And it came to pass that the spirit said unto me, Look. And I looked and beheld a tree, and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty, and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the spirit, I behold thou hast shewn unto me the tree which is most precious above all. And he said unto me, — for I spake unto him as a man speaketh, for I beheld that he was in the form of a man. Yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.
What desireth thou?
And I said unto him, To know the interpretation thereof
And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look. And I looked as if to look upon him and I saw him not, for he had gone from before my presence. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth, and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceeding fair and white. And it came to pass that I saw the Heavens open, and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me, Nephi,
What beholdest thou?
And I said unto him, A virgin most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
And he said unto me, Knowest thou the condescension of God? And I said unto him, I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the Mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the spirit.
Source: 1 Nephi 3:9
Most who read this passage interpret the “condescension” reference solely as Christ’s. They view it as Christ alone who condescended by being borne of Mary here in mortality. However, when leading up to the angel’s question, “Knowest thou the condescension of God,” the text focuses exclusively on Mary. When the angel clarified the “condescension,” he again focused primarily on Mary and secondarily on Her Son. The angel explained, “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after
she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!”
Who would you reasonably expect to be the woman chosen before this world was organized to become the mortal Mother of the Lord? Who would you expect Heavenly Father would want to bear His child, if not His Spouse? Together God the Father and Mary can be acknowledged as the Parents of Christ. The scriptures shift the focus of the “condescension” from Christ, to His Mother, and then back to Her Son, “the seed of the woman.”
Lectures on Faith identifies Christ as “the prototype of the saved man.” Lecture 7 focuses attention on Christ as the Savior and Redeemer. But the lecture extends the requirements met by Jesus Christ to also apply for every saved man. In other words, for any man to be saved they must “attain to the resurrection,” like Christ. Shifting attention for a moment from Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and Savior to His Mother, we could acknowledge Her as “the prototype of the saved woman.”
Source: Our Divine Parents
