In the New Testament, the Gospels are silent with regard to Jesus saying anything about his words being recorded. To mainstream Christianity this is perhaps not a question to be pondered, but to LDS members it should be. Why? Because he is the same yesterday, today and forever. From three examples of record keeping below we gauge just how crucial an activity it is. Next, we should consider whether his concern for keeping records is the same during his ministry as to other periods of history.
Let us explore the importance Jesus, as LDS Lord of the Old Testament and Book of Mormon places on record keeping.
He has the Spirit constrain Nephi to slay Laban, reasoning it is better for one man to perish than an entire nation (dwindle in unbelief), in order to obtain the plates of brass that contain Jewish scriptures.
He forsees Joseph Smith losing 116 pages of manuscript, so instructs the Nephites to keep two gold plate records.
In 3 Nephi 23:7, Jesus asks ‘Bring forth the record which ye have kept’. Presumably, being omniscient he already knew that Nephi had omitted to record the fulfilment of Samuel the Lamanites prophecy of Nephite dead being raised from the dead and appearing unto many. Verse13 ‘And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded’.
Key Question If Jesus of the Old Testament and Book of Mormon took record keeping so seriously, why didn’t he feel as strongly about records of his ministry?
If apologists suggest perhaps he did, I would expect to hear some clues about it, he called Judas to act as purse keeper, why isn’t there a clerk? Shouldn’t he have considered calling someone who was literate?
Jesus in the New Testament Gospel of Mark appears preoccupied with establishing a radical form of social justice, warning that individual change would be necessasry to be ready for the coming of God’s kingdom, preaching that personal sin did not require mediators. This Jesus seems different, incongruent, incompatible with the Book of Mormon representation of Jesus on the subject of record keeping.