In
this chapter, Jacob shares what has become known as the “parable of the
vineyard” from a “lost” prophet of Israel known as Zenos. We have little
precise information about Zenos other than he likely ministered in the land of
Israel sometime between the time of the kings and the Babylonian captivity
(1000-600 B.C.), and some his writings were preserved on the brass plates that
Nephi and his brothers obtained from Laban.
The
parable has a panoramic scope that symbolizes the destiny of the people of
Israel and their many branches over all generations of time, right up to the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the destruction of the wicked that will come
with it, and perhaps even to the final battle between good and evil. It is a
testimony of how precious the Book of Mormon is to us that this important lost
prophecy from Old Testament times has been restored to us for our benefit and
that of our children.
Rather
than me dryly cataloguing the different phases of how the master and chief servant
in the parable care for the tame and wild branches of the olive trees found in
the vineyard, it may be better for me to run through some key takeaways from the
parable, and leave it to you to experience the full sequence of events by your
own reading of the account.
Key
takeaways:
Takeaway
#1: The master and the servant are very hands-on in their efforts to give the
branches of Israel every opportunity to prove themselves worthy.
I like to believe that the master represents our Heavenly Father and the
servant represents Jesus. The passages that make me think of the servant as
Jesus come in verses 26-27 and verses 49-50, where the master is ready to
destroy the branches that have brought forth bad fruit, but the servant
successfully urges him to spare the branches a little longer. After all, we
know Christ to be our advocate with the Father. It is possible, though, that
the master actually represents Jesus, and the servant is a composite of the
prophets the Lord works with at different times to warn his people and enlist
them in efforts to warn others.
In
any event, we learn that different children of Israel have different
experiences based on their circumstances, but that the Lord knows all of them
and all will be given the chance to avail themselves of the saving blessings He
offers. We detect the tirelessness of the Lord by his repeated cry (in verses
41, 47 and 49), “What could I have done more for my vineyard?”
Takeaway
#2: Our origins matter less than our willingness to learn and live by true and
saving principles. Especially the first few times we read
it, the parable can dizzily confuse us, with its description of grafting wild
branches into the tame mother tree, transplanting tame branches into far
corners of the vineyard (representing the scattering of Israel throughout the
world), and then ultimately grafting those tame branches back into the mother
tree.
But
at some level it doesn’t matter if we’re able to keep exact track of who went
where and when they did so. What matters most is that we see a consistent
pattern emerge through cycles of history. This pattern shows us that the true source
of our power to (paraphrasing the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians) withstand
the power of evil, that we may, having done all, stand by spreading
goodness (gospel means “good news”), lies in understanding and continually
going back to the source. The source here is the roots of the tree, which
clearly represent the foundation that the Lord and his power and qualities
provide for us. The whole drama of the parable is based on whether the people
of Israel can look to the roots for their strength, or whether they will try to
go it alone. In verse 48:
And it came to pass that the servant
said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the
branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches
have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of
the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the
cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?
Verses
53-60 show us that the process of bringing scattered Israel back to its roots
through the servants of God is the only way to ensure that there will be good
fruit on the earth to overcome the bad in preparation for Christ’s coming. The
roots provide the ever-present promise of nourishment and healing that comes
from the Atonement that Christ wrought for us. It is always there for the
taking. Verse 74 makes this explicit by saying that after the grafting back of
the natural branches into the natural tree, they “became like unto one body.”
Takeaway
#3: The servants will be few. This is sobering and
inspiring at the same time. For a number of reasons having to do with how evil
can distract and flatter and enrage (see 2 Nephi 28:19-23), thus keeping people
away from the truth right in front of them, Zenos tells us that God’s work will
depend on the labors of a mighty few (verses 69-72). It is up to us to decide
if we are willing to be a part of this most important work—the only infinitely
fulfilling work there is. The great comfort we have is that even though we may be
few, our efforts will be enough. Whatever we lack personally, the Lord will
supply the difference needed to accomplish His purposes.
Takeaway
#4: There will be a final reckoning. Every person’s time in
their mortal state is limited. With a finite amount of time, every moment
becomes more meaningful. The same holds true for the human race more broadly. There
is a time appointed when Jesus will come to establish a higher order, and much
of the legacy we leave through our descendants and our own actions is about doing
our part to share the knowledge and truths our civilization needs to properly
prepare for Christ’s coming.
There
are two processes through which the parable describes the purification of the
Lord’s vineyard. The first is described in verse 66, and seems to show that we
have an important role in helping banish evil. As we overcome it ourselves and
spread the influence of our goodness (hopefully!), those who cling to evil and
falsehood look increasingly small and impotent. Zenos tells us that such shall
be “hewn down and cast into the fire.” I can’t help but wonder if this means
that our own efforts at building the kingdom of God—through love, not
confrontation—have a bearing on the timing of the Second Coming.
The
second process, related in verse 77 as the final stand of evil in the Lord’s
vineyard, seems to resemble the account in Revelation 20:8-15 where, once Satan
returns after Christ’s 1000-year reign, fire devours Satan and “whosoever was
not found in the book of life.”
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