ROMANS 414                Chapter 11:16-24                    The Olive Tree

16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and 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 graffed 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.

19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

 

(Vs 16.) Eternal life with God and resurrection from the dead were promised to Abraham*, and so anyone seeking these must go to him. Abraham is the root, and the branches are his offspring. The first branches to grow from Abraham were the nation Israel.

*(In order for Abraham to inherit the world, Rom 4:13, or to possess the land of Canaan forever, Gen 17:8, he must be resurrected from the dead and be given eternal life.)

 

(Vs 17.) "And if some of the branches be broken off..." The Jews who did not believe during the time of Acts 2-7 are the branches that were broken off. (Luke 3:7-9)

         "...and thou..." means "you Gentiles". See verse 13. Believing Gentiles in this age partake of Abraham’s "root" promise of eternal life and resurrection, along with saints of the previous age. (Eph 2:18,19) As we saw when we studied chapter 4, Abraham is a dual father, (1. of the Gentiles of faith in our age (Rom 4:11; Gal 3:7-9,14-18,29) and (2. of the Jews of faith in the previous age. (Rom 4:12&2:28,29)

         The olive tree represents spiritual life (mental relationship/communication with God), spiritual advantage (justification, forgiveness, sanctification, etc) and spiritual promises (resurrection and eternal life). This is what we inherit from Abraham, (Gal 3:29) not his physical promises about a land and a nation. (Gen 12:2; 13:15) There are 4 trees associated with Israel in the Bible. See them in Judges 9:7-15. The olive tree represents spiritual life, the vine represents Israel’s national life (Ps 80:8-16; Is 5:1-7), the fig is her legal-religious system (Luke 13:6-9), and the bramble is her life while in rebellion to God. It is significant that Paul uses only the olive tree here. In our program today we have nothing to do with the other trees, or Israel’s physical promises.

 

(Vs 18.) "Boast not against the branches." Don’t think you Gentiles are any better than the Jews. The spiritual life and advantage that we now have comes by faith, not because of who we are or because of anything we have done. So we have no reason to boast. (Rom 3:27–30; Eph 2:8,9)

 

(Vs 19.) Some might say that the nation Israel was broken off so that we Gentiles could be grafted in. (As if we Gentiles are a prize worth that sacrifice!)

 

(Vs 20.) But no! Israel was broken off because of their own unbelief. That’s why Israel’s time of being God’s special people was ended. Now we Gentiles stand in a position of opportunity and advantage. But that can end too. So Paul says, be careful, not proud.

 

(Vs 21.) If God ended Israel’s chance, He can end ours too. ("The natural branches" are Israel, and "thee" refers to us Gentiles.)

 

(Vs 22.) God is not just goodness and love, He is also severity and justice. "Them which fell" are the nation Israel, and they fell when they rejected God the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 through 7. (Mat 12:31,32) God’s severity to Israel resulted in goodness to us Gentiles, because now we Gentiles can come directly to God through Christ, (I Tim 2:4-6; Rom 10:12) without going through Israel. (Contrast to John 4:22; Gen 12:3; Zech 8:23) Read Rom 11:11,12 and15 again.

        In His goodness, God put up with Israel’s increasing pride and self-righteousness for about 2000 years. Finally He cut them off from their position of privilege. Now we Gentiles are being offered total forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift, paid for by Christ.(Rom 6:23; Eph 1:7 & 2:8,9) That is real goodness! Not only that, but God has given us His completed word (Col 1:25-28) in which "he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;"(Eph 1:8,9) to give "the full assurance of understanding". (Col 2:2) Yet what have we Gentiles done with it for 2000 years? Most "Christians" think their own good behavior is at least partly responsible for getting or keeping them saved. Most think they are spiritual Israel and claim all Israel’s promises. Have we Gentiles continued in God’s goodness any better than the Jews did when they had their chance? Just as Israel brought on their own fall by their self-righteousness and unbelief, so we Gentiles will bring on the end of our age of opportunity by our pride and lack of faith in God’s goodness. See how Paul describes the end of our age in II Tim 3:1-8. "...In the last days perilous times shall come. ...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof...Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth...reprobate concerning the faith."

           Our age will end when God takes all who believe Him off the earth. (I Thes 4:16,17; I Cor 15:49-52) That will be a wonderful day for us, but it will cut off the time of Gentile equal opportunity. Be sure to see that Paul is speaking of nations and ages here, not about individuals.

 

(Vs 23.) "And they (Israel)....shall be graffed in... again". When our age ends, God will return to Israel, and save those Jews who will believe Him. He will take up with Israel’s program right where He left off, and will fulfill all His promises about the kingdom on earth. That will be the time that God "receives" Israel (verse 15) and the world experiences Israel’s "fullness" (verse 12).

 

(Vs 24.) We Gentiles were from a wild olive tree, meaning God had nothing to do with us in time past.(Eph 2:11,12) If God can give us His spiritual blessings, how much more Israel, to whom those blessings were promised. (Rom 9:4,5; Jer 31:31-34)