3 And it came to pass that he again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat.
4 And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude.
5 And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude.
6 Now, there had been no , neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude;
7 But he truly unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.
8 And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.
9 Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard. (3 Nephi 20)
When the multitude partook of the bread and wine offered by Jesus to [their] soul, they were filled. This filling leads them to "cry out with one voice ... [giving] glory to Jesus."
Let's review the symbolism. Of the seven openings to the head (ears, eyes, nostrils, and mouth), we have three paired structures which grow increasingly closer. Finally we have the mouth (not paired -- a symbol of unity), into which food enters and out of which words can be spoken. Thus, hearing the word of God (and hearkening to it) leads us to see the heavenly light, consecrate ourselves to God's work (symbolized by the "sweet savour" of temple incense and sacrifice), filling ourselves with His word, then transforming into an angel (mortal though we still may be) who assists in the work by helping others receive the necessary priesthood ordinances through which God's power is manifest!
In verse 9, we see that after eating and drinking to the point of being filled, the multitude were united in crying out to give glory to Jesus.
This is a process that repeats itself throughout scripture:
- First, a separation occurs based on willingness to hearken to the word of God.
- This leads to receiving more of God's word, including mysteries which cannot be written.
- Receiving leads to "fulness" or becoming "filled."
- Once filled, receiver becomes giver and learns to speak the word of God.
This is God's work and His glory, the process by which He brings about our immortality and eternal life (see Moses 7:18).
Upcoming notes about "glory" and "glorify"
I can't help but notice that the people "gave glory to Jesus." What is glory? What is the process by which we obtain this glory? Pondering these questions and studying relevant verses leads me to an interesting set of topics: "glory" and "glorify," which are important scriptural terms and will be the subjects of several future posts. I'll close this post with these words from Doctrine & Covenants 93, which I will discuss in more depth in future posts. These verses succinctly tie together the pattern I outlined above with several other key terms:
19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.
20 For if you keep my you shall receive of his , and be in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive for grace.
21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the with the Father, and am the ;
22 And all those who are begotten through me are of the of the same, and are the of the Firstborn. (Doctrine & Covenants 93)