C 121:43. ] shall be in danger of the council; [ The famous council, known among the Jews by the name of Sanhedrin. It was composed of seventy-two elders, six chosen out of each tribe. ] and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. [ in other words, don't put others down as if you are perfect yourself, when you are not. ]

23 Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee— [ Contention with someone close to you. ]

24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled [ Reconciled - to be seen again with, to set again with. ] to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly [ Make peace with your enemies. ] while thou art in the way with him, [ While you are in the middle of it; warn us to do it while we may have the chance. ] lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison.

26 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence [ From the prison that you put yourself in vs 25. ] until thou hast paid the uttermost senine. [ Reminder that you are the one who will pay the most for holding grudges; you are the one who will not be able to find peace with yourself. ] And while ye are in prison can ye pay even one senine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay.

27 Behold, it is written by them of old time, [ In the Old Testament - the Law Of Moses. ] that thou shalt not commit adultery; [ Telestial people do commit adultery; Note in the next verse the difference between a telestial person and a celestial person. ]

28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, [ "epiqumsai authn", earnestly to covet her. The verb, epiqumew, is undoubtedly used here by our Lord, in the sense of coveting through the influence of impure desire. So we might say that thinking about committing adultery is a Terrestial act, whereas a celestial person does not even think of such things. So in essence from terrestial to celestial has to do with overcoming and controlling our very thoughts. ] hath committed adultery already in his heart.

29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart; [ What are these things? Quick to anger vs 22; holding a grudge vs 24; lusting after women vs 28. What do all of these have in common? Each one leads to a more serious action in a way. For example if we are angry and get angrier over time we will act out, if we lust after a woman and do it long enough we will eventually act out. What the heart continues to want over time effects what we will eventually end up doing. If we allow ourself to be angry at someone and continue to harbor those feelings there will usually come a tipping point when we will exploded. ]

30 For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been written, that whosoever shall put away [ Divorce. ] his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. [ A legal divorce - this is because of the sacred nature of marriage and the covenants made to enter into such a relationship. ]

32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whoso shall marry her who is divorced committeth adultery. [ We need not take this in complete form - for example a person that is given a legal divorce; even one that is sealed in the temple is given a temple divorce and is permitted to marry in the temple again and be sealed to the next spouse. That would be a mockery before God if that was allowed to happen. But it has been approved by the Presidency of the church so we are left to ask what does this mean? One example is to look at the words used "Fornication" and "Adultery" Fornication is used to mean disloyalty to a partner, breaking covenants see Rev 14:8; 17:2; 19:2. While Adultery is much more grievous - it is akin to apostasy; forsaking God altogether. see Ex20:14; Jer 3:7-10; Matt 5:27-32; Luke 18:11 ]

33 And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, [ Not make oaths because they are just vane promises, commit perjury; and the fact that you use the name of the Lord for creditability to their less than honest promises - well shame on them. Example:"in the name of God I promise..." ] but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; [ Keep your promises and covenants. ]

34 But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; [ Make contracts or promises. ] neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; [ The idea here is that it was common practice among Jews to make a contract; and make it complex for protection. The Jews were notoriously guilty of common swearing, for which our Lord particularly reprehends them, and warns his disciples against, and that they swore by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, by their head... So they would say something like this home is in good shape I promise under the full moon. Well if there was a problem later on the person who made the promise would simply say the moon was not really full but was a couple of days past being full and hence the promise was not a valid one from the start. So in essence they were swearing as a means to lie. ]

35 Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white;

37 But let your communication be Yea, yea; [ If you say you will do something do it. ] Nay, nay; [ If you say you will not do something don't do it. ] for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.

38 And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; [ The old law was that the only people you should consider doing anything to were those who had caused you harm, this is terrestial in nature. ] [ Found in Ex 21:24-25; Lev 24:20; The Savior teaches a higher law - not the eye for and eye which usually means much more that an eye for and eye. The person who retaliates will often do far more damage thinking they are justified. But the Savior implies that we need to exercise constraint. ]

39 But I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also; [ The Celestial Law is given here, let them do as they made and you don't respond at all. The Telestial law livers do mean things to whomever; the terrestial law livers only do bad things to those who hurt them first and Celestial law livers never do mean things. What is the principle that is trying to be taught here? The one that if we retaliate or seek revenge then we end up committing sin in our own right. So God is trying to keep us from making those mistakes. We often react under great anger, as a result we do things which we might otherwise not do or that we may regret. If we look to turn the other cheek we keep from committing sin on our own. ]

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, [ "citwna", or upper/outer garment. ] let him have thy cloak also; [ Under garment. What we call strait coat, and great coat. ]

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away.

43 And behold it is written also, [ The old law. ] that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; [ This is a terrestial law as telestial people just hate everyone. Terrestial people love people who love them and hate those who hate them. Celestial people love everyone (see vs 44). The change from telestial to terrestial is outward while the change from terrestial to celestial is inward. ]

44 But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; [ Or those who will qualify to live with him in the celestial kingdom. ] for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good. [ So in essence he shows his love and kindness to everyone, the same for the righteous as well as the unrighteous. ]

46 Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.

47 Old things are done away, and all things have become new.

48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. [ Compare to Matthew 5:48 account has Jesus telling the people to be perfect as his Father is perfect.  The 3 Nephi account has the resurrected and exalted Christ telling the people to be perfect even as He Himself and His Father are perfect.  This clarifies the context of the command to be perfect as what Jesus is saying is the goal is to end up resurrected with eternal life.  It is not a command to be utterly flawless in mortality as people commonly take it to mean. ]