Faith Is Like a Seed

Alma 32–34

When Alma and the other missionaries were in Antionum among the Zoramites, they went into their synagogues, their houses, and even the streets to teach the people. With a lot of effort, the missionaries began to have success among the poor class of people. The more prosperous Zoramites had thrown the poor Zoramites out of the synagogues because they did not have fine clothes.

 

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Synagogue

Like a church building, a synagogue was a place for people to worship and learn more about God. Today, synagogues are the centers of worship for people of the Jewish faith.

 

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As Alma was speaking to a group of people on the hill Onidah, some of the poor Zoramites approached him. They asked him what they should do since they no longer had a place to worship. Even though they had helped to build the synagogues with their own hands, they were no longer welcome there because they did not have fancy clothes. Of course, Alma did not want the poor Zoramites to be treated badly, but he was joyful because he knew that their unfavorable circumstances had prepared them to hear the word of God.

Alma immediately quit trying to preach to the rich Zoramites, and he began speaking directly to the poor people. Alma praised them for being humble. He explained that while he knew many of them would be humble no matter what, it was better to be humble of their own free will than to be forced to be humble because of their poverty. He reminded them of the teachings of Zenos the prophet in the scriptures who said that people should pray and worship in all places. Alma told them that they should worship God all week long, not just once a week in the synagogue.

 

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Zenos

Zenos was an ancient prophet whose writings were on the brass plates. The Nephites often referred to his teachings.

 

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The poor Zoramites did not understand what it meant to have faith in God, especially in Jesus Christ who would come. Alma taught: “Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21). Alma helped them to understand this idea by comparing faith to a seed. If faith is “planted” in a heart that is soft and open to the truth, it will grow and become knowledge. If the seed is not good, it will not grow; but if the seed is good, it will grow and enlarge the soul. He also explained how faith needs to be nourished, or cared for, so it will continue to grow and so its roots can dig deep into our hearts.

 

 

When Alma finished teaching, Amulek observed that the great question still in the minds of the poor Zoramites was about Jesus Christ. Amulek bore a powerful testimony to them that he knew Jesus Christ would come. He told them that Jesus would offer His own life as an atonement for the sins of all mankind. He encouraged them to plant the seed of faith in their hearts. He urged them to pray always and repent so they would be prepared to meet God.

Many of the Zoramites, especially those who were poor, listened and believed. Because they believed, the proud Zoramites threw them out of their land. The humble Zoramites joined with the people of Ammon in the land of Jershon.