In some ways, as I read Jacob 5, "The Allegory of the Olive Tree", I see my self as one of the wild branches that needs to be tamed. But as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a holder of the Holy Priesthood, I also see my see as one of the servants of the Lord of the vineyard. And I think there are hidden messages in the allegory about the changes that come through the Atonement of Christ to those who work hard to serve him.
We know that the Lord loves his vineyard and wants it to be maximally fruitful and productive. We also know that the state of the vineyard affects him emotionally. He says again and again, "It grieveth me that I should lose this tree", when he sees the trees of his vineyard becoming wild and unfruitful. At one point, despite all he has done, all of his olive trees bear wild fruit, and he weeps, saying "What more could I have done for my vineyard?"
Knowing that, I paid attention to the times when the Lord proposes that he and the servant pluck off wild branches or cut down wild trees and cast them into the fire. Why would he do that? As an omniscient Lord, he knows that the trees and branches will yet respond to his tender ministering and return to productivity and fruitfulness. Why suggest burning the trees and branches when he knows that doing so is premature?
I don't think the Lord actually intends to go out right away and burn trees and branches when he suggests that option as a course of action in verses 26 and 49. Instead, I think he's testing his servant, and giving the servant a chance to acquire and demonstrate the kind of longsuffering, mercy and love that the Lord himself possesses in fulness. The servant, who has become more like his Master during their service together responds the way his Master already intends to act: "Let us prune it and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhpas it may bring forth good fruit unto thee" (Jacob 5:27) and later, when those efforts fail, "Spare it a little longer" (Jacob 5:50). The Lord immediately responds, "Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard" (Jacob 5:51).
By serving side-by-side with the Lord of the vineyard, the servant has come to love the trees too, and begins to want only what the Lord wants for the vineyard. I think this is a promise for those of us who are called to service of any kind in the Lord's kingdom. If you work with him and try to do in your service what he would do, your heart begins to change, and you begin to feel what he would feel, and to want what he would want. The Lord is able to perform his own work. He doesn't really need our help, and it would certainly be more efficient for him to do things himself. However, part of what he desires most is for us to become like him, and so he is willing to take on inefficient mortal apprentices and patiently change them into faithful servants who are more like him, all through the power of his infinite atonement.
We know that the Lord loves his vineyard and wants it to be maximally fruitful and productive. We also know that the state of the vineyard affects him emotionally. He says again and again, "It grieveth me that I should lose this tree", when he sees the trees of his vineyard becoming wild and unfruitful. At one point, despite all he has done, all of his olive trees bear wild fruit, and he weeps, saying "What more could I have done for my vineyard?"
Knowing that, I paid attention to the times when the Lord proposes that he and the servant pluck off wild branches or cut down wild trees and cast them into the fire. Why would he do that? As an omniscient Lord, he knows that the trees and branches will yet respond to his tender ministering and return to productivity and fruitfulness. Why suggest burning the trees and branches when he knows that doing so is premature?
I don't think the Lord actually intends to go out right away and burn trees and branches when he suggests that option as a course of action in verses 26 and 49. Instead, I think he's testing his servant, and giving the servant a chance to acquire and demonstrate the kind of longsuffering, mercy and love that the Lord himself possesses in fulness. The servant, who has become more like his Master during their service together responds the way his Master already intends to act: "Let us prune it and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhpas it may bring forth good fruit unto thee" (Jacob 5:27) and later, when those efforts fail, "Spare it a little longer" (Jacob 5:50). The Lord immediately responds, "Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard" (Jacob 5:51).
By serving side-by-side with the Lord of the vineyard, the servant has come to love the trees too, and begins to want only what the Lord wants for the vineyard. I think this is a promise for those of us who are called to service of any kind in the Lord's kingdom. If you work with him and try to do in your service what he would do, your heart begins to change, and you begin to feel what he would feel, and to want what he would want. The Lord is able to perform his own work. He doesn't really need our help, and it would certainly be more efficient for him to do things himself. However, part of what he desires most is for us to become like him, and so he is willing to take on inefficient mortal apprentices and patiently change them into faithful servants who are more like him, all through the power of his infinite atonement.
This reminds me of Elder Christopherson's talk that I was listening to this morning. He talks about living a consecrated life and how service is one part of that. I think we can easily get to the point where we aren't doing it just because we want to "do it unto Him" but because we truly love and want to serve others.
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