Olive Tree
The House of Israel - Gentiles
Atttention Activity: An Olive Tree Video - Olive Tree Info
What do you know about an olive tree?
How long do they live?
Symbol of peace - and Longevity - many trees in a vineyard can be over 2000 years old
Grows very slowly
What do they look like?
Gnarled trunk -hard dense wood - grey bark
May reach a height of 5-10 meters - 15-30 feet. (pruned to 3-7 meters)
The more it grows the more it needs pruned for best yeild
Every 3 years leaves are shed - evergreen throughout year
Blossoms for a week in months of May-June
Small white oval flowers - sensitive to wind/cold only 5% of flowers bear fruit
Not polinated by insects but by the wind
Olives form between June - November
Initially Green - fully black when mature - some never become black but stay purple
What type of soil do they grow in?
Stony and Aired soil is fine for olive trees - low quality soil is just fine (places other fruit trees won't grow)
Multiple different varieties of olives?
How much fruit does one olive tree produce?
10-15 kilos of fruit for a good harvest from a tree - 10-15 years for full yeild
How are olives used?
Rendered edible - by soaking in salt solution
Oils of different varieties taste differently - miller combines different varieties/blends to make good oil
5-7 kilos of olives to produce 1 liter of oil - manual picker picks 70 kilos per day
How are olives harvested?
picked by placing net under tree - then brushing tree to knock olives off onto the net
Introduction to the Allegory of the Olive Tree:
Why did Jacob speak of this allegory?
Jacob 4:15-17 The stumbling of the Jews will bring about the rejection of Christ - How can the Jews ever retun?
This is how - the Allegory of the Tame/Wild Olive Trees
Jacob quotes from the prophet Zenos:
Who was Zenos? Study Helps - Zenos
Prophesied of Christ’s burial and three days of darkness:1 Ne. 19:10, 12;
Predicted the gathering of Israel:1 Ne. 19:16;
Jacob quoted Zenos’s parable of the tame and the wild olive trees:Jacob 5;
Jacob expounded Zenos’s allegory:Jacob 6:1–10;
Taught concening prayer and worship:Alma 33:3–11;
Taught that redemption comes through the Son:Alma 34:7;
Was slain for his bold testimony:Hel. 8:19;
Spoke of the restoration of the Lamanites:Hel. 15:11;
Testified of the destruction at Christ’s death:3 Ne. 10:15–16;
Summary of the Allegory of the Tame/Wild Olive Trees:
Make chart on chalk board of symbols during discussion concering Allegory
Symbol
Meaning
Vineyard
World
Master of the vineyard
Jesus Christ
Servants
Prophets and others called by Master
Tame olive tree
House of Israel
Wild olive tree
Gentiles
Branches
Groups of people
Fruit
Lives and works of people
Pruning
Removing from one place - moving to another
Grafting
Moving people from one place
Merging them with other groups elsewhere
Decay
Apostasy - wickedness - bad fruit
Visit by the Master
A time of a new dispensation or change
In how the branches are treated
Lofty branch
Pride/Rebellion
Buning
Destruction
Digging about
Providing Aereation - not to much water ...
Limit what is provided - and let bad go away
Nourish tree
Provide fertilizer - dung it - etc.
(Revelation, Priesthood, etc.)
This whole Allegory is in Chastic form - and is a hebrew poem:
The first visit of the Master - establishment of house of Israel
Jacob 5:3-5 Like House of Israel to a tame olive tree
a man took and nourished in his vineyard - began to decay
The second visit of the Master
Jacob 5:6-10 After many days young branches there, but top began to perish
It greiveth me to loose this tree
Pluck the branches from a wild olive tree - and bring them here
Pluck off main branches - that wither
bun them up
Take away many young branches - graft throughout vineyard
If the main root perishes I will preserve the fruit
I will take these young branches - graft them where I wish
(save root) Take wild branches and graft them in the place of the young branches
Those cut off
will be buned - to not cumber my vineyard's ground
Notice the main point of this couplet - He desires to save the root to preserve the fruit!
By removing the young branches - and grafting in the wild ones instead
Jacob 5:11-15 Lord of the vineyard caused his vineyard to be:
digged about - pruned - nourished - to preserve the roots
Servant sent to do this
Lord of the vineyard hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree
nethermost part of the vineyard
mattereth not unto servant - but purpose was to preserve natural branches and fruit
A long time passed away - come let us go look in the vineyard
The Lord of the vineyard purposefully hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree.
John 10:16 Other sheep not of this fold
Why would he do this?
Nephi 1:8-9
It is wisdom in god that this land should be kept from the knowledge of other nations
Why would he hide these branches from his servant?
No place for inheritance - see
The third visit of the master:
Jacob 5:16-18 Status of the House of Israel
Wild olive branches bear good fruit - like natural fruit
Taken moisture of the root - branches brought forth fruit
Jacob 5:19-25 Status of the Dispersed branches of the House of Israel
20 1st Group - brought forth much fruit - that was good - Poorest spot in the whole vineyard
23 2nd Group - Poorer than first - brought forth much fruit
24 3rd Group - A good spot of ground - part of the tree brought good/part bad
Not destroyed - but nourished bad instead
Where are these three groups of dispersed tribes of Israel?
We don't know - however it is assumed that the good spot of ground is Nephites/Lamanites see vs 40,43-45
Jaredites removed - Nephites/Lamanites placed in choicest part of land 2 Nephi 1:5 a land choice above all other lands
The dispersion of people is two fold - they are moving to a new location - and they producing fruit in that location.
In this case it is as follows:
Original location - Natural Root - natural branches --> 3 different locations - Wild root - natural branches
Lost tribes of israel - in 3 different locations 1 porest spot, 2nd poor spot, 3 America Nephites/Lamanites
Unknown location - Wild Root - wild branches --> Natural Root - wild branches
Gentiles brought into the Root, gospel preached to the gentiles move to Original location
Why do you think that the bad parts of the vineyard produced all good fruit but the best place produced 1/2 and 1/2?
Is there a principle we can lean from this?
Pride cycle - when things are easy people become proud/wicked and start the downward cycle.
The fourth visit of the master:
Jacob 5:29 Long time had passed away - let us go down again - time draweth near - end cometh
Jacob 5:30-37 Status of the House of israel
30 All sorts of fruit did cumber the tree
32 none of the fruit is good
33 What shall I do?
34-37 Discussion - roots nourished - still good - branches have overrun the roots
It will soon ripen and be buned
Jacob 5:38-40 Status of Dispersed branches of the House of israel
39 1st, 2nd, and 3rd group had all become corrupt
40 3rd Group - wild group overcame the good until it died (Nephites destroyed)
Jacob 5:42-46 All the fruit of the vineyard has become corrupted - all good for nothing
43 3rd Group in choice above all other parts of the land - bad killed the good (Nephites destroyed)
44 He had cleared the ground before 3rd group had came (Jaredites removed)
45 because bad was allowed to continue it destroyed good part (Lamanites)
46 All are worthy of destruction
When did this occur when there was no good fruit?
Apostasy
Jacob 5:47-48 It grieveth me to loose this vineyard - who has destroyed it?
branches grew faster than the roots - overcame the roots
Jacob 5:49-52 Spare the vineyard a little longer
Jacob 5:52-64 Take Dispersed branches and retun them again
52 Take 1st, 2nd, 3rd group branches and graft them into original tree roots (House of Israel)
52 Take worst branches of House of Israel and bun them - and replace them with 1st, 2nd, 3rd group branches
54 Branches of House of Israel grafted into roots of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd groups
61-62 Call other servants - we will labor with our might this last time - the end draweth nigh
63 begin at the last that they are first - and the first that they are last
64 dig about them, prune them, dung them once more
Jacob 5:65-68 Clear away bad - but not all at once
66 clear away bad according to strength of good
69 this last time will I prune my vineyard
70-71 servants went forth - but they were few - they will have joy with their master
The Final Labor:
How are the Gentiles being grafted into the House of Israel - and the House of Israel being grafted into the dispersed roots?
The dispersion of people is two fold - they are moving to a new location - and they producing fruit in that location.
In this case it is as follows:
3 different locations - Wild Root - natural branches --> Original location - Natural Root - natural branches
Many different types of Chrisitianity in these locations --> brought to knowledge of truth and move to original location
Gathering of Israel from the many different locations that they were.
(This is possibly occuring right now as many of the lost tribes are being found and join the Gospel)
Natural Root - wild branches -->Unknown spot - Wild Root - wild branches
Gentiles grafted into Natural tree - will move to original location and brought to a knowledge of the truth and produce good fruit.
Gentiles (non Jewish people) but of the Root - Old testament teachings will be dispersed into the locations that the natural branches had been sent previously. There they will come to a knowledge of the truth and produce good fruit.
(This is possibly occuring right now with the Muslim refugees being dispersed into the rest of Europe... :) Once dispersed they can come to a knowlege of the truth yet if they had not they could not have being in a Muslim state!)
The last shall be first and the first shall be last.
This is the last time that he will prune and transplant his vineyard.
72 servants did labor with their might - obeyed all Lords commandments
73 natural fruit again in the vineyard - wild branches cut out - equal root/branch
74 all the bad cast away - preserved good fruit - one body, fruits all equal
75 Vineyard is no more corrupted all good - servants will have Joy with Lord
76 for this long time will I lay up fruit of my vinyard - worked it the last time
77 If the fruit go evil again - I will bun the vineyard with fire
The result - an ussuring in of the melenial reign where there is no more bad it has all been cast away.
The lord will lay up fruit of his vineyard for a long time.
When it goes evil again the lord will cleanse the vineyard for the last time
Jacob's Exhortation to his brotheren.
Jacob 6:1-4 Zenos spake concening the House of Israel - the end will come after the second attempt to restore his people.
The Lord remembers his covenants with the house of israel - and will recover them
5 repent - and come unto him and cleave unto God
6-7 harden not your hearts that you be not destroyed
8-10 If ye reject these words - and the prophets - you will be ressurected with shame and guilt
11-13 repent and enter in gate - be wise what can I say more - farewell!