I never really enjoyed this chapter much: the analogy seemed too heavy-handed and repetitive. But on my mission I figured I’d go through and figure out exactly what each part was talking about. I found some fun tidbits there, like the prophecy that adoption of Gnostic ideas would be the cause of the Apostasy.
Even so, it didn’t seem like a very deep symbol, and so I still wasn’t looking forward to teaching it last week. So I figured I would look a little harder at the olive tree symbol to see what I could find. It turns out that D&C 88, the “olive leaf… plucked from the Tree of Paradise” is directly relevant: it parallels and complements Jacob 5, making the whole thing far more interesting. Anyway, here are my notes:
Jacob 5, Allegory of the Olive Tree
In Hebrew, there are two words for olive:
* “Shemen“, like in Geth-semene, olive press. Related words are greasy, fat, rich, lusty.
“Shemen afarsimon” is a special oil described in Ex. 30:22-25. The word “parsimmon” comes from afarsimon. It was used for anointing kings and priests: Saul, David were anointed; read Exodus 28 for the process of being made a priest and compare to the modern temple ceremony. “Messiah” in Hebrew and “Christ” in Greek both mean anointed.
* “Zayit“, probably related to “zahar” and “zyv” or “ziff”, meaning bright, clear, brilliant. The Nephites had a metal they called ziff. The Arabs occupied Spain for a time, and there are lots of semitic loan words in Spanish. “Azeyte” in Spanish means “oil”.
Olive oil was also part of the “Minchah” offering (the so-called “meat offering”): fine flour mixed with oil, baked into unleavened cakes.
Tame and wild olive trees have been in the middle east for at least 6000 years. Trees live 500-1000 years and start producing fruit after seven years. When fully ripe, olives are up to 60% oil. It’s extracted by crushing (using a “millstone”) or press. The result is a mash byproduct used for fuel, which provides light & warmth and is used for cooking. It’s also used for ripening sycamore figs, lightening and softening leather, healing, and bodily care.
The olive tree as a symbol was used by Paul (perhaps referring to Zenos; the book may have been lost after the time of Paul) in Romans 11. There was a tame tree and many wild olive trees; these symbolized nations, Israel being the tame tree and Gentiles being the wild ones. The Romans were Gentile converts, and apparently some of them thought they were better than the displaced Jews. Paul said to watch out: if God cuts off the natural branches because of wickedness, he’ll cut off the grafted branches sooner.
It was also used in passing by Joseph Smith in referring to D&C 88. In the intro, it says
It was designated by the Prophet as the “olive leaf … plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord’s message of peace to us.”
So we have an image of an olive tree springing up in Paradise, or Eden. The fruit, which provides oil for one’s lamp (think wise & foolish virgins), is “bright, clear, brilliant.” Lehi’s tree of life with the fruit full of joy & glory could easily have been an olive tree. Anyway, we know it represents Israel, those who have kept their covenants and will enjoy the Millennial paradise. D&C 88:1-49 is all about light and glory: “Which truth shineth” “light of the sun… moon… stars…” “enlighteneth your eyes… quickeneth your understandings”, then degrees of glory. Verses 50-66 talks about laborers in many fields, whom the master visits: Jews, then Nephites, then ten tribes, then us in the latter days. Verses 67-68:
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
In last week’s lessson, Jacob addressed the immorality of the Nephite men, and then addressed those who had abstained, those who were “pure in heart”. Christ said, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Except it’s not really seeing God that’s important, since everyone will be brought to the bar of God. It’s that we’ll see God and survive! When we’re tossed in the fire, we won’t be naked, like those who never made a covenant with God; neither will we have filthy garments–we’ll have magnified our callings (Jacob 1:19). So we’ll “come forth as gold” (Job 23:10) when “…he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” (Mal. 3:3) Then we’ll enjoy the fire (D&C 137:1-4). In D&C 88:107, it says we’ll be made “equal with him.” Moroni 7:48 says we’ll “see as we are seen”, i.e. you’ll look the same as God when you see him.
D&C 88:70-116 talks about the end of the sixth seal and the whole of the seventh seal, the end of the world; so he says to prepare themselves, Joseph Smith and the elders of the church should form the School of the Prophets. My favorite part of that is a covenant between the priesthood holders:
133 Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen.
Jacob 5 has lots of parallels with D&C 88, so you can read them together like they’re commenting on each other.
Jacob 5
:1 Zenos is a prophet of the Old Testament that we don’t have any more. We don’t know when his writings were lost.
:3 tame olive tree is Israel
man = master of vineyard is the Father
Nourishing is revealing the gospel anew, i.e. the start of a new dispensation.
decay is apostasy
:5,6 many days spent pruning = lots of prophets preaching the gospel
young, tender branches are a few righteous groups (Lehi, Mulek, some within 10 tribes)
Main top = pharisees, saducees
:7 wild olive (see also footnote on Jacob 5:10a) is gentiles
pluck the main withered branches= destroy the wicked of Israel (Assyria in 720 BC, Babylon in 600 BC, Rome in 70 AD)
:8 take away tender branches = lead off small righteous groups
Grafting is a technique to change the nature of a fruit: you cut a branch off of one tree, cut a notch into the other tree, and stick the branch in. You typically coat the joint with tar to protect from insects and such. The sap from the tree changes the flavor of the fruit. The scion (branch) is grafted in among the other branches of the root stock, thus is seldom alone. It’s almost certain that the Lehites were a small group among many others in the New World.
:11-12 Nourish it = Dispensation of Christ
:14 small righteous groups scattered
:15 long time passes
:17 Gentiles in Old world church bear good fruit
:20 small righteous non-Lehite groups–can tell it’s not Lehites, because they’re in a poor spot of ground
:23 another small righteous non-Lehite group
:25 good spot of ground = promised land
half good = nephites
half bad = lamanites
:26 Father says, destroy the Lamanites
:27 Christ says, give them a chance
:28 Father says OK
:29 long time passes
:30 Christianity splits into lots of churches
:34 Branches nourish the roots = Greek philosophy got mixed into Christianity: Plato says there’s the ideal (purely mind) and real (physical stuff) and the ideal is the best. Spirit = good, body = bad, so God has no body. Also Gnostic ideas like Christ’s crucifixion being an illusion.
:39 Nephites become corrupt: 200AD Lamanites split off, by 400AD virtually no righteous left, 421 Nephites destroyed.
:43 good spot = promised land
:44 cut down other trees = destroyed Jaredites to make room for Nephites
:48 loftiness of vinyard = pride
:49 Father says destroy the world
:50 Christ says spare it a little longer
:51 Father says OK
:52 Pluck natural branches from among the wild trees = gather israel
:57 pluck only the most bitter = destroy only the most wicked
:58 nourish again = reveal the Gospel again
:61 call other servants = send prophets
:62 end draweth nigh = last days
:63-69 graft in the branches, last shall be first and first shall be last
:70 see D&C 88:74-86
:71 if you labor with your might, ye shall have joy with me in the fruit
:74 labor with diligence (see next verse, also 1 Ne 2:19; 10:17-19; Hel 10:4-5)
one body, fruits were equal = D&C 76:94-95; 88:107; Moses 7:18
:75 last time nourishing = this is the last dispensation
Blessed art thou for your diligence
Ye shall have joy with me in the fruit = sit down with Christ and drink the wine that was crushed out in the vinyard of Gethsemane
:77 good preserved, bad cast away, vinyard burned with fire = baptism of fire for the earth (baptism of water was with Noah) to turn it into a sea of glass (D&C 130:6-11)
