The Olive Tree is symbolic of each one of us. You are the tree. And all of this connects back to the symbolism from the Tree of Life we talked about in a previous post. But that will not be discussed here. Let's just talk about this allegory for now.
Verses 1-3
"Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord. For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay."
Here Jacob tells us that they have already been taught this at least once by saying, "...do ye not remember...the words of the prophet Zenos..." And we know they have been taught because we are told in 1 Nephi 10:12 that Lehi spoke "much" about this prophecy. Wow. With Jacob's clarification from the last chapter, we come to know that the prophecy of Zenos is symbolic of how we come unto Christ and build upon Him as the only sure and lasting foundation. Why those words? Why "build" and "foundation"? If we are to have real life, then we must have agency - defined as having opposition and choice. Every person, in order to make a choice, must have a frame of reference. This is how Christ is our foundation - He is our frame of reference from which agency stems. When we build on this foundation, we are setting up for the ability to have access to all choice and all creation.
In verse 3, we begin. The olive tree is each person on the earth who has become part of the covenant people. Each of us is given one-on-one care by the owner of the vineyard (as are all others on this earth, but this particular allegory is about the covenant people who stray). But as we get older, we deny the truths within us and decay.
Meaning, we will stop praying for a while. Or we decide scripture study really isn't a necessary daily habit. Or maybe we think church really isn't that important to go every week - especially stake conference...that's just a free weekend, right? Or perhaps we have taken more serious steps away. Perhaps we are unsure because we've heard things about the early leaders of the church or early doctrine. Perhaps we heard, read, or saw something that shook our very foundation and we find our hearts closing to the Gospel we once adored.
Verses 4-5
"And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth your and tender branches, and it perish not. And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word."
Isaiah 29 and the distressing of Ariel was the first thing which came to mind here. That He will prune and dig...or, in Isaiah's words "lay siege" and "raise forts."
Also, Moses 4:12 through 5:15 is relevant here.
Within those cross-references, we also are shown the pattern of successful and eternal creation. First we have creation of spirit - the thought and planning phase. Then we have the creation in physical - the doing phase. It is in this phase that Abraham 4 and 5 add more understanding "the Gods watched" until that which they ordered obeyed. This implies much care and attention. This act the lord of the vineyard is going to undertake is not something that he does and then forgets about. This is something he watches and orders until he is obeyed. He shows us, throughout this parable, the necessity for intentional creation. He shows us how we learn to do this in our own lives, how we learn to set order within our hearts and then, once that order is there, we watch until we are obeyed. Or, in other words, when we have received a remission of our sins (omission or commission) then we are to continue on that path until there is no more temptation to return to those sins. We watch our internal parts until they line up with our new choices without work but as second-nature. We watch ourselves until we see that our "new" behavior has become like breathing and we don't even have to think about it. We set order and then watch until we are obeyed. I love that phrase - in case you couldn't tell. :)
The other important truth taught here is integrity to what He said. He did according to his word. We do not change in the middle, but his word - or power - was also his action.
This is all I have time to write for tonight. We are going to take this in small, bite-sized chunks. Mostly because each part deserves much pondering. But also because I have started back to school and I am squeezing in moments for this - but it is all borrowed time.
Verses 1-3
"Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord. For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay."
Here Jacob tells us that they have already been taught this at least once by saying, "...do ye not remember...the words of the prophet Zenos..." And we know they have been taught because we are told in 1 Nephi 10:12 that Lehi spoke "much" about this prophecy. Wow. With Jacob's clarification from the last chapter, we come to know that the prophecy of Zenos is symbolic of how we come unto Christ and build upon Him as the only sure and lasting foundation. Why those words? Why "build" and "foundation"? If we are to have real life, then we must have agency - defined as having opposition and choice. Every person, in order to make a choice, must have a frame of reference. This is how Christ is our foundation - He is our frame of reference from which agency stems. When we build on this foundation, we are setting up for the ability to have access to all choice and all creation.
In verse 3, we begin. The olive tree is each person on the earth who has become part of the covenant people. Each of us is given one-on-one care by the owner of the vineyard (as are all others on this earth, but this particular allegory is about the covenant people who stray). But as we get older, we deny the truths within us and decay.
Meaning, we will stop praying for a while. Or we decide scripture study really isn't a necessary daily habit. Or maybe we think church really isn't that important to go every week - especially stake conference...that's just a free weekend, right? Or perhaps we have taken more serious steps away. Perhaps we are unsure because we've heard things about the early leaders of the church or early doctrine. Perhaps we heard, read, or saw something that shook our very foundation and we find our hearts closing to the Gospel we once adored.
Verses 4-5
"And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth your and tender branches, and it perish not. And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word."
Isaiah 29 and the distressing of Ariel was the first thing which came to mind here. That He will prune and dig...or, in Isaiah's words "lay siege" and "raise forts."
Also, Moses 4:12 through 5:15 is relevant here.
Within those cross-references, we also are shown the pattern of successful and eternal creation. First we have creation of spirit - the thought and planning phase. Then we have the creation in physical - the doing phase. It is in this phase that Abraham 4 and 5 add more understanding "the Gods watched" until that which they ordered obeyed. This implies much care and attention. This act the lord of the vineyard is going to undertake is not something that he does and then forgets about. This is something he watches and orders until he is obeyed. He shows us, throughout this parable, the necessity for intentional creation. He shows us how we learn to do this in our own lives, how we learn to set order within our hearts and then, once that order is there, we watch until we are obeyed. Or, in other words, when we have received a remission of our sins (omission or commission) then we are to continue on that path until there is no more temptation to return to those sins. We watch our internal parts until they line up with our new choices without work but as second-nature. We watch ourselves until we see that our "new" behavior has become like breathing and we don't even have to think about it. We set order and then watch until we are obeyed. I love that phrase - in case you couldn't tell. :)
The other important truth taught here is integrity to what He said. He did according to his word. We do not change in the middle, but his word - or power - was also his action.
This is all I have time to write for tonight. We are going to take this in small, bite-sized chunks. Mostly because each part deserves much pondering. But also because I have started back to school and I am squeezing in moments for this - but it is all borrowed time.
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