The Tree of Life vision is a lens through which Nephi’s visions are seen in the chapters of 1 Nephi 11-14. Once Nephi sees the tree, he realizes that this is the only thing that will make us happy. Every thing else is just an imitation.
Some important things to emphasize when teaching this material is to talk about and illustrate the tree. Once we see this, we can then illustrate the imitations that the Adversary uses, and to Nephi, the great and spacious building is the imitations of the Devil. The river could represent things that we think will make us happy, but will lead to being swept away. The antidote to the river is the rod. Even though we are not yet at the tree, the rod will keep us safe. It does at least three things:
- It is a protection from falling into the river.
- It is the means of tasting the fruit of the tree, or rather, it is an extension of the Heavenly King.
- The rod keeps us on the path.
All three are essential in understanding the vision.
Three things that take us off the path include:
- Forbidden paths – 1 Nephi 8.28
- Strange roads – 1 Nephi 8.32
- The broad road – 1 Nephi 12.17
The question is: if the rod is so great, why don’t Heavenly Father’s children take hold of it? Answer: The mist – it is real, and it blinds us to the love of God. The one thing the mist seems to leave open to view is the building (the false teaching).
Reasons for not seeing the rod (mists in our day):
- Anger – Mosiah 10.12-17
- Guilt – Mosiah 2.38
- Offense – Mosiah 10.12-17
- The belief that it will not help us specifically – 1 Nephi 15.8-9
Nephi is driving home his main point: the antidote to the problems of these groups is to recognize and follow the Savior Jesus Christ. Once we see him for who he is, we gain access to his strength to overcome the difficultiest that inevitably come with the mortal experience. The plain and precious truths associated with Jesus, holding to the rod, and continually moving towards the tree are the very thing needed in this fallen world that we live in today.