Warning to the Gentile believers.
After presenting a convincing assertion that God did not reject Israel, Paul turns to Gentile believers. “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, If somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them.” Romans 11:13 – 14, NET. Paul employs the olive tree to illustrate how the Gentiles are related to the Jews. The branches of a young olive tree that do not bear much fruit are cut off so that good olive branches can be grafted. The new community of believers, the Way, is the young olive tree. However, the first branches, the Jews, were not bearing much fruit even though they were fed from the good root. The cultivated olive tree represents Judaism. However, the cultivated branches were not bearing the correct fruit. They did not accept the righteousness from God. Therefore, some cultivated branches were cut off to graft in the branches from the wild olive tree. The wild olive branches fed from the cultivated root and did bear fruit for God.
“Now if some branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” Romans 11:17 – 18, NET. God chose the descendants of Abraham through their promised son Isaac to bring the Messiah into the world through them. The Messiah was for the whole of humankind, not only the Jews. Because the Messiah came through the Jews, they are the cultivated olive tree. However, some of the cultivated olive branches, the Jews, were broken off so that the wild olive branches, the Gentiles, could be grafted in. The cultivated olive branches fell off because of unbelief. The cultivated olive branches fell off because they no longer fed on the root. They rejected the Messiah, the Root. God rejected only those who left the root on their own initiative.
The broken-off cultivated branches do not indicate that the root is rejected. Similarly, the grafted wild olive branches do not confirm the rejection of the whole tree. “Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” Romans 11:22, NET. Paul cautions the Gentile brothers in Christ not to be arrogant toward their Jewish brothers. The Jews who were rejected because of unbelief did not stumble beyond recovery. “They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.” Romans 11:20 – 21, NET. Therefore, the unkind treatment of Jews by the Gentile believers puts them in danger of rejection by God.
Continued in the next blog.
