Judged a Thing of Naught

1 Nephi 19:9 - "And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell - "Whether others deny or delimit Jesus, for us He is our Lord and Savior! Comparatively, brothers and sisters, it matters very little what people think of us, but it matters very much what we think of Him. It matters very little, too, who others say we are; what matters is who we say Jesus is." 

Elder Neil L. Andersen - "I promise you, as you choose not to be offended or ashamed, you will feel His love and approval. You will know that you are becoming more like Him."

Seek this Jesus - A Book of Mormon Daily Podcast invites you to discover the joy and guidance that comes from studying the Book of Mormon everyday. This podcast would hope to just be a supplement to your studies. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to Speak This Peace, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps. Today's verse invites us to slow down and really see the Savior, not just as a distant figure in Scripture, but as the one who willingly endured unimaginable cruelty for our redemption. Nephi foresaw that the world would reject Christ, not only through violence, but even more tragically, by treating him as insignificant. With that context in mind, let's read verse first Nephi nineteen nine. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught, wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth, and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long suffering towards the children of men. Nephi's prophecy hits hard. The world would judge the Savior to be a thing of naught. To me, rejecting the Savior is serious, but to ignore him, to minimize him, to treat him as though he is nothing this is spiritually tragic. It reveals a heart that has lost sight of the very source of life and hope. This is still one of the adversary's most successful tactics today. If he cannot convince us to hate Jesus, he'll settle for convincing us that Jesus doesn't matter that much. To treat him as a thing of not is that worldly noise take precedence over divine truth. Elder Neil A. Max will summarize this perfectly.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Whether others deny or delimit Jesus, for us he is our Lord and Savior. Comparatively, brothers and sisters, it matters very little what people think of us, but it matters very much what we think of him. It matters very little too what others say we are. What matters is who we say Jesus is.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

When who we say Jesus is, through our words, our worship, our priorities, and our choices reveals the true state of our discipleship. The Savior endured this brutal treatment without offense, resentment, or withdrawal. He suffereth it. Not because he deserved it, but because we needed him to. He could have demanded justice. He could have stopped everything in an instant, he could have chosen to be offended, but he did not. He absorbed cruelty while giving only love in return. There were no hidden motives in his ministry, no self interest, no political aims, no ego, only pure, unrestrained love freely offered. This is the ultimate example of meekness under pressure. It also teaches us that the ability to remain unoffended is not weakness, it is divine strength. Elder Neil L. Anderson taught.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

I promise you, as you choose not to be offended or ashamed, you will feel his love and approval. You will know that you are becoming more like him.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

When we refuse to be offended, we walk the path Christ walked. We begin to feel his approval because our hearts resemble his. If the world judges Jesus as a thing of naught, it should not surprise us that discipleship in our day comes with moments of misunderstanding, mockery or dismissal. Some may treat our faith as irrelevant or outdated. Some may minimize our devotion, some may misjudge our motives. But Jesus taught the most powerful lesson. Our worth is not determined by what others think of us, but by what he thinks of us. Elder Maxwell made that clear. Becoming offended easily often signals that we are looking horizontally for approval instead of vertically for strength. Christ showed us a higher way. He stayed focused on his mission even when misunderstood. He extended love even when unreciprocated. He endured suffering without letting bitterness reshape his heart. As disciples, we are not asked to endure what he endured, but we are asked to follow his pattern of unwavering love and steady devotion, even when the world does not notice or care. Every time we choose patience over irritation, forgiveness over offense, devotion over distraction, we silently but powerfully declare who we say Jesus is. The Savior endured cruelty without offense because his ministry was rooted in pure love. There were no ulterior motives, only a desire to bless and lift and save. That raises a deeply personal question for us today. Do I sometimes treat the Savior as a thing of not intentionally but by quiet neglect? Not out of rebellion, but out of distraction. Not out of hostility, but out of busyness. Not out of belief, but out of misplaced priorities. This verse invites us to recenter our discipleship through simple daily devotion. Remember him more often. Choose not to be offended. Then think of who we say Jesus is by how we live. Make space for his love to shape our hearts. Let his meek endurance inspire our responses to trials and relationships. If we want to become more like him, we must treat him as everything, not a thing of not. So here is today's challenge. Take five quiet minutes today and honestly answer this question. Where in my life have I unintentionally minimized the Savior? And what is one simple change I can make to show him he truly matters to me? Make the change today. Even if it's small, make it s sincere, and make it out of love for him who suffereth it because of his kindness towards us. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. I encourage you to open your scriptures, because when you study God's Word personally, the Spirit will teach you things no podcast ever could. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you keep focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.