Week 10 - Looking Back

We spent quite a bit of time studying the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon, and hopefully learned a lot more about vineyards and work and our responsibilities for each other and the love and unfailing care of the Lord of the Vineyard. Elder Holland spoke beautifully about Jacob's record of the allegory of the prophet, Zenos:

“This allegory as recounted by Jacob is from the outset intended to be about Christ. . . .

“Even as the Lord of the vineyard and his workers strive to bolster, prune, purify, and otherwise make productive their trees in what amounts to a one-chapter historical sketch of the scattering and gathering of Israel, the deeper meaning of the Atonement undergirds and overarches their labors. In spite of cutting and grafting and nourishing that mix and mingle trees in virtually all parts of the vineyard, it is bringing them back to their source that is the principal theme of this allegory. Returning, repenting, reuniting – at-one-ment – this is the message throughout.

“. . . At least fifteen times the Lord of the vineyard expresses a desire to bring the vineyard and its harvest to his ‘own self,’ and he laments no less than eight times, ‘It grieveth me that I should lose this tree. . .’

“Clearly this at-one-ment is hard, demanding, and, at times, deeply painful work, as the work of redemption always is. There is digging and dunging. There is watering and nourishing and pruning. And there is always the endless approaches to grafting – all to one saving end, that the trees of the vineyard would ‘thrive exceedingly’ and become ‘one body; . . . the fruits [being] equal,’ with the Lord of the vineyard having ‘preserved unto himself the . . . fruit.’ From all the distant places of sin and alienation in which the children of the Father find themselves, it has always been the work of Christ (and his disciples) in every dispensation to gather them, heal them, and unite them with their Master” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant [1977], 165-66).

“After digging and dunging, watering and weeding, trimming, pruning, transplanting, and grafting, the great Lord of the vineyard throws down his spade and his pruning shears and weeps, crying out to any who would listen, “What could I have done more for my vineyard?’

“What an indelible image of God’s engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do not choose Him nor ‘the gospel of God’ [Romans 1:1] He sent!” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, Nov. 2003, 72).

Also, here is the link for the talk by Pres. Benson that was quoted quite a bit during our discussion on pride looking up and pride looking down --

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d8ff27cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____