The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 7, Episode 16 - The Burden - full transcript

Are you sure it's what
you want, Jim-Bob?

As sure as I've ever been
about anything, Reverend.

- How does your family feel about it?
- I wanted to talk to you first.

You're not asking for an
easy life, by any means.

I've thought about it a lot.

There's a special reason
why I know it's right.

Yeah, what's that?

Well, yesterday, I
had a sign from God.

Along with the
rest of the country,

1942 brought great upheaval
to Walton's Mountain.

Each day, the news from the
battlefronts grew more grim,



while here at home,

defense plants worked around the
clock to produce the weapons of war.

In our home, we suffered
a personal tragedy,

for our mother was away
recovering from a serious illness.

It was a time of great trial for each
of us, but especially for Jim-Bob.

The fall of Singapore,

the careless loss of
the battleship LaFayette

and the sinking of the
oil tanker W.L. Steed

by Nazi submarines operating
off our own East Coast

all add up to make this
the worst week of the year,

the worst week of the century

and probably the worst week
since the grim days of the Civil War.

At his press conference,

President Roosevelt sounded
a further pessimistic note



when he stated that about
all we can hope to do is...

Sorry, it's just too depressing.

Sure sounds bad.

It may take a while, but
we're gonna win this thing.

Where's Jim-Bob? He was
supposed to bring in some firewood.

Well, I saw him with Tinker
sometime this afternoon.

Well, he's sure been
keeping bad company lately.

Probably the two of them
are over at the Dew Drop

listening to Jason and
polishing off a few beers.

I wouldn't doubt it. Ever
since Mama's been gone,

Jim-Bob thinks he can
get away with murder.

Maybe it's time I had
a talk with that boy.

- Hi.
- Hi, honey.

- What you got there?
- Fireflies.

Elizabeth, how many
bugs do you need?

There are already more up in
our room than there are outside.

They're insects. This is a
very important assignment.

I need to have as many species
as I can get for my collection.

Daddy, speak to your daughter.

How long is this project
going to go on, honey?

Until we finish the
unit on Entomology.

Well, make sure you keep your
insects on your side of the room, huh?

I think they're cute.

- Well, I know who that is.
- The daredevil of Walton's Mountain.

- Oh, I have a few things to say to him.
- You let him have it, Mary Ellen!

I'd hate to be in his shoes.

Jim-Bob, where have you been?

- Busy.
- You missed supper.

Hey, Jim-Bob, Tinker got
you drinking the hard stuff yet?

Very funny.

You know, if you're not going to be
home for supper, you can at least call.

I wasn't near a phone, Daddy.

You sure have been
whooping it up a lot lately.

I'm getting awfully tired...

Wait a minute, Jim-Bob.
I'm not finished with you yet.

- You're not my mama.
- I'll take care of this.

Jim-Bob.

Mary Ellen's right. You've been
running around too much, Son.

I'm not hurting anyone.

I got a call from your
school teacher today.

She says you haven't
been doing your school work

and you've been such a smart
aleck, nobody else can do theirs.

Now, I know this is
a tough time for you,

but I'm not going to
excuse that kind of behavior.

School's boring.

If you keep this up, your
mama is going to hear about it,

and I don't want her hearing
this kind of news from home.

Who's gonna tell her?

Jim-Bob, you can't
horse around all your life.

Now, listen to me. I tried
it when I was your age.

It got me a reputation I
couldn't get rid of for years.

I don't want the same
thing to happen to you.

Yes, sir.

We're all hurting, Son.
Don't make it any worse.

- Oh, Elizabeth, what in the world?
- It's a Luna moth trap.

- What is a Luna moth?
- Well, this is what they look like.

"Luna" means "moon,"
so really it's a moon moth.

Well, it's very pretty,
but it is still a bug.

It is an insect.

- Want to see how my trap works?
- Not particularly.

Moths are attracted to light,

so, before we go to bed, all
I have do is turn on the lamp.

I'm not interested.

And then, in the middle of the night,
when the Luna moth has had plenty of time

to figure out how to get in
the trap and close to the light...

I'm not listening.

Just pull this string. Ta-dah!

The smaller insects get out,
but the Luna moth is stuck.

I hope it doesn't work.

I wonder if Marie Curie
had to put up with a sister.

Sorry, Corabeth.

James Robert, I have asked you
repeatedly to slow that vehicle down

when driving through
our little community.

Now I shall report to your
father your reluctance to do so.

You don't have to
do that, Corabeth.

One's life is simply
not safe around here.

- Boy, I'm really going to get it now.
- Don't let that old battle-ax scare you.

I think I'd better
take you home.

Well, good afternoon, Corabeth.

I must apologize, John. I
am not here on a social visit.

- Do you see this?
- I see it.

It is the heel of my shoe, which
I broke as I fled across the street

in order to avoid being struck
down by your youngest son.

Every time I turn around,
that boy is in trouble.

With this, his first offense,
an apology would be sufficient.

However, I have asked
him repeatedly, to no avail,

to slow that vehicle down.

Now, I am here in the hope
that you can remedy the situation.

I'll take care of it, Corabeth.

Corabeth tells me you
almost run her over today.

Sorry, Daddy, my brakes
haven't been working too well.

Why are you doing driving
around with bad brakes, Son?

I don't know.

Jim-Bob, do you have
something to say to Corabeth?

I already told her I was sorry.

Why don't you tell her again?

- Sorry, Corabeth.
- Thank you, James Robert.

There's no better remedy for ill feelings
than a heartfelt apology, now, is there?

Jim-Bob will see that your
shoe gets fixed, Corabeth.

Oh, that will not be necessary.
Mr. Godsey has a way with shoes.

Well, I really must be going.

Thank you very much for
bringing this to my attention.

- I'll see it doesn't happen again.
- You're welcome.

- Jim-Bob, get those brakes fixed.
- I haven't had lunch yet, Daddy.

Get the brakes fixed first,
then you can have lunch.

Any more problems with that car,
I'm gonna see it gets a good long rest.

I got these plans out
of a book at school.

It's about this wide and
that tall and one-inch thick.

Why does it have to be so thin?

So you can see the
ants making their tunnels.

I've heard of a lot of dumb things in my
life, but I've never heard of an ant farm.

Well, if you want
to do it, just tell me.

Look, Elizabeth, I'm up to my
ears with important work to do!

Well, I wouldn't want
to put you to any trouble.

Here.

I'll work it in somehow.

Don't feel like you have
to wait till Christmas.

Look.

Jim-Bob, you know better than that!
Brace that car with a block of wood.

You can't get under there
with just a jack holding it up.

All right, I will, Daddy.

I don't know what that boy's
using for brains lately, Ma.

Jim-Bob! Ben! Jason! Ben!
Jim-Bob. Jim-Bob, Son, you all right?

Easy. Hurry!
Jim-Bob! Lift! Lift! Lift!

- Drag him out.
- Watch his shoulders.

Jim-Bob. Son, you all right?

- Does it hurt?
- Yeah, I'm okay.

That car could
have cut him in two.

Somebody up there is
watching out for you, Jim-Bob.

Oh, my... Thank God.

Elizabeth! What in the world?

- Can't get sleep, huh?
- I was just thinking.

About the accident?

Yeah, I noticed you haven't
been working on your car.

Don't really feel like it.

It's not easy getting
over a shock like that.

My whole life flashed
past me when that car fell.

It was pitch black under there. All I
could hear was a lot of screaming.

I thought I heard Mama, too.

Why don't you go
to bed, Jim-Bob?

Maybe being able to walk
away from it was a sign.

Or maybe it's just the way the
underside of the car is shaped.

Jesus said, "I am sent,
not to call the righteous,

"but sinners to repentance."

And unless the sinners
of this world repent,

the punishment of God, will
pour down upon their heads

like rain from heaven.

Excuse me, Reverend Bradshaw.

- Oh, young Walton, isn't it?
- James Robert.

Ah, you know, all the
years I've been preaching

and I still get nervous when
I face a new congregation.

- I think you're doing real good.
- You know, I had the funny feeling

that you were being dragged to
church by the scruff of your neck, huh?

I need to talk to you,
it's real important.

Well, all right, let's
sit over here, huh?

There's a land that
is fairer than day

And by faith we can see it afar

For the Father
waits over the way

To prepare us a
dwelling place there

In the sweet by and by

We shall meet on
that beautiful shore

In the sweet by and by

We shall meet on
that beautiful shore

Brothers and Sisters,

as you know, I've been preaching
a long time at one place or another.

I have counseled sinners

and I've tried as best I could to
console and comfort the grieving.

And I've seen love and sacrifice,
and drunkenness and cruelty.

And I thought that nothing,
nothing could ever surprise me.

But this morning, a
young man you all know

came to me after many
hours of prayerful thought

and revealed his intention of giving
his life over to the service of God

by becoming a preacher.

James Robert Walton, please
stand so we can all be proud of you.

Jim-Bob.

- Can I come in?
- Sure, Daddy.

- Mary Ellen told me the news.
- I guess you were kind of surprised.

Yeah, I was surprised.

Yesterday, you looked like
you were bound and determined

to stir people up
from here to Rockfish,

and today, you're telling the whole
world you're gonna be a preacher.

- What happened?
- I did a little thinking.

I'd say you did a
lot of thinking, Son.

Maybe that thinking had something
to do with the problem with the car?

Am I right?

I could have been
killed under there, Daddy.

Yeah. It was a
close call all right.

Sure scared me some.

But I'm not sure if that's reason
enough to become a preacher, Son.

What about your hopes
of becoming a pilot?

Well, I changed my mind.

What you do with
your life is your choice.

I just don't want you to
get locked into something

you don't really want to do.

I want it real bad, Daddy.

First, I have to show Reverend
Bradshaw how sincere I am.

I promised him I'd go over to Boatwright
and sign up for some seminary classes.

That's all right with me, Son.

I just kind of wish you'd
talked it over with me first.

Dinner's ready.

- What you got there?
- It's my ant farm. Ben just finished it.

Don't wait dinner for me.

I got a lot to think about.
I want to fast and pray.

You mean you're
not going to eat?

"Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness

"for they shall be
filled." Matthew 5:6.

What are you reading?

Leviticus.

Is it interesting?

Yeah, it's about the Jews after
Moses led them out of Egypt.

It talks a lot about
making sacrifices to God.

Right now, I'm reading
about sacrificing pigeons.

I thought they'd
put a stop to that.

I don't know, I haven't
gotten to that part yet.

Aren't you hungry?

You know, it's been
proved scientifically

you're supposed to eat seven
basic food groups every day,

otherwise you get sick.

Mama would die if she
knew the way you were eating.

Elizabeth, aren't you supposed to
be collecting insects or something?

I'm looking for an
ant hill. Wanna help?

I'm not going to look for ants on
the Sabbath, and you shouldn't either.

A scientist is a scientist,
seven days a week.

"Woe unto them that are wise
in their own eyes." Isaiah 5:21.

Jim-Bob, are you sure that
car didn't fall on your head?

You saw where it landed.

- Jim-Bob back yet?
- He's upstairs, reading the Bible.

- Still at it, huh?
- What's wrong with him?

Nothing wrong with
getting a little religion,

as long as you don't
let it get out of hand.

He seems really sincere
about wanting to be a preacher.

I always knew there was
a spiritual side to Jim-Bob

- that would come out eventually.
- Well, it's probably just a phase.

I remember when I
wanted to be a missionary.

It'll sure make Mama happy.

Now, maybe we shouldn't
mention it to your Mama if she calls.

Jim-Bob's got to work
this out for himself.

And I don't want to hear about any
of you teasing him either, you know?

Come on, Jim-Bob.

Take a vacation from
righteousness tonight and let's go sin.

No, thanks.

Ben, what kind of sins
are you going to commit?

Oh, a little coveting, a little lust,
maybe even go in for some swearing.

Ben, you better
think of your soul first.

I was only joking,
Grandma. Good night.

You understand,
don't you, Grandma?

Yes.

- For me?
- Yes.

"Published 1870, Philadelphia."
Grandma, I can't take this.

Oh, no.

"To our beloved Esther, on the
day of your baptism, July 11, 1883.

"Love, Mama and Papa."

Grandma, I don't
know what to say.

I always figured I was sixth in
line for everything in this family.

This is the best gift I
ever got. I love you.

I'm gonna keep
it with me forever,

just to remind myself that
somebody in this family believes in me.

- Sit down, won't you?
- Thank you.

Reverend Bradshaw called

and asked me to outline
a program of study for you.

He's going to see I'm licensed to preach,
after I learn more about the Gospels.

I knew your brother John
when he was here at Boatwright.

If you're at all like him,
I'm sure you're gonna excel

at just about anything you put
your mind to, including the ministry.

I'm sure going to try.

What we offer at Boatwright is a
four-year undergraduate program.

Four years?

I thought I could go to seminary
for a while and then start preaching.

Seminary is graduate school.

You have to earn a college
degree before you're accepted.

What we offer here is General Study,
and History, Geography, Philosophy,

Literature from all
around the world,

as well as an extensive study
of the Old and New Testaments,

in Hebrew and Greek, of course.

- I don't know any Hebrew or Greek.
- You will, and Latin, naturally.

- You have had some Latin, haven't you?
- No, sir.

Oh, that's a problem.

Before we could even
consider your application,

you'd have to complete at least
one semester of high-school Latin.

But why? I just want
to preach in English.

I wonder if you understand
the purpose of these classes.

Um, an effective minister must
be thoroughly versed in the Bible

and in Baptist beliefs.

"Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature."

Mark 16:15.

Doesn't say anything about
having to learn Greek first.

I know it seems like a long
time now, but it will go quickly.

You don't understand.

I have to preach. I can't
wait four years to start.

In that case, James Robert,

perhaps it would be wise for you to
reconsider your decision altogether.

Thank you.

- Elizabeth, that thing will never work.
- Do you know anything about science?

Well, I know enough about Luna moths.
They don't come around here every day.

I didn't say it'd
work the first night.

Science is 99%
perspiration, 1% inspiration.

Thomas Alva Edison said that.

Why don't you try a little bait
in there, like a piece of cheese?

A Luna moth is not a mouse.

Well, look who's here, Billy Sunday!
And he's brought Jason along.

Go easy on him, Ben.
He's had a tough day.

- Did you get accepted?
- Who needs Boatwright anyway?

John the Baptist didn't go to a
college before he started preaching.

And he didn't live in a
fancy parsonage, either.

He lived in the hills.

And he didn't get his seven
basic food groups either.

He ate honey and locusts.

Well, in that case, Elizabeth,

you better watch out
for your insect collection.

Very funny, Ben.

You all right?

Grandma, it seems like everybody's
trying to keep me from becoming a preacher.

Ben makes fun of me.

Professor Hoadley says I have
to spend four years in college.

I didn't think it was
going to be this hard.

Grandma, that's beautiful.
I'm going to remember that.

Good!

Jim-Bob, I'm sorry
if I hurt your feelings.

That's okay, Ben.

"Whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek,

"turn to him the other
also." Matthew 5:39.

"How hard it is for them that have
riches to enter into the kingdom of God."

Mark 10:24.

- Here, Ben.
- Car keys?

Nope, my car. I'm giving it to
you. I'm giving away all my riches.

Jim-Bob.

Hi, Corabeth, can I please
have four more Mason jars?

Oh, yes, of course.

- And how is our young man of the cloth?
- Oh, Jim-Bob? He's fine.

How proud you must be to
have a brother so dedicated

to such high ideals
and lofty ambitions.

I have always been able
to hold my head up high,

ever since my brother Albert
graduated from the seminary

at Jerome College in Savannah.

Oh, I didn't know someone
in your family was a preacher.

Oh, yes. But, of course, his
work, in the service of the lord

- keeps him so busy that I rarely see him.
- I know what you mean.

I hardly see Jim-Bob anymore.
He's always reading the Bible.

Well, perhaps he's
finished sewing his wild oats.

You know, there were
many in the community

who doubted his sincerity.
Particularly in light of his actions

just prior to the Reverend
Bradshaw's announcement in church.

However, I was never
one of the doubters.

Well, I'm sure Jim-Bob
will be glad to hear that.

Well, now, how are you little
orphans doing now that Olivia is gone?

Well, we all miss
her, especially me.

I better be going.

Well, have you been helping
Mary Ellen with the canning?

No, this is my own project.

Oh, well, Elizabeth, that's very
impressive for a girl of your age.

You must enter a
jar in the County fair.

I will, Corabeth.

Shh.

I have to find crickets.

See that? Oops!

John Curtis, look,
it's a Luna moth!

Oh, no, you didn't.

Oh.

Now it's gone.

Now I have to start all
over again. Give me that.

Elizabeth, where
have you been all day?

You were supposed to be
here, helping us clean house.

I've been collecting crickets
for my science project.

Well, you better not be bringing
those horrid things upstairs.

I've just about had
it with your bug zoo.

- It's not a zoo. It's research.
- I don't care what it is, I'm sick of it!

All right, now, what's
all this fuss about?

Well, Elizabeth keeps
bringing bugs up into our room.

Lately, that's all she's
been thinking about.

Insects are beautiful.

If you took the time to
study them, you'd know that.

There is nothing
beautiful about those.

Well, a student of insects can't
just ignore the crickets of the world.

All right, now, I'm getting
tired of this bickering.

Elizabeth, do you have enough
bugs to finish your assignment?

I suppose.

All right, well, don't bring
any more bugs into the house.

Are you listening, Elizabeth?

And you leave her alone
till she finishes her work.

Are you listening, Erin?

- The Lord, the Great Provider.
- Hey, Jim-Bob, I saw Tinker today.

He wanted to know why
he hasn't seen you lately.

There's somebody who
needs to be preached to.

Elizabeth, why
aren't you helping?

Oh, our lady scientist
is too important to help.

With Mama gone, we're all
supposed to share in equally.

- I do my fair share.
- Of making a mess.

"It is better to dwell in a
corner of the housetop,

"than with a brawling woman
in a wide house." Proverbs 21:9.

Couldn't have said
it myself better, Son.

Daddy, if you don't mind...

All right, Jim-Bob,
you say the grace.

Heavenly Father, we give
thanks for all of our blessings.

We're sorry if sometimes we don't
always do exactly as we're supposed to.

We're sorry that our father hasn't repented
of his sins and gotten baptized yet.

Please help him
to mend his ways.

Also, bless Elizabeth.

She's been too wrapped up in
science to think of you very much.

Please bless Mr. and Mrs.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

and Ike and Corabeth.

And also Mr. Winston
Churchill and his wife.

Please bless Grandma with good
health. And especially, Heavenly Father,

please bless Mama that she'll get well,
and that I'll become a good preacher.

- Amen.
- Amen.

Very nice, Son, your mama
would have been proud.

Except for you forgot
to bless the food.

- Yes.
- I did?

You also forgot to bless
your car so it'd fix itself.

What about this, Son? When
are you gonna get that car fixed?

It's not my car, it's Ben's.

Oh, we've been through this before.
The car is yours. It's your responsibility.

I'll be glad to help fix
it, but it's not my car.

Jim-Bob, I don't want that car.

Jim-Bob, just because you
are becoming a preacher,

doesn't mean you have to
give away everything you own.

It's your car, you fix it.

You just don't understand,
do you? Excuse me.

No, you're not excused.
Sit down and eat your meal.

Here you go. Pass
the potatoes, please.

This is very interesting. Out of
13 crickets, I have six species.

Five field crickets, three tree
crickets and one bush cricket.

Elizabeth, why don't you just
turn off the light and go to bed?

- I'm trying to get to sleep.
- I made a very important discovery.

I don't care if you found
a way to win the war,

we both have to get
up early tomorrow.

Why? It's Saturday.

Because you, Mary Ellen
and I have to clean the house.

Well, I can't. I'm gonna be
looking for a praying mantis.

- Elizabeth? Erin?
- Come in.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9.

I heard you fighting.

Here, Erin, I'm not just
giving you the headphones,

I want you to
have the whole set.

Your shortwave radio?
Jim-Bob, don't be silly.

Here, Elizabeth, it's
a present from me.

Jim-Bob!

I want you to stop ruining your life.
You're being deceived by science.

What's the matter with science?

It's keeping you from
more important things,

like reading the Bible
and resting on the Sabbath.

You have to decide whether
you're a Baptist or a scientist.

I can be both.

A good Baptist wouldn't
spend so much time on insects.

Well, how do you think they
found the cure for malaria?

Besides, insects were
made for fields, not bottles.

Would you be happy in a jar?

They're just bugs.

- Jim-Bob, I can't keep these.
- Why not? I'm not going to need them.

Elizabeth, I think you should go
to bed so Erin can get some rest.

Good night.

I'm beginning to
think he means it.

The Reverend James Robert
Walton. It just doesn't sound right.

- They're gone! We gotta find them!
- Elizabeth, this is the last straw!

- Oh.
- Oh, yuck.

- It sounds like an air-raid siren in here.
- Elizabeth's crickets got loose.

There goes one! Get it!

- I got it.
- Don't kill it.

What are you killing?
What are you talking about?

Oh, my crickets are
missing. There are 12 of them.

Twelve. Well, find them before
they wake up John Curtis. Oh.

There are four field crickets,
and two ground crickets,

and they're very small and
they don't make a lot of noise.

- Would you quit talking and just look?
- Like little crickets?

- Mm-hmm, and they're also...
- Oh, help! There's one in my bed!

Three tree crickets and they're
green and they make a lot of noise.

I don't want Jim-Bob to be
sleeping through all this fun.

Forget it, Ben, don't worry about Jim-Bob,
just hunt. There's one right there.

Don't you ever get tired of
bossing people around, Mary Ellen?

Oh, Ben, now is not
the time to start in.

Whoa, whoa! What
is going on in here?

Well, we think there
might be crickets missing.

It wasn't a cricket that woke me up,
it was all of you yelling at each other.

Now, you've been at each other's
throats ever since your mama went away.

I know you miss her, I miss her, too,
but we got to start pulling together, here.

Now, what are you all doing?

Well,

my cricket collection got loose.

We were trying to
help her catch them.

Elizabeth, I know science
is important to you, honey,

but maybe you better take your bugs
out to the shed tomorrow morning, huh?

Well, she can keep them in
here for a couple more days.

I guess I'm getting
used to them.

Hey, Elizabeth, I'll help
you round them up, okay?

All right, well, now, help each
other out, but do it quietly, huh?

- Okay, Daddy. Good night.
- Good night.

There goes one
under the dresser.

Oh, he's a big one.

Jim-Bob!

- What are you doing up so early?
- I was just on my way home.

- Here, you want some?
- No, thanks.

That's right, I almost forgot.

I'm speaking to a preacher now,
and too uppity for an old buddy.

- Looks like you're headed somewhere.
- To do the work of the Lord.

I was just gonna stop in at the
church and ask him for guidance.

Don't rush off, Jim-Bob. You
got work to do right here first.

I don't get it.

I want you to preach to
me. I need to hear a sermon.

You're making fun of me, Tinker.

Oh, you might not
know it by looking at me,

but I been doing a lot of
thinking about this stuff lately.

Really?

I haven't seen the inside
of a church in years.

I need some of your
spiritual strength.

You're like a lost
sheep, Tinker.

You know, maybe it's the will
of the Lord we met this morning.

I'm counting on you to
bring me back to the fold.

Come on.

I don't think we should
be doing this, Tinker.

The church is supposed
to be for everybody,

saint and sinner alike.

Besides, it'll be good practice
for you. Don't be nervous.

Just stand right up there at
the front and let me have it.

The Bible says,

"Repent and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ

"for the remission of
your sins." Acts 2:38.

When we repent, that means that we're
sorry for the sins that we've committed,

and we promise God we
won't commit them again.

"Be ye therefore
perfect." Matthew 5:48.

- That means we can't lie, cheat, steal...
- Hold it, Jim-Bob.

What about that
watermelon patch we raided?

- That was stealing, wasn't it?
- Yeah.

And remember when
we told Zuleika Dunbar,

"That wasn't us who threw the rock
through the boarding house window,"

when it really was?

I remember. Why?

Seems to me like it's a little
late to worry about being perfect.

You don't have to be
perfect till after you repent.

Then that solves
everything! I just won't repent.

- But you have to.
- Who's making me?

Nobody. It's just something
you have to want to do.

Let me get this straight.
I'm supposed to be perfect,

which I don't have to
worry about until I repent,

and I have to repent,
but only if I want to?

You're mixing me up.

I get the feeling you don't know
half of what you're talking about.

- Where are you going?
- Home.

I thought you wanted
to hear a sermon.

If I would have thought for a minute
you were going to give me a real sermon,

I'd have driven right on by.

You're no preacher. You're
just a little crazy in the head.

"Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you and persecute you."

You sure are a sight,
Jim-Bob. All high and mighty.

If only you could hear what people
were saying behind your back.

I don't care!

Now I got a Jim-Bob story
I can spread around town.

I can just hear the laughs.

The day your mama had
you, Reverend Jim-Bob,

she had herself the
Walton family fool.

Fighting in church
now? Yes, sir,

James Robert Walton,
you have repented.

Daddy! This is for you. I found
it pinned to Jim-Bob's pillow.

I don't know how
long he's been gone.

Oh, what now?

"I have decided to begin
life as a preacher today.

"There is no time to spare.

"I can't leave my candle under a
bushel any longer. Love, Jim-Bob."

His candle under a bushel?

That's why he's been
giving all his stuff away.

- Should I go after him?
- No.

Maybe he deserves a chance
to try his hand at preaching.

- Let me think about this.
- Okay.

- Oh, Elizabeth.
- Hmm?

You be sure to get those crickets
out to the shed by tonight, huh?

Okay.

Well, Ma, I never
expected anything like this.

Come.

Come.

What is it, Ma?

"Ye are the light of the world. A
city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

"Neither do men light a candle and put
it under a bushel, but on a candlestick.

"And it giveth light unto
all that are in the house.

"Let your light so
shine before men."

So, this is the candle under the
bushel that Jim-Bob was talking about.

Yes.

You showed it to him?

So, now you blame
yourself that he left?

Ma, as long as I can remember,

you blame yourself every
time anything goes wrong.

That's a very nice
scripture passage, Ma.

Jim-Bob just turned it
around to suit his own means.

But, Ma, whatever
is on Jim-Bob's mind

hasn't got much to do
with preaching the gospel.

He's hurting.

Ben, Jason!

I've caught a Luna moth!

Mary Ellen, Erin,
come on, hurry!

She did it!

I don't believe it! It worked!

Look at it.

It's dead.

- Oh.
- Sure was pretty.

I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I know
how much you wanted one.

Maybe Jim-Bob was right.

Living things shouldn't
be kept in jars or cages.

Jim-Bob!

I thought you were
studying the gospel.

I found a Luna moth in
my trap today, it was dead.

So I let all my insects go,

except for the ants.

First, I have to find the
ant hill they came from.

You were right
about the insects.

Can't learn anything from
them when they're in jars.

I can learn so much more
studying them in nature.

You know, I missed you.

Elizabeth, go away
and leave me alone.

Daddy! Jim-Bob's
over at the little pond.

All right, honey, you wait here.

Jim-Bob.

I've been worried
about you, Son.

I failed, Daddy.

The Bible says, "No man,
having put his hand to the plow

"and looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God."

You're trying to tell me that only
preachers go to heaven, Jim-Bob?

It seems to me God wouldn't
have made so many people

if only a few were
going to be saved.

Grandma gave me this.

I guess she figured I'd
keep my hand on the plow.

You been sitting
here all this time, Son?

I thought I was on
my way to save souls.

Tinker picked me up.

He'd been drinking all night.

He heard about me wanting
to become a preacher.

I guess he had a hard
time believing it, huh?

He made me so mad
I took a swing at him.

I felt so ashamed.

Even preachers get
mad sometimes, Jim-Bob.

Afterwards, I just
walked and walked.

Every house I went by,

I felt like I ought to go to
the door and cry repentance.

Look at this.

You see this ant
farm of Elizabeth's?

Every one of those ants
has a different job to do

and no one is more
important than the other.

That goes for folks,
too, you know?

No job is more
important than the other.

I don't care whether you're
a preacher or a woodcutter,

a pilot, a scientist, a
writer like John-Boy.

- But I was told to become a preacher!
- Who told you?

It started when
the car fell on me.

Why don't you tell
me about it, Son?

Well, I heard the jack buckle and
everything got black, all of a sudden.

I thought I was dead.

My whole life came
to me in a split-second.

I knew what kind of a person
I was. Not a very good one.

For a moment, I
was glad I was dead.

It seemed like
nothing was going right.

First Grandma got sick,

then Grandpa died,

Curt was killed at Pearl Harbor.

And?

Then Mama got sick
and had to go away.

What's all this got to do
with being a preacher, Son?

While I was still under the car,
it seemed like somebody told me

that if I'd been a little
bit of a better person

and did what I was supposed to do
that none of this would have happened.

So you blame yourself for it.

For Grandpa and Curt dying,

your grandma and your
ma getting sick, huh?

All I know is that, all of
a sudden, I wasn't dead.

I was sitting up and everybody
was saying what a miracle it was.

I was being warned,
Daddy. Any more goofs and...

Any more goofs and
your mama might die?

Son.

Jim-Bob, I know just
how you feel, Son.

You know,

if I thought that by preaching your
Mama would get well and come home,

I'd be on my way to
the pulpit right now.

- You would?
- You bet I would.

Son.

There have been times when I
thought like you're thinking now.

I wondered if maybe I hadn't
let your Grandpa work so hard,

he'd be alive now.

Or if I'd gone with him up to the
mountain that day, he wouldn't have died.

I've thought about maybe if I
was around the house more

and helping your ma out,
she wouldn't have gotten sick.

But that kind of
thinking is no good, Son.

You can't blame yourself
for things that happen in life.

You can't put yourself in the
center. You got no business there.

What you got to do is

take things as they come

and just keep going.

You think Grandma will
be disappointed in me?

I'll tell you what I think. I think
maybe your Grandma is a little tired

of you being so
all-fired good all the time.

I'll tell you what.

Why don't we get you fed and
see if we can get your car fixed?

Okay, Daddy.

Although Jim-Bob
never became a preacher,

his deeply religious experience
added an important dimension to his life

and to his relationship
with our father.

In the years to come,

his faith became a source of
strength to all those who knew him.

- Thanks for fixing my car, Jim-Bob.
- Whose car, Ben?

Jim-Bob, will you show me
how to work my shortwave radio?

I didn't know you had
a shortwave radio, Erin.

My new goggles are great for
sneaking up on insects, Jim-Bob.

They make me look like one.

Your goggles, Elizabeth?

Now, Jim-Bob, you know
that God loveth a cheerful giver.

Second Corinthians 9:7.

Yes, but what the
former preacher giveth,

the former preacher
taketh away. Jim-Bob 1:2.

Good night, Jim-Bob.