“17
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree,
wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of
the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if
thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee…” (Romans 11:17-24).
Romans chapter 11 is one of the most
controversial chapters in the Bible.
The most prevalent opinion today about this
chapter is that it teaches us that God
has not rejected Israel permanently. According to this opinion, there
will come a time when God will deal distinctly with Israel as a nation again.
But we have seen that Israel as a nation is
no longer the people of God. In fact, the apostle Paul is not really dealing
with what will happen to Israel in the future in this chapter. He is concerned,
rather, with what was happening in Israel in his own time, and throughout the
whole period of time until the Last Day when Christ returns. This chapter has
five major paragraphs.
The first paragraph is from verses 1-10. Here, the apostle Paul
insists that though the nation of Israel is under the judgement of God and is
no longer the covenant people of God as a whole, yet, there is a remnant
according to the election of grace, whom God would save.
The second paragraph is from verses 11-16. Here, the apostle
reminds us that in God’s plan, Israel has fallen in order that His elect
Gentiles might be brought in to the fold. But the church may expect great
blessings whenever a Jew in the flesh is converted, and therefore we should
pray for their conversion even if we should not expect a national conversion of
the Jews.
In our previous study, we noted how the apostle Paul is sure that
for the sake of the fathers of the faith in Israel, there will always be an
elect remnant whom God will save. He says:
“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the
root be holy, so are the branches” (Rom 11:16).
We saw how the second metaphor refers to a tree. The tree is an
organic whole, so if the root of the tree is holy, then the rest of the tree is
holy.
In our present, follow-up study, we would like to enter into the
third paragraph where we see the apostle Paul expanding on the metaphor of the
tree, which he now speaks of as the Olive Tree.
This paragraph contains essentially three lessons.
·
First, Paul
reminds us not to boast against the natural root and branches of the Olive
Tree. That is to say, we must never look down upon the Israelites, whether they
are believers or unbelievers (v. 17-18). The key phrase in this paragraph is: “Boast not against the branches” (v. 18).
·
Secondly,
Paul would have us learn something of God’s dealing with the nation of Israel
in order that we may know how we ought to conduct ourselves as members of the
church (v. 19-22). The key phrase in this paragraph is: “Behold the goodness and severity of God” (v. 22).
·
And thirdly,
Paul wants us to know again that Israel is not completely cast off. We can
expect a remnant to be saved, and therefore we should pray for them (v. 23-24).
The key phrase in this paragraph is: “God
is able to graft them in again” (v. 23).
Let’s consider the three lessons using the three phrases as
sub-headings.
1. Boast
Not Against the Branches
… if the root be holy so are the branches. 17 And if
some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted
in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive
tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou
bearest not the root, but the root thee.
What is Paul saying? Well, it is clear that he is addressing the
Gentile believers. We are Gentile believers. Paul is reminding us that we do
not naturally belong to the Olive Tree. The Olive Tree was originally Jewish.
“Salvation is of the Jews” (Jn 4:22) says our Lord. Some of the branches were
broken off because of unbelief, and we have been grafted into the tree in place
of them.
We originally belong to the wild olive tree says Paul (v. 24).
Wild olive trees are not very productive or valuable. The tree is small and
thorny. The fruit is small, and you can’t get much oil out of it.
Therefore, farmers would often graft branches from some good
cultivated tree unto them in order to get a harvest from these wild olive
trees. But here Paul is speaking of something contrary to nature. The branches
of the good olive tree have been lobed off and we who are wild olive branches
have been grafted in. We do not at all deserve this great privilege.
Therefore, we must not boast against the natural branches—whether
they have been cut off, or still remain on the tree.
What is it to boast against the branches? It is to look down upon
them, to gloat over them, or worst, to persecute them.
We must never look down upon the Jews, or gloat over them or
persecute them. Anti-Semitism is hateful to God. Though the Jews crucified our
Lord, we must for the sake of the fathers, who are the root and trunk of the
Olive Tree, seek the good of the Israelites. It is sad that in the history of
the church, there have been very strong anti-Semitic feelings. We are talking
not just about Adolph Hitler or the Muslims, we are talking about Christians.
Even Martin Luther was known to have persecuted the Jews.
It is true that the Jews often provoked their own persecution by
their arrogance, stubbornness and greed. But still Christians must never be
anti-Semitic, for we have been grafted into the tree whose root and branch
comprise of Jewish fathers united to Christ our Lord.
This is the first lesson that we must learn: Boast not against the
natural branches of the Olive Tree. Let us learn, rather, to pray for them.
The Second lesson, —which we must spend a little more time on, —is
encapsulated in the words: “Behold the goodness and severity of God.”
…to be continued, next issue
—JJ Lim
