In the Nethermost Parts of the Vineyard

In the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees in Jacob 5, the Lord of the vineyard took branches from the main tame olive tree—the one representing the house of Israel (v3)—and planted them “in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure” (v14). This presumably represents the scattering of Israel to various parts of the world. After a “long time passed away,” the Lord of the vineyard and his servant went to check on all of the tress of the vineyard (v15). After examining the main tame olive tree, the Lord of the vineyard said to the servant: “Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self” (v19). It is then that we find out that there were at least four trees that were planted with those branches that came from the tame olive tree. “He beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit” (v20). The servant questioned why he had placed this tree there because “it was the poorest spot in all the land of the vineyard” (v21). The Lord of the vineyard then said, “Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit” (v23). This was the second branch that had been planted, again in a poor spot of ground, and like the first it was bringing forth much good fruit. He then referenced the third with these words: “Look hither, and behold another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit” (v24). So, these perhaps represent three different groups which were scattered away from Israel and Jerusalem, and they had been nourished by the Lord and were righteous. Perhaps these were referenced by the Savior when He was among the Nephites and said to them, “Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto [the Jews at Jerusalem] concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land…. And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them” (3 Nephi 15:15, 20). These words of Nephi, quoting the Savior, likely also referred to these scattered branches of Israel: “I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it” (2 Nephi 29:12). Unfortunately, these three branches also eventually turned to wickedness when the Lord of the vineyard and his servant came back again much later: “And it came to pass that they beheld that the fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; yea, the first and the second and also the last; and they had all become corrupt” (v39).

                There was a fourth branch that the Lord originally hid in the nethermost part of the vineyard, and it appears that this branch represented Lehi and his descendants. The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant: “Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others” (v25). This fits the story of the Nephites and Lamanites both because only part of the tree was good and because it was “a good spot of ground.” Lehi had told his posterity when they arrived in the promised land, “We have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed” (2 Nephi 1:5). When they came back that second time in v39 it was “the last” spoken of and was also corrupt. The Lord of the vineyard spoke about this particular tree: “And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died…. And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard. And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof. And thou beheldest that a part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild fruit; and because I plucked not the branches thereof and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the good branch that it hath withered away” (v40, 43-45). This indeed seems to fit the story of the Nephites and the Lamanites who originally being half righteous eventually became fully wicked and the Nephites were all destroyed. I believe that the reference to how he “cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground” refers to the Jaredites who had been in the same land and eventually destroyed. The footnote in v44 suggests the same: “And if they perish it will be like unto the Jaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and revenge” (Moroni 9:23).

                The final part of the allegory tells of how these trees in the nethermost part of the vineyard were united with the main olive tree from which they had originated. The Lord of the vineyard said, “Let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came” (v52). The grafting went the other way as well: “The roots of the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet alive; wherefore, that I may preserve them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them in unto them. Yea, I will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve the roots also unto mine own self” (v54). This uniting of the original and scattered trees was then described this way: “And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the natural trees, which also had become wild. And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree” (v55-56). To me this represents the final work of salvation taking place on the earth now by the Lord to gather all of His children into His gospel covenant. This last time that the vineyard is being pruned is the time when scattered Isarel is to be gathered and we are to become one people in Zion, prepared for His return to the earth. We who have made covenants with Him are now a part of that great gathering and uniting, and we hope one day to hear the Lord of the vineyard say to us as well, “And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard” (v75).