The master of the vineyard said that if these branches finally caught on and began to bring forth the original, natural fruit, then his servants were to prepare the way in order that they may more room. This meant that they were to clear away the branches that had brought forth bitter fruit or apostate cultures, but they were not to do it all at once, lest the surviving branches became too weak to absorb the strength of the roots and the whole tree perished.
They were also to clear away the dead wood and corrupt branches as fast as the good branches were able to take over. Then they were to keep the top of the tree in a wholesome relationship with the roots. In other words, the top of the tree or outward organization of the Church was not to exceed the ramifications of the gospel principles and structure outlined in the scriptures. Gradually the branches producing bad fruit would be hewn down and cast into the fire. The Lord of the vineyard said, "and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard."
In verses 67-68 the parable identifies the grafting process as the great last gathering of Israel whereby they could be made one people once again. It would be a time of great cleansing of the master's vineyard since he had resolved that only this once would he cleanse and prune his vineyard before the end came. This important campaign was therefore launched and as many servants as possible were mobilized to help. Unfortunately, however, the number of servants were few.