Rhetorical: Here Benjamin reprises an earlier theme (Mosiah 2:37). He earlier emphasized the fate of those who would choose to oppose the Lord, and noted that those who would choose to follow the “evil spirit” could be equated with those who rebelled against God. Now Benjamin proclaims a wo upon those who rebel. Why does this appear in the middle of a discussion of the atonement. Why does a wo appear in the middle of the “glad tidings”?
In this case, it may be directly related to theme immediately prior. In verse 12 Benjamin teaches that Christ performs an atoning sacrifice. In verse 12, the second sentence tells us that this is the only means to salvation. In between setting up an atonement and assuring us that it is the only means of atonement, Benjamin has discussed the blood and given a warning against open rebellion.
The only context in which the atonement and open rebellion would come up is if the reference to blood carried the suggested cultural weight, and therefore the pronouncement of the wo was directed once again to those in the assembly who might still harbor feelings for the other religion – the one with an emphasis on blood, but with no power to atone. In this cultural context the mention of blood triggers the association with the rebellious and provides the link to Benjamin’s condemnation, an association that would seem to be missing in any other context.
Of course this could be simply an aside that occurred to Benjamin as he spoke. The speech is so carefully crafted, however, that a hasty insertion contradicts the rest of the carefully argued text.
Mosiah 3:13
13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.
Rhetorical: Benjamin moves the logic of his discourse closer to the final objective, which is a new covenant to follow Christ. To move to this point he not only discusses the mission of Christ, but must clearly relate the new covenant to the older and accepted covenant of the Law of Moses.
In this transition, Benjamin does two things. The first is that he makes sure that the covenant with Christ is open to all peoples. This is critical to the success of his new covenant because he must include the blood-line gentiles that are in the group. This would include those of the Zarahemlaites that intermarried with their surrounding peoples in the last 500 years, as well as the lineal gentiles among the people of Mosiah who came from the city of Nephi. It should be remembered that there were indications in the city of Nephi that there was a significant gentile population. Indeed, the sensibilities of the Book of Mormon for inclusiveness of religion at a time when the living of the law of Moses in the Old World was very exclusive is another indicator of the importance of the integration of the gentile into the religious community – a facet of religious/political life that was important in the New World long before Peter opened the gospel to the gentiles in the Old World. Benjamin’s specific wording that demonstrates this openness is the mission of the prophets “[to] all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue.”
His second point is to highlight the importance of the Messiah, even before the mortal mission of the Messiah. Where the preaching of Christ in the New World is salvific, it perforce depends upon the atonement that will not be performed for yet another 100 years from Benjamin’s time. With a future act of salvation being declared as the only means of salvation, what is one to do today? Benjamin’s response is that his people (the believers) “might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.” The future atonement is of current validity. The sacred promise of the atonement from the beginning of the world creates the situation where those who lived prior to the physical event may yet have the full benefit of the spiritual event.
While we do not know all of the nature of the religious contentions with which Benjamin had to deal, we do know that the issue of a distant Messiah was one of the arguments Sherem had used against Jacob (Jacob 7:2). It is entirely possible that this theme of the distant Messiah being of no benefit to the current people would have continued to be an argument used against Benjamin’s religion.