In 3 Nephi 9, Christ spoke to the people, who were mourning in the darkness after the great destruction.1 Christ proclaimed that he would no longer accept animal sacrifices and burnt offerings (3 Nephi 9:17, 19). Instead, the Lord declared that he would receive a sacrifice of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Although this teaching never appears explicitly in the New Testament, Jesus was emphasizing adherence to the essential part of the law of sacrifice, one which had existed from ancient times and with which the righteous Nephites and Lamanites should have been familiar. The expectation of a broken heart and contrite spirit wasn’t new, but rather renewed as the Savior prepared the people for his ministry among them.