You may have wondered like I have what the Savior meant when
He taught the Samaritan woman about living water that could be in her a “well
of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10, 14) and the importance
of worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth (see John 4:23-24, including
JST). You may have asked questions such as, “What is this water?” “How do I
obtain it?” “How can it be ‘in [me] a well of water [that springs] up into
everlasting life?’” “What does this water have to do with worship?”
It has been said that one thing we can do with things we
wonder about in the scriptures is put those questions on the shelf, so to
speak, then go about our life and perhaps later in another scripture we will
find an answer for that question.
Here are some teachings in the Book of Mormon that help me
understand this living water.
In Lehi’s dream he partook of white, sweet fruit that filled
his soul with “exceedingly great joy.” (1 Nephi 8:10-12) Later in his dream he
saw multitudes “pressing forward” toward the tree, “continually holding fast to
the rod of iron” who “fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.” (1 Nephi
8:30) In a similar vision Nephi saw the advent of the Savior and learned that
the tree represented the love of God that sheds itself in the hearts of men and
was “most joyous to the soul.” He saw many “fall down” at the feet of the
Savior “and worship him” and learned that the rod of iron (the word of God) “led
to the fountain of living water, or the tree of life,” both of which
represented “the love of God.” (1 Nephi 11:18-25)
Later in the Book of Mormon (Alma 32) the prophet Alma
taught some poor, humble Zoramites about worship. He taught them of faith and
invited them to “experiment” upon his words (v. 27). He challenged them to
plant the word of God in their heart, much like you would a seed. And he promised
them that if they would do this sincerely, with faith and humility they would
learn the truth of those words because of how they felt and because of what those
words would do for them (enlarge their soul, enlighten their understanding, and
taste delicious) (v. 28). Then they would know those words were true. They would
have a testimony. And then if they would “nourish the word” by their faith,
diligence, and patience the seed (which had become a tree) would take root in
their heart and provide them precious, sweet, white, pure fruit that would fill
their heart and be a “tree springing up unto eternal life.” (v. 41-43)
The Zoramites weren’t quite sure what words (seed) they
needed to plant in their heart and still wondered about worship so Alma
explained in Alma 33 that one form of worship is prayer (v. 2). Then he taught
them about the Savior and His Atonement and challenged them to “plant this word”
in their hearts and nourish it by their faith, promising them it would “become
a tree, springing up in [them] unto everlasting life.” Then Alma promised them
that God would lighten their burdens “through the joy of his Son.” (v. 23)
The Book of Mormon Institute Student Manual includes this
important explanation of the symbolism of the Tree of Life that Lehi and Nephi
saw in their visions.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that the tree of life represents
the Savior and His Atonement: “The Spirit made explicit that the Tree of Life
and its precious fruit are symbols of Christ’s redemption” (Christ and the New
Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 160).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
(1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles further emphasized that
partaking of the love of God means partaking of the blessings of the Atonement.
The tree of life is a symbol of God’s love and Christ’s Atonement: “The tree of
life … is the love of God (see 1 Nephi 11:25). The love of God
for His children is most profoundly expressed in His gift of Jesus as our
Redeemer: ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son’ (John 3:16). To partake of the love of God
is to partake of Jesus’ Atonement and the emancipations and joys which it can
bring” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 6; or Ensign, Nov.
1999, 8).
So what is this “living water” that can be a well of water in me,
springing up unto everlasting life? It is the same thing as the tree of life
that can grow in my heart until it is a tree springing up unto eternal life. It
is the same thing that Alma spoke of when he awoke from his three day
conversion experience. Here is a description of that.
23 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for
the space of atwo days and two nights, the limbs of Alma
received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding
them to be of good comfort:
24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been aredeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the
Spirit.
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind,
yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be aborn again; yea, bborn of God, cchanged from their carnal and dfallen state, to a state of righteousness,
being redeemed of God, becoming his esons and daughters;
26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do
this, they can in anowise inherit the kingdom of God.
Elder David A. Bednar, and others have taught that gaining a testimony
is not the same thing as being converted. (see Converted unto the Lord, October
2012 Conference) Alma taught the Zoramites that they needed to do more than
just find out that the word/seed was good/true. They needed to nourish the tree
through their faith, diligence, and patience—they needed to repent and obey and
experience the fruits of the Atonement in their lives. Or to use his earlier
words, they needed to be born again.
In Alma 34 Amulek bears testimony of Alma’s words and explains in
further depth how they can experience the Atonement in their lives. Two things
they would need to do would be to exercise “faith unto repentance” (v. 15-17)
and be charitable (v. 29). Amulek promised them the redemption of Christ was
available to them “immediately” if they would repent sincerely (v. 31).
So the Samaritan woman was being invited to come unto Christ and be
perfected in Him (Moroni 10:32-33). She was being invited to receive the
blessings of the Atonement in her life, to plant His word in her heart, to grow
in faith, to be born again and to develop an anchor-like hope in Christ (Ether
12:4). Then with this hope she would be assured that “through the atonement of
Christ and the power of his resurrection [she would] be raised unto eternal
life … because of [her] faith in him according to the promise.” (Moroni 7:41)
That’s what I want—an unshakable tree in my heart from which I can
partake of the satisfying, nurturing, joyful fruits of the Atonement, and
living water that will sustain me, assure me, and lead me home where I can
experience eternal life with my family and our Father in Heaven.
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