I love reading the Allegory of the tame and wild olive trees in Jacob 5. I know it’s about the gathering of Israel, but I love it for a completely different reason. I love it because of what we learn about our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the relationship between the two of them, who we are to them, and so many other gospel principles. This chapter is rich in knowledge of the gospel!
If we look at it and pull it apart by verses/sections here are some of the topics we can gather from its contents:
Verse 22: “Counsel me not.” We learn about God’s all encompassing vision and knowledge. We learn He has a plan. We learn about having faith and trusting in His plan.
Verse 25: “…good spot of ground…” We learn from this that we need opposition in our lives to grow and become stronger. We cannot stay stagnant. We will not grow this way.
Verse 27: “… nourish it a little longer…” We learn about mercy, patience and the hope our Savior has in us.
Verse 35: “The tree profiteth me nothing …as long as it shall bring forth evil fruit.” We learn about works, good works and charity, our all encompassing purpose to love one another, the second great commandment. We learn about our value and worth to God to make this such a high purpose.
Verse 41: “And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?” We learn of the Lord’s tenderness, of His pureness in love, of His vulnerability to love openly.
Verses 43-47: The Lord is expressing His grief over the loss of His children and reasoning His efforts. We learn about His love for us. We learn about His willingness to work hard for us. We learn about our responsibility to help ourselves and do our part in our salvation.
Verse 48: “Is it not the loftiness of the vineyard …” We learn about our pride. We learn about priorities in life (and getting them backwards). We learn about fearing man more than God, about acting verses being acted upon, about agency.
Verse 50: “Spare it a little longer.” Jesus is our mediator. We learn about His mercy and love and patience and hope and understanding of us.
Verse 58: Roots may take strength. There is much reference and reasoning of roots in this chapter. We learn that teaching our children matters. That we need to build strong and sturdy roots that they may have a stable and secure foundation to rely on when life shakes them.
Verse 61: “Labor diligently with our might …” Work is such a huge principle for pre-mortal, mortal and post mortal existence. The Lord and His Son, Jesus Christ, worked (and continue to do so) for us. And we are likewise expected to work for our spiritual growth and that of others.
Verse 64: “Then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.” Our Heavenly Father is always watching out for us, waiting to help and prepare the way when we are ready for it.
Verse 75: “And blessed are thou …” We learn of God’s dear gratitude for those who are obedient and in a position to help with the gathering, those who are in tune to Him.
So much to learn from this section! Throughout all of it we see the phrase or some variation of it, “It grieveth me that I should lose them.” We learn of the Lord’s deep love for His children. He loves us so much, as individuals and collectively. We are precious to Him and He and Christ are willing to work so hard for us, to have us back.
Other overarching themes throughout this chapter are themes of order, hierarchy, principles of work, structure, love, mercy, priorities, cooperation, worth and unity. I love it so much! I am so grateful to get to be a part of this religion, for its structure and function. I am grateful for the loving guidance of our prophet and his courage to say and do the difficult and necessary things, just like Jacob. I love that President Nelson is strong enough to move us forward in difficult times. I love that he does it with a smile and a reassurance of love.
Forever grateful.
