Book of Mormon Lesson Plan 13

Introduction

Begin with video presentation from Seminary video series.

Symbolism in Jacob 5

Symbol	Meaning
Vineyard	The world
Master of the vineyard	Jesus Christ
Tame olive tree (v 3)	The house of Israel, the Lord’s covenant people
Wild olive tree	Gentiles (people not born into the house of Israel)
Branches	Groups of people, families, clans, or tribes
Roots	Nations, or national identity
Servants	Prophets and others called to serve
Fruit	Lives or works of people; immortality and eternal life
Notes about olive trees	The olive leaf is a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. Olive trees tend to grow best in poor rocky soils. Olive trees need frequent pruning.

 

Visits to the Vineyard

Visit One (vs. 3-14)

The tame olive tree begins to decay, so the master nourishes it and grafts in wild branches, scattering tame branches elsewhere in the vineyard.

• Read verse 3. 
• Note that in verses 4-6 the master works w/ the tree, and doesn’t start grafting in the wild branches until verse 7.
• Interesting that in spite of the care the tame tree receives, in verse 6 it is the “top” that begins to perish.
• The nation of Israel has a long tradition of falling away from God, and he has continually pruned out the wild branches” to keep his covenant people tame and productive. 
• Following the Crucifixion, Israel’s apostasy worsens.  God scatters them and brings in new people who have been outside his covenant but will accept his covenants. 
• The in-grafting of the Gentiles appears to begin shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. The gospel is first taken to the Gentiles in Acts 10.

Visit Two (vs. 15-28)

The wild branches grafted in bring forth good fruit (Gentiles accept the gospel), and the tame branches grafted to wild trees also bring good fruit (Covenant people remember their covenants).  The tree in the best spot of ground brings forth mixed fruit (Nephites and Lamanites).

• Verses 21-22 – Sometimes it is the afflictions themselves that help us to grow and be more faithful.

Visit Three (vs. 29-60)

All the trees bring forth bad fruit (Great Apostasy), and even the tree with mixed fruit brings bad fruit (Lamanites destroy the Nephites).

• Verses 41, 46-50 – The Savior truly cares for his people, and does everything he can for us.  What more could he do for us?  There is literally nothing more he could do for us.

Visit Four (vs. 61-77)

Servants (missionaries) are called to gather the natural branches (gathering of Israel).  The bad are cleared away, and the whole vineyard is good (condition in the Millennium).  The next time bad begins to enter the Vineyard, the whole Vineyard will be burned (Final Judgment).

• Verses 61-65 – These verses help us understand why evil is allowed to persist in the world.  Compare D&C 86:6-7 from the footnotes.
• Verses 71-74
• We labor in our might.  This is not easy work!
• In the end, the fruit will all be the same, “like unto one body.”  There is no distinction to identify which tree the fruit came from, as long as it is good.
• Verse 75 – Those who labor with the master are blessed and will have joy with the Savior.

All Visits

Notice that the master is deeply involved in all of the visits to the vineyard.  What does this suggest about his involvement in our lives (both as a group, and as individuals) today?

 

Through the scattering, God fulfilled his promise to Abraham that through his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  The grafting of previously wild branches into the tame tree had tamed them too.  When they were grafted back into their “wild” roots, they too brought forth good fruit.

Conclusion

President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Today Latter-day Saints are going to all parts of the world as servants in the vineyard to gather this fruit and lay it in store for the time of the coming of the Master” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 4:142).  It is our privilege to be invited to work as laborers with the Savior.