Jacob 5 - Who is the Lord of the Vineyard? It may not be who you think.
This post was last updated, 6 October 2018.
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In the Book of Mormon, in chapter 5 of the book of Jacob (Jacob 5), there is a fascinating allegory about an olive tree in a vineyard. As the olive tree gets older, branches start withering away and it looks like the tree is dying. The Lord (also called the master) of the vineyard prunes and nourishes the tree, but only a few "young and tender branches" (v. 6) grow, while the main part starts dying.
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In the Book of Mormon, in chapter 5 of the book of Jacob (Jacob 5), there is a fascinating allegory about an olive tree in a vineyard. As the olive tree gets older, branches start withering away and it looks like the tree is dying. The Lord (also called the master) of the vineyard prunes and nourishes the tree, but only a few "young and tender branches" (v. 6) grow, while the main part starts dying.
The Lord of the vineyard tells his servant to graft in some branches from a wild olive tree, in the hopes that it can strengthen the roots. The the servant is directed to "watch the tree, and nourish it" (v 12) while he takes the "young and tender branches (v. 8) and grafts them into other places throughout the vineyard.
I won't go through the entire allegory, at least not at this point. First let's establish some things.
First, the Earth is the vineyard.
The tame olive tree is the house of Israel. This is stated in verse 3, "I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree."
The time frame for when the tree starts decaying is probably before the Babylonian conquest of Israel and subsequent captivity that happened in about 598-7 B.C and 587-6, which is around the time Lehi's family left Jerusalem (600 B.C.) and Lehi later received revelation that Jerusalem had been destroyed (2 Nephi 1:4, about 588 B.C.).
There is also a wild olive tree. While this probably doesn't represent a specific people, it would most likely be anyone who is not of the house of Israel.
There is also a wild olive tree. While this probably doesn't represent a specific people, it would most likely be anyone who is not of the house of Israel.
Who is the Lord of the vineyard? And, who is the servant?
Most say it is the Lord Jesus Christ, and that makes sense on the surface. Our Savior is our Lord, and Master. He is even referred to as the "Lord of the vineyard" in the Doctrine and Covenants.
But does that mean in Jacob's allegory of the tame and wild olive trees that the Master/Lord of the vineyard is the Savior? After all, this allegory was given over 2000 years before the restoration of the Church, and over 500 years before the Savior was born. Of course, he was foreordained to be the Savior before anyone was born on earth.
But does that mean in Jacob's allegory of the tame and wild olive trees that the Master/Lord of the vineyard is the Savior? After all, this allegory was given over 2000 years before the restoration of the Church, and over 500 years before the Savior was born. Of course, he was foreordained to be the Savior before anyone was born on earth.
Personally, I've always had another view. I'm not saying I'm right, just looking at it in a different way.
The allegory is kind of a world history of house of Israel.
With the commonly accepted viewpoint, the Savior is the Lord of the vineyard and his servant is a prophet. There are other instances in the scriptures, particularly in the Doctrine and Covenants where the "Lord of the vineyard" does refer to the Savior.
But are we supposed to use other parables to interpret Jacob's allegory?
For example, in D&C section 101, the Lord tells a parable that has some similarities to Jacob's allegory. Verse 44 starts with:
The parable in section 101 is more about the redemption of the choice land. The Savior spoke of this in 3 Nephi chapter 21 when he was teaching the Nephites and Lamanites about the last days, and how their remnant would be "as a lion" among the Gentiles, if the Gentiles would not repent.
In section 103 verse 21 the Lord says that Joseph Smith "is the man to whom I likened the servant to" referring to the parable given in section 101. And in 3 Nephi 21:10 the Savior mentions his servant who would help bring about "a work, which shall be a great and marvelous work" (3 Nephi 21:9). But, in 3 Nephi 21:9 the Savior doesn't tell the people it is his work. His words are:
Interestingly, in section 101, the Lord of the vineyard was initially introduced as "a certain nobleman" before he was referred to as the Lord of the vineyard. A nobleman is usually someone of royal birth and inheritance. Jacob 5 introduces the Lord of the vineyard as the master of the vineyard.
While these distinctions are interesting, they are worth noting because Jacob's allegory and the parable in section 101 are different.
It is clear in subsequent sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that the "Lord of the vineyard" from the parable found in section 101 is referencing the Savior. We do not have any definitive references to who the "Lord of the vineyard" and "servant" are supposed to represent in Jacob's allegory. Most just assume the "Lord of the vineyard" in Jacob's allegory must also refer to the Savior.
Returning to Jacob's allegory, my biggest issue with the interpretation that the Savior is the "Lord of the vineyard" in this allegory is there has been no servant (interpreted by most as a prophet) that has worked with the Lord throughout the entirety of the history of Israel. Yet, the allegory is clear. The servant is with the Lord of the vineyard basically from the beginning.
I think it's more likely that in this particular allegory the "Lord of the vineyard" is the Father and the servant is our Savior.
Before I go on, please understand that this viewpoint does not diminish in any way the Savior's role. I personally think it enhances it.
Since the beginning the Savior has been with the Father and has always done the Father's will. They both have watched over the children of God on this earth, although the Savior was particularly watchful of the house of Israel, which he was instructed to do by the Father.
In the allegory, the servant (the Savior) is tasked with watching over the tree (v. 12) while the Lord of the vineyard (the Father) takes the young and tender branches and plants them in various places around the vineyard.
On a subsequent visit to the vineyard, the servant is taken and shown where the branches of the tree were planted. Before that, he apparently did not know where the young branches were planted, although he was familiar with the vineyard. This familiarity is obvious as he was even surprised that some trees were planted "poor" spots of the vineyard, and that there was a "good spot" (v. 25), which was a "choice...above all other parts of the land of [the] vineyard." (v. 43). If the servant didn't know the vineyard, he would not know there were some poor spots and a choice spot.
The servant even knew that the choice spot had previously had a tree planted on it, which was cut down (v. 44) so the new tree could be planted.
In several places in the scriptures it is clear that the Savior did not know where the Father had led the lost tribes (and others) of the house of Israel. But, he was later to show himself to them. Just as in the allegory the servant later helps with the nurturing of these other branches, and in later grafting them back into the original tree.
It might be concluded that the servant probably didn't know about the young trees being planted in the poor spots.
However, it does seem clear that the servant knew the choice sport was cleared of its previous tree so one of the new trees could be planted there. Verse 44 states, which is the master talking to the servant:
An interesting part to consider is verses 61 and 70 in Jacob 5. The the servant was commanded to call and bring other servants (v. 61 and 70), to work with the Lord of the vineyard in the pruning of the vineyard.
It would certainly not be a stretch to extrapolate from this to the parable in section 101 and conclude that the servant (the Savior) in Jacob's allegory--who worked directly with the Lord of the vineyard (the Father), might refer to himself as a "nobleman" who called servants to work with him, and not as the master.
In Jacob 5 verse 63, the Lord of the vineyard instructs his servant to "begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last."
Comparing this to 3 Nephi chapter 21 (and other places) it is clear that those in the "choice" part of the vineyard would be first, and from there the rest of the vineyard would be gone through.
From 3 Nephi, it is the remnant of the house of Israel in the choice land who will be gathered first, followed and then the rest of the house of Israel, including the lost tribes and then the Jews.
Certainly a prophet could be considered as the one who called other servants. Interestingly, in 3 Nephi 20 verse 23, the Lord refers to himself as a prophet when he tells the people:
The first task given to the servant is to get branches from a wild olive tree and to bring them back to the servant. I'm sure the servant considered various wild trees to determine which would be most likely to help strengthen the roots. To me, this assignment, to essentially "gather" some branches sounds similar to other statements the Savior has made, where he says "I will gather...."
Then the servant was to watch over and nourish the original tree.
After the young trees are planted, and have grown for a while, the master takes the servant around the vineyard. It seems clear the servant knew about the new tree in the choice part, and may have been involved with its planting, but he didn't know about the trees in the poor spots.
The Savior has stated that he does the Father's will, just as a servant does the will of his master.
There are other instances in Jacob's allegory that show the love and mercy of the Savior, as the servant.
In Jacob 5 verse 27, it is the servant who suggests to the master that they prune and nourish the tree in the choice part of the vineyard--which had developed good and bad fruit--with the hopes the good would persist.
In verse 50, after discovering that the entire vineyard is corrupt, filled with bad fruit, and essentially worthless as it is, it is the servant who says "Spare it a little longer." This to me is the perfect example of what the Savior would say.
The following verse is what got me started on this post. I was reading 3 Nephi 20 and came to verse 14:
In Jacob 5 verse 62 the master of the vineyard tells his servant:
Sometimes the focus in Jacob's allegory is about the natural branches being grafted back into the natural tree (Jacob 5:67-68). The emphasis is often on the restoration of the Jews back to Jerusalem (and 3 Nephi 20 verse 29 through 46 talks of this).
However, it is the whole vineyard that the master is looking to preserve and restore so all the trees have good fruit, like the natural tree.
As the servants, who are called to help with the vineyard for during this last time, work with the master and his first servant in the vineyard we read:
Because the house of Israel was scattered around the world--just as good branches from the natural tree were planted around the vineyard--the descendants of Abraham and the house of Israel are across the Earth.
Just a reminder, the house of Israel is not just the Jews. The Jews are only one tribe, descendants from Judah. There are still 11 other tribes.
The scattering of the natural branches across the vineyard means there is the potential for the good fruit from the natural tree to be nourished and to grow throughout the world.
While I am more inclined to believe that in Jacob's allegory the "Lord of the vineyard" is referencing the Father, and the servant who is with him throughout the entire allegory is the Savior, I am not likely to teach this in a Church setting as an absolute truth, because I don't know that this is what was intended, even though I think it fits better. That's the thing about allegories and parables. They can be representative of and interpreted with different meanings.
I think it's just easy to accept the common interpretation that the "Lord of the vineyard" in Jacob 5 is the Savior, because the Savior is called that in other places. This is what is taught. Although, I wonder if there are others who have ever questioned whether it was correct in this instance, or if there is alternative. I think too many may think it somehow diminishes the Savior's role if he were the servant.
To me, this way of viewing Jacob's allegory has a beautiful implication. It shows the Father has been closely involved with his children from the beginning. It shows the Father and the Son have worked intimately together for the good of the vineyard, for the good of all the children of God (the tame and wild olive trees), since the beginning. It shows that while the Savior works for the benefit of the entire vineyard, he has had assignments to watch over the house of Israel, and then--when working to restore the vineyard--he was to begin with those in the choice land and end with original tree.
Something to think about.
Read Jacob 5, 3 Nephi 20, 3 Nephi 21, and Doctrine and Covenants section 101 (particularly verses 43 - 66).
The allegory is kind of a world history of house of Israel.
With the commonly accepted viewpoint, the Savior is the Lord of the vineyard and his servant is a prophet. There are other instances in the scriptures, particularly in the Doctrine and Covenants where the "Lord of the vineyard" does refer to the Savior.
But are we supposed to use other parables to interpret Jacob's allegory?
For example, in D&C section 101, the Lord tells a parable that has some similarities to Jacob's allegory. Verse 44 starts with:
"A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive trees;"The parable itself is different from Jacob's, but near the end is another similar verse (v. 55) which starts with:
"And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants..."However, it continues very differently.
The parable in section 101 is more about the redemption of the choice land. The Savior spoke of this in 3 Nephi chapter 21 when he was teaching the Nephites and Lamanites about the last days, and how their remnant would be "as a lion" among the Gentiles, if the Gentiles would not repent.
In section 103 verse 21 the Lord says that Joseph Smith "is the man to whom I likened the servant to" referring to the parable given in section 101. And in 3 Nephi 21:10 the Savior mentions his servant who would help bring about "a work, which shall be a great and marvelous work" (3 Nephi 21:9). But, in 3 Nephi 21:9 the Savior doesn't tell the people it is his work. His words are:
"For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them...."An interesting difference in the parable in section 101, the Lord of the vineyard had a choice piece of land on which he planted 12 olive trees. It is not able a single olive tree, so straight off it is clearly different than Jacob's allegory.
Interestingly, in section 101, the Lord of the vineyard was initially introduced as "a certain nobleman" before he was referred to as the Lord of the vineyard. A nobleman is usually someone of royal birth and inheritance. Jacob 5 introduces the Lord of the vineyard as the master of the vineyard.
While these distinctions are interesting, they are worth noting because Jacob's allegory and the parable in section 101 are different.
It is clear in subsequent sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that the "Lord of the vineyard" from the parable found in section 101 is referencing the Savior. We do not have any definitive references to who the "Lord of the vineyard" and "servant" are supposed to represent in Jacob's allegory. Most just assume the "Lord of the vineyard" in Jacob's allegory must also refer to the Savior.
Returning to Jacob's allegory, my biggest issue with the interpretation that the Savior is the "Lord of the vineyard" in this allegory is there has been no servant (interpreted by most as a prophet) that has worked with the Lord throughout the entirety of the history of Israel. Yet, the allegory is clear. The servant is with the Lord of the vineyard basically from the beginning.
I think it's more likely that in this particular allegory the "Lord of the vineyard" is the Father and the servant is our Savior.
Before I go on, please understand that this viewpoint does not diminish in any way the Savior's role. I personally think it enhances it.
Since the beginning the Savior has been with the Father and has always done the Father's will. They both have watched over the children of God on this earth, although the Savior was particularly watchful of the house of Israel, which he was instructed to do by the Father.
In the allegory, the servant (the Savior) is tasked with watching over the tree (v. 12) while the Lord of the vineyard (the Father) takes the young and tender branches and plants them in various places around the vineyard.
On a subsequent visit to the vineyard, the servant is taken and shown where the branches of the tree were planted. Before that, he apparently did not know where the young branches were planted, although he was familiar with the vineyard. This familiarity is obvious as he was even surprised that some trees were planted "poor" spots of the vineyard, and that there was a "good spot" (v. 25), which was a "choice...above all other parts of the land of [the] vineyard." (v. 43). If the servant didn't know the vineyard, he would not know there were some poor spots and a choice spot.
The servant even knew that the choice spot had previously had a tree planted on it, which was cut down (v. 44) so the new tree could be planted.
In several places in the scriptures it is clear that the Savior did not know where the Father had led the lost tribes (and others) of the house of Israel. But, he was later to show himself to them. Just as in the allegory the servant later helps with the nurturing of these other branches, and in later grafting them back into the original tree.
It might be concluded that the servant probably didn't know about the young trees being planted in the poor spots.
However, it does seem clear that the servant knew the choice sport was cleared of its previous tree so one of the new trees could be planted there. Verse 44 states, which is the master talking to the servant:
"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."Did you note the "thou beheldest"? That's a past tense reference, that implies the servant saw the master clear the choice spot of ground to plant the new tree. This ties in with the Book of Mormon as the Savior was involved with bringing Lehi's family to the Americas.
An interesting part to consider is verses 61 and 70 in Jacob 5. The the servant was commanded to call and bring other servants (v. 61 and 70), to work with the Lord of the vineyard in the pruning of the vineyard.
It would certainly not be a stretch to extrapolate from this to the parable in section 101 and conclude that the servant (the Savior) in Jacob's allegory--who worked directly with the Lord of the vineyard (the Father), might refer to himself as a "nobleman" who called servants to work with him, and not as the master.
In Jacob 5 verse 63, the Lord of the vineyard instructs his servant to "begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last."
Comparing this to 3 Nephi chapter 21 (and other places) it is clear that those in the "choice" part of the vineyard would be first, and from there the rest of the vineyard would be gone through.
From 3 Nephi, it is the remnant of the house of Israel in the choice land who will be gathered first, followed and then the rest of the house of Israel, including the lost tribes and then the Jews.
Certainly a prophet could be considered as the one who called other servants. Interestingly, in 3 Nephi 20 verse 23, the Lord refers to himself as a prophet when he tells the people:
"Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you..."The Savior has been the one most involved in the restoration of the gospel and priesthood, and in calling prophets to serve in the gathering of Israel.
The first task given to the servant is to get branches from a wild olive tree and to bring them back to the servant. I'm sure the servant considered various wild trees to determine which would be most likely to help strengthen the roots. To me, this assignment, to essentially "gather" some branches sounds similar to other statements the Savior has made, where he says "I will gather...."
Then the servant was to watch over and nourish the original tree.
After the young trees are planted, and have grown for a while, the master takes the servant around the vineyard. It seems clear the servant knew about the new tree in the choice part, and may have been involved with its planting, but he didn't know about the trees in the poor spots.
The Savior has stated that he does the Father's will, just as a servant does the will of his master.
There are other instances in Jacob's allegory that show the love and mercy of the Savior, as the servant.
In Jacob 5 verse 27, it is the servant who suggests to the master that they prune and nourish the tree in the choice part of the vineyard--which had developed good and bad fruit--with the hopes the good would persist.
In verse 50, after discovering that the entire vineyard is corrupt, filled with bad fruit, and essentially worthless as it is, it is the servant who says "Spare it a little longer." This to me is the perfect example of what the Savior would say.
The following verse is what got me started on this post. I was reading 3 Nephi 20 and came to verse 14:
"And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance."The resurrected Savior is speaking to the people who had gathered in the land of Bountiful, which was someplace in the Americas, after he showed himself to them, and this was after most of the population and cities were destroyed. He tells them that he was commanded by the Father. While we refer to the Savior as our master and Lord, he still follows the will of the Father. He sets the example we should follow in subjecting our will to the Father.
In Jacob 5 verse 62 the master of the vineyard tells his servant:
"Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard."Back in 3 Nephi chapter 20 the Savior is telling the people of the last days, when the remnants of the people would have the lands of their inheritance restored to them, and the Father would remember his covenant with the house of Israel. Verse 20 states:
"And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles."To me, it is clear that it is the Father who commands the pruning of the vineyard. In verses 57 through 69 of Jacob chapter 5, the Lord of the vineyard is talking with his servant and giving instructions for the last graftings, clearing, nourishing, and pruning of the vineyard. Those branches that don't bear good fruit are to be cleared away.
Sometimes the focus in Jacob's allegory is about the natural branches being grafted back into the natural tree (Jacob 5:67-68). The emphasis is often on the restoration of the Jews back to Jerusalem (and 3 Nephi 20 verse 29 through 46 talks of this).
However, it is the whole vineyard that the master is looking to preserve and restore so all the trees have good fruit, like the natural tree.
As the servants, who are called to help with the vineyard for during this last time, work with the master and his first servant in the vineyard we read:
"And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning." (Jacob 5:74)We know that the Father covenanted with Abraham, " In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:12). This was restated by the Savior in 3 Nephi 20 verses 25 and 27.
Because the house of Israel was scattered around the world--just as good branches from the natural tree were planted around the vineyard--the descendants of Abraham and the house of Israel are across the Earth.
Just a reminder, the house of Israel is not just the Jews. The Jews are only one tribe, descendants from Judah. There are still 11 other tribes.
The scattering of the natural branches across the vineyard means there is the potential for the good fruit from the natural tree to be nourished and to grow throughout the world.
While I am more inclined to believe that in Jacob's allegory the "Lord of the vineyard" is referencing the Father, and the servant who is with him throughout the entire allegory is the Savior, I am not likely to teach this in a Church setting as an absolute truth, because I don't know that this is what was intended, even though I think it fits better. That's the thing about allegories and parables. They can be representative of and interpreted with different meanings.
I think it's just easy to accept the common interpretation that the "Lord of the vineyard" in Jacob 5 is the Savior, because the Savior is called that in other places. This is what is taught. Although, I wonder if there are others who have ever questioned whether it was correct in this instance, or if there is alternative. I think too many may think it somehow diminishes the Savior's role if he were the servant.
To me, this way of viewing Jacob's allegory has a beautiful implication. It shows the Father has been closely involved with his children from the beginning. It shows the Father and the Son have worked intimately together for the good of the vineyard, for the good of all the children of God (the tame and wild olive trees), since the beginning. It shows that while the Savior works for the benefit of the entire vineyard, he has had assignments to watch over the house of Israel, and then--when working to restore the vineyard--he was to begin with those in the choice land and end with original tree.
Something to think about.
Read Jacob 5, 3 Nephi 20, 3 Nephi 21, and Doctrine and Covenants section 101 (particularly verses 43 - 66).
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