73 And there began to
be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to
grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and
to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according
to the strength thereof.
74 And thus they
labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the
vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the
Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural
fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the
Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was
most precious unto him from the beginning.
75 And it came to pass
that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his
vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them:
Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest
that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit,
that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have
been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my
commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my
vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy
with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
76 For behold, for a long
time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the
season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my
vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay
up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I
have spoken.
77 And when the time
cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the
good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and
the bad will I cast away into its own place.
And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to
be burned with fire.
Jacob 5:73 - 77
The servants and the Lord of the vineyard worked hard to
save the trees. Their efforts paid
off. Natural fruit began to grow and
thrive. As this happened, the wild
branched were cut off and cast away.
Hugh Nibley observes:
To restore the tree the Lord of the
garden must work with a will: "When I apply my hand to dig the furrows
thereof," says the Thanksgiving Hymns, "its roots strike even on
granite, its stocks are firm-grounded in the earth."60 Through Zenos the Lord commands:
"Dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last.... Prepare
the way for them, that they may grow" (Jacob 5:63—64). And when this is
done, "the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; ... and
they did keep the root ... thereof equal, according to the strength
thereof" (Jacob 5:73).[1]
The servants followed the commands of the Lord. Finally, the bad branches had been cast out
of the vineyard. The Lord had preserved
the trees that again brought forth natural fruit. They became like one body and all fruits were
equal. The Lord, in a revelation He gave
Joseph Smith for a conference, said, “I
say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27).
The natural fruit had been preserved, “which must most precious to [the Lord of the vineyard] from the
beginning.”
James Faulconer explains Zenos’s point.
Note that just as the possibility
of good fruit is what keeps the Lord from destroying the vineyard, the presence
of evil fruit brings the vineyard's burning. The point of Zenos's story is the
gathering of fruit, not the preservation of either branches or root.[2]
Caring for the trees was important.
Achieving uniformity in the crop is
obviously desirable, since a small percentage of very bitter fruit mixed in
with the rest would reduce the quality of oil for the entire batch. Hence, the
Lord of the vineyard strived to achieve a situation in which all the trees
"became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal" (Jacob 5:74).
Once this condition was achieved, the crop was stabilized "for a long
time" of fruitful harvesting (Jacob 5:76).[3]
The Lord called his servants together. He told them this is the last time they had
taken care of his vineyard. “[B]lessed art thou; for because ye have
been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard … ye shall have joy with me
because of the fruit of my vineyard.”
The angel speaking to Nephi told him, “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that
day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure
unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the
everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of
great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be” (1 Nephi 13:37).
Speaking of the worth of souls, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “And if it so be that you should labor all
your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul
unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And
now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into
the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls
unto me” (D&C 18:15-16).
At the end the Lord speaks to his
servant, "Blessed art thou, because ye have been diligent in laboring with
me in my vineyard.... Ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my
vineyard" (Jacob 5:75). Jacob echoes these words: "How blessed are
they who have labored diligently in his vineyard" (Jacob 6:3)—those who
have participated in the divine activity of at-one-ment. In latter days the
Lord has said, "I will gather together in one all things,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth" (D&C 27:13). The allegory
underscores the fact that the greatest work going forth on the earth is the
work of bringing those who are scattered, alienated, and miserable back into
harmony and oneness with each other and with the Creator.[4]
Why did the Lord say this was the final time they would
nourish the vineyard? “After a certain
point, however, rejuvenation is impractical or impossible and the tree dies.
Hence, the Lord of the vineyard recognizes that the end is at hand when he goes
into the orchard to prune and harvest for the last time (Jacob 5:75).”[5]
The Lord will lay up the fruit for a long time “against the season which speedily cometh.” When the time comes that wild fruit grows
again, he will cause his vineyard to be burned.
And here ends Zenos's allegory.
[1]
Prophets
in the Wilderness, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed April 28, 2014.
[2]
The
Olive Tree and the Work of God: Jacob 5 and Romans 11, James E. Faulconer,
Maxwell Institute, accessed April 28, 2014.
[3]
Botanical
Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5, Wilford M. Hess, Daniel
Fairbanks, John W. Welch, and Jonathan K. Driggs, Maxwell Institute, accessed
April 4, 2014
[4]
Jacob's
Allegory: The Mystery of Christ, M. Catherine Thomas, Maxwell Institute,
accessed April 28, 2014.
[5]
Botanical
Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5, Wilford M. Hess, Daniel
Fairbanks, John W. Welch, and Jonathan K. Driggs, Maxwell Institute, accessed
April 4, 2014
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