Jacob Chapter 5: A Readers Theater The Allegory of The Olive Tree

By Sofia Lykes April 2013

Not intended for commercial use

Characters:
Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Narrator 3 Servant of the Vineyard (Have a garden shovel as a prop) 2 Other Servants Wild Olive Tree (Have a paper leaf necklace) Tame Olive Tree (Have a paper leaf necklace) Strong Tree (Have a paper leaf necklace) Weak Tree (Have a torn paper leaf necklace) Clock (Hold a clock) Alligator (Have a paper alligator sign) Narrator 4

Narrator 1: In the Book of Mormon is one of my favorite stories! Narrator 2: Is it the story of Ammon and King Lamonis sheep? Narrator 1: Nope! Although thats a good one. Narrator 3: Is it when Nephi breaks his bow? Narrator 4: What about Helaman and the stripling warriors? Narrator 1: I love all of those!! The Book of Mormon is full of great stories. The one Im talking about though is found in Jacob Chapter 5! Narrator 2: Doesnt that have a really big name? Narrator 3: I remember my mom told me about that one doesnt it sound like alligator something? Narrator 4: Yeah! The Allegory!! The allegory of the olive tree!! Narrator 3: Alligator. Allegory. Pretty close right? Alligator: Not really. Im an animal. An allegory is a parable. A story that has symbols in it. Narrator 1: Thats right. A prophet named Zenos wrote the allegory and starts us out in a beautiful vineyard of olive trees.
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Tame Olive Tree: Im a tame olive tree. Ive grown in this vineyard a long time. I was strong for many years Clock: Yes!! Many years have passed!! Tame Olive Tree: And now I seem to be getting old. Im starting to decay. Narrator 2: The master of vineyard saw the tree and said that it needed to be pruned, and dug about and nourished so that maybe it would shoot forth young and tender branches and hopefully not perish! Narrator 3: So the master of vineyard did what he said he would do. He pruned, dug and nourished. Narrator 4: Wow. That sounds like a lot of work!! Narrator 1: It sure was. But the master dearly loved his vineyard and his trees. Tame Olive Tree: Many days have passed and I have a few new branches. But my top is beginning to perish. Wild Olive Tree: Im a wild olive tree. The master of vineyard was so sad about losing his tame tree that he said to a servant to take some of my branches and graft them into to the tame one. Narrator 2: So the master of the vineyard took the young branches of the tame olive tree to plant them in different places of the vineyard. While the servant. Servant: (digging around tame tree) Oh man!! This grafting is hard work. But I shall do what is commanded. I will graft the wild branches onto the tame. And then I must remember what else the master has told me to watch the tree and nourish it. Clock: A lot of time has passed!!! Narrator 3: At last it was time for the master and the servant to check the trees. Servant: Hooray! The wild branches have helped the tame tree! Now the master wants us to go check the other trees he planted in different places in the vineyard.

Narrator 4: Where the master had planted the young branches of the tame olive tree were trees bearing forth wonderful fruit! Strong Tree: Look how strong I am! (makes muscle man arms) Servant: Thats so weird. These trees were planted in the poorest of soil. I wonder how they grew so well?!?! Narrator 1: The master of the vineyard knows all things and led the servant to another area. Servant: Oh dear. This is good ground. Good soil and yet the branches only brought forth a little good fruit. The rest is wild fruit. I know the master has cared for all the trees and worked hard to nourish them. Weak Tree: I bear both good and bad fruit. Narrator 2: The Lord of the vineyard told his servant to pluck all the branches that brought wild fruit and cast them into the fire. Servant: Oh please! Not yet. Lets work a little longer. Well prune, well dig and nourish please can I see what will happen? Narrator 3: The Lord of the vineyard, in mercy and love, continued to nourish the trees. (the servant digs around the strong tree and weak tree) Clock: More time has passed!! Lots and lots of time has passed!! Narrator 4: The master told the servant that the end was soon coming for the vineyard. It was almost time to gather the fruit. Narrator 1: They first came to their tame olive tree. Tame Olive Tree: I have been nourished and cared for. I have brought forth much fruit. Much much much fruit!! And yet, none of my fruit is good. I am full of all sorts of bad fruit! Servant: Oh NO!!!!!!!!!! All our labor!!! All our hard work!!! Narrator 2: Indeed the master of the vineyard grieved over his tree.

Narrator 3: The roots of the tree were good, but the wild branches had overrun the good and brought forth evil fruit. Narrator 4: In fact the wild branches had over run the entire vineyard. Strong Tree: My fruit has become corrupt and bad. Weak Tree: My wild fruit has overcome my good fruit. So much that I am withered and dead. Narrator 1: The Lord of the vineyard looked at his trees and wept. Narrator 2: The Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant, "What more could I have done for my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand that I havent nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; Narrator 3: The master continued, I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard? Servant: Is it not the loftiness of the vineyard? The branches have overcome the roots. Narrator 4: What ever does that mean? Narrator 1: The pride of the vineyard destroyed the trees. And yet, in his ever patient love, the master spared the vineyard for just a bit longer. It grieved him terribly to lose his trees. Narrator 2: So he sent his servant for the final time out into the vineyard. Narrator 3: He also sent out more servants, even though they were few. Servant: Weve been told to take the natural branches from the strong tree and put them back with the tame tree. Their mother tree. (dig around tree) Other servant: Weve been told to burn the branches with the most bitter fruit and put natural branches in their place. (dig around tree) Other servant: The master has told us with the changes of branches that the good may overcome the evil. (dig around tree)
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Narrator 4: The servants labored diligently for it was almost the end. The master told them that they must labor with all their might. Narrator 1: And the servants followed the masters commandments in all things. Clock: More time passed. And soon. Narrator 2: The Lord of the vineyard saw that the bad fruit had been cast away. He had preserved the trees again with the natural fruit. The fruit that was most precious to him from the beginning. Tame Tree: Ive brought forth good fruit!! Finally!!!!!! Narrator 3: The master told his servants that they would be blessed for their service. They would all share together in the joy of the good fruit of the vineyard!! Clock: A long time of joy!! Happy!! Happy!! Joy! Joy!! Narrator 4: There would be one last time when evil fruit would come into the vineyard. The Lord of the vineyard would gather the good and the bad fruit. He would save the good fruit and cast the bad fruit into its place. Narrator 1: Finally, there would be the season and the end when the vineyard would be burned with fire. Can you see why this is one of my favorite stories? Alligator: Yes!! You know, I had a small part. A really small part. So, I decided to come here at the end and tell you, just in case you havent figured out the symbols yet that The Lord of the vineyard is Jesus Christ. The servants are His prophets. (servants wave) The tame tree (tame tree waves) is the House of Israel and the wild tree (wild tree waves) is the gentiles. The fruit of the trees are things that people did, whether it was good or bad. Clock: I had a small part too, so Id thought I add something as well. I think its important to realize how much the master loved his vineyard. How much Jesus loves us! Let us always bring forth good fruit. Let us always do what is right and good!! Narrator 2: In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.