The Olive Tree and Its Branches
The Bible is truly the most unique book in the world. You will never be finished studying it! Just when you think you fully understand a passage, you go back to that same passage and learn something more! It really is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Despite many different writers (although all inspired by God), the Bible has a completely consistent message and God’s revelation is beautifully intertwined within the stories and pages of this Living Word! Some find the Bible hard to understand. It is! It takes work and God’s wisdom to get us through it. My husband likes to remind me that God wants us to SEEK Him and so the Bible is designed for us to do just that. God reveals Himself all throughout the scripture and a little at a time so that those who actively want to know Him will work to do so. And it does take work!
With this being said, I really treasure when I find an “ah-ha” moment after careful study and consideration. I enjoy seeing two passages that separately held a beautiful truth come together and provide an even more enormously gorgeous picture of the Gospel!
Now to my actual article here! If you have read my most recent posts, you will see that I am making my way through the book of Jeremiah. It is slow going but enjoyable. In Jeremiah 11, I came across the following passage.
Jeremiah 11:16-17 (KJV)
The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
Jeremiah has been proclaiming of the coming judgement upon Judah for several chapters at this point. He reveals that this judgement from God is because of their sin, especially idolatry. This judgement will come at the hands of the Babylonian army who will kill many people and take the rest captive. Jerusalem will be destroyed.
I found the illustration in this passage hauntingly beautiful. God often uses plants in His illustrations. A commentator on this particular excerpt made a quick mention of Romans 11: 17-26. I was about to just make a quick note and move on, but the Holy Spirit told me to turn to that specific passage and read it. Immediately, I recognized the passage as one I had already studied, but as I took the time to reread the passage, my breath left me. The picture between these two texts provide the complete picture that I had missed my first time through each text separately!
Here is the Romans text:
Romans 11:17-26 (KJV)
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;
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
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.
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Paul was a Pharisee and really knew Scripture. He would have in-depth knowledge of Jeremiah’s prophecies. I see now how Paul is building on the illustration that Jeremiah presents showing how the Gospel fits into the picture of the olive tree.
In Jeremiah, we see that Israel is like the olive tree. God planted this tree, and it was a good tree and brought good fruit. But sadly, this tree will now be set on fire and the branches will be broken. The fire and broken branches are the judgement that Jeremiah has been referring to which is the result of the people’s sin and idolatry with their worship of Baal specifically mentioned.
God did indeed plant Israel. God chose Israel based on the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God cared for Israel by rescuing them from Egypt and bringing them to the Promised Land and growing their number as a people. But despite everything that God did for Israel, they continued to reject Him. Now, God has finally brought judgement to Israel and their branches on the olive tree are broken off. If the picture stopped here, we would walk away depressed but it doesn’t! God will raise a New Israel: the remnant. This is what Paul adds to the picture in Romans 11.
In Romans chapters 9-11, Paul is speaking to the gentile believers regarding the Jews. He explains how the Jews had every privilege to be God’s chosen people but this privilege wasn’t based on physical lineage, but spiritual lineage. The Jews rejected this spiritual lineage, instead finding their salvation in keeping of the Law and racial qualities rather than through faith in the Messiah which was clearly revealed to them. Therefore, God rose up the New Israel, the gentiles, who would attain the spiritual lineage as sons of God through faith. But the Jews are not cast away. There is a believing remnant of Jews who stand true to God and His Word and they will attain righteousness, not by the works of the Law, but through faith in the deliverer, Jesus Christ. These Jews will also be part of New Israel and should be welcomed into the fold of Christ with open arms.
Putting the two passages together, we see that, yes, the branches were broken off because of unbelief, but new branches can be grafted on based on faith! The broken branches are the racial Jewish nation who rejected God (this is a picture of the hardening/blindness of Israel). These new branches are the gentiles originally not part of God’s chosen people but of a wild olive tree. These branches will form the New Israel! This deliverance was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who defeated sin and death for us! Of course, Jews are still loved by God and when a Jew comes to accept Jesus Christ, he or she will be readily grafted back onto the tree of Christ. All branches should rejoice at the addition of other branches as all branches on this olive tree will be saved they (both Jew and gentile) are part of the New Israel!
Have you been grafted onto the olive tree? Are you a part of the New Israel?
Paul warns that God did not spare the natural branches (Israel) and without faith, we too will not be spared despite having been grafted in. Please note that the olive tree stood the entire time – Jesus Christ, the “Root” is eternal (Isaiah 11:1, 10; Revelation 5:5 & 22:16). When we are grafted in, we are grafted onto the Root, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 11:10 tells us “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the gentile seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” Only those who cling to the Root will experience God’s rest. Both Jew and gentile are invited. Judgement against this world has already been announced (see Revelation, Daniel, etc.) just as Jeremiah announced judgment to the people of Judah. We must be grafted in to avoid judgement.
Do you have a question? Do you have something to add? Leave a comment below or on my contact page! I am more than happy to engage in friendly discussions. Thank you!