Nourished, Pruned, and Dug About

There are three things in particular that the master of the vineyard and his servant did in the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5 to care for the tree.  We read that when the master of the vineyard saw that the tree was decaying, he said, “I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not.”  And then he did just that: “And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word” (v4-5).  He pruned, dug, and nourished the tree, and several other times the same pattern occurred within the allegory.  After the branches of the wild olive tree were grafted in the same three things were done: “The Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished” (v11).  When they were contemplating getting rid of the branches that hadn’t brought forth fruit, the servant said, “Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee” (v27).  The Lord of the vineyard mourned when the tree wasn’t bringing forth good fruit, saying, “Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it” (v47).  Again he highlighted these same ways (and added dunged, which is part of nourishing the tree with good soil) that he had been taking care of the tree.  In the final period for the vineyard the master again gave directions to “dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time” (v64).  And then at the very end of the allegory he summarized what he had done again and again: “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” (v76).  The actions of the master of the vineyard and his servant were consistent throughout: they nourished, pruned, and dug about the tree in their efforts to preserve the tree and bring forth fruit.               

             I believe these three items can be seen as symbols for how we should care for and serve others in a gospel context.  This is particularly true in our parenting.  First, we should seek to nourish our children with encouragement, love, messages from the scriptures and living prophets, a home where the Spirit can reside, etc.  We should do all that we can to help them feel that they are valued and instill in them a desire to know their Heavenly Father and walk in a path that would be acceptable to Him.  They should be “nourished by the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4).  At times, though, there must also be correction as pruning represents.  We may have to help them cut off things from their lives that aren’t in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have to love them enough to cut them down as President Brown’s currant bush story would tell us.  When we see negative behaviors and sin we must seek to help them prune their lives.  Lastly, we need to “dig about” them.  To dig about a tree is to do work in the soil around it or to prepare the ground.  Perhaps this action could be interpreted as the things that we do to help and serve in ways that are unseen.  We prepare the ground for our children by seeking to create an environment for them where they can develop spiritually; we take actions and make sacrifices that they will never see to help prepare the soil in which they can flourish.  We pray for them, fast for them, and build up our homes to be a place in which they can grow in their testimony of the gospel.  They see and feel us nourish them; they experience the bitterness of pruning from us; but we dig about them without even their noticing as we serve them silently.  All three of these actions are important ways that we can strengthen our trees and help bring forth the fruit of the gospel.