Dear Friends,

Scripture frequently uses analogies from the natural world around us to teach spiritual and thus “other-worldly” truth.  However, the truths of God in the spiritual world do not always find a counterpart in the natural world, so Scripture must either not use analogy to teach them, or, as in our study lesson, the inspired writer may borrow points from the natural world, but then remind us that other parts of the analogy will not hold. Thus Paul uses the olive tree in our lesson, but then reminds us that certain features of the spiritual truth he teaches is “contrary to nature,” not according to the nature of olive trees and the farming of olive trees in the first century.  If Paul makes a point of calling this fact to our attention, he must have something significant to teach, something that we need to study carefully to understand.

God bless your study,
Joe Holder

Grafted Branches:  “…Contrary to Nature”

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 graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 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?  (Romans 11:22-24 )

    I grew up on a small farm in northern Mississippi .  Our farm included two small orchards with various fruit trees, just enough for my mother to make delicious desserts for our family.  One particular apple tree intrigued me.  Prior to our buying this farm the former owner had performed a graft on this tree.  The majority of the tree was a June apple tree.  Its fruit was large, matured early in the season, and it was very tart.  One branch of the tree had been grafted into the trunk.  That branch was from a domesticated variety of the wild crab apple.  Its fruit matured later in the season, and the apples were quite small.  Apparently the man who performed this graft liked both kinds of apples and chose to use the graft rather than plant two different trees.  According to nature, the grafted stock will produce its native fruit.  

            There are at least two issues in Paul’s analogy of the olive tree that seem to contradict nature.  (Paul indicates that his analogy is “contrary to nature”)  Paul indicates that wild branches were grafted into the tame trunk, “…contrary to nature….”  First of all, an olive grower would never graft wild olive stock into his tame olive trunk.  The tame stock is the product of refined hybrid blending that produces better quality fruit and more quantity of that fruit.  Why revert to the old wild stock when you have a tree that produces more and better fruit?  Thus the very grafting of wild wood into the tame tree is contradictory to what a wise olive grower would ever consider.  Secondly, given Paul’s emphasis throughout his writings on the quality of spiritual fruit that children of God are to bear, be they Jew or Gentile, he may be implying that the wild stock, typical of Gentiles in his analogy here, mysteriously begins to grow “tame” fruit after being grafted into the tame tree.  This yield certainly is contrary to nature.  

            Throughout this chapter Paul emphasizes that Jew and Gentile stand on the same ground, on equal footing, before God.  Neither can boast of superior standing with God.  Neither can claim favorite status.  Whether we consider “Jew” as a racial distinction or as a cultural issue, Jews no longer occupied the unique position that they enjoyed in the Old Testament era.  

            While Paul warns both Jew and Gentile in the Roman church against pride in self, he also informs both that God is quite able to bless both Jew and Gentile alike—even together in the same church.  Whether they were Jew or Gentile, their present claim on God’s temporal spiritual blessings stood or fell on the basis of individual personal faith, not on cultural ties or prior training.  

            If “we” Gentiles continue in God’s goodness and walk by faith, we may joyfully expect the blessings of divine goodness.  However, if we turn from that goodness and the related walk of faith, the same God who grafted us into the blessings of the gospel is fully as able to cut us off as He was able to graft us into the tame olive tree of blessings.  

            Justin Martyr, a second century Christian, wrote his major extant work to the Roman government, an apologetic defense of Christianity.  When Rome conquered a people, the Romans comfortably allowed the new captive nation to continue its traditional religion.  However, Rome was rather severe against any kind of new religion.  It is altogether likely that many of the Jews in the Roman Empire had branded Christianity as a “new religion,” not only to promote their beliefs over Christianity, but also to expose Christianity to the heat of Roman persecution.  Therefore one of Justin’s primary goals in his First Apology was to affirm that Christianity was not in fact a “new religion” at all.  Relative to Judaism, Justin developed the idea that Christianity was in fact the ultimate fulfillment of Judaism, not a new religion that grew out of—and away from—historical Judaism.  He further linked several Christian beliefs to early Greek ideas, drawing an interesting comparison of the Christian belief of a bodily resurrection from the dead to the Greek myth of the Phoenix as just one of several examples he used.  He asserted that therefore many of the ancient Greek philosophers were “pre-Christianity Christians.”  This point would directly contradict the idea that Christianity was a new religion.

            Justin’s observation regarding Christianity being the true objective and fulfillment of Judaism builds logically on Paul’s affirmation in our study chapter that elevates the olive tree analogy from a common Jewish metaphor of Judaism to a greater representation of God’s true way of worship that includes both Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity as Judaism’s ultimate fulfillment.  By their history and culture Jews in the first century should have been quite well prepared for the coming of God Incarnate in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Consider just a couple of Old Testament prophecies that depict the Messiah as God Incarnate.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ( Isaiah 9:6 , KJV)

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. ( Micah 5:2 , KJV)

            Notice Isaiah’s affirmation that the child born, the son given is to be called “The mighty God, The Everlasting Father.”  A conscientious Jew would never consider such names for any being other than his/her Jehovah.  

            Micah affirms a similar truth by his noting that the same child who was to be born in Bethlehem is eternal.  His “goings forth” have been from “…of old, from everlasting.”  If your King James Bible has a center reference column, it will likely include a footnote to the word “everlasting.”  That footnote will tell you that the meaning of the Hebrew word that Micah used here literally means that His goings forth have been “…from the days of eternity,” a clear indication that the child born in Bethlehem is God Incarnate, God manifesting Himself in human form.  

            According to Paul in our study chapter, the olive tree analogy that Jews, including some Jewish writers of Old Testament Scripture, often used to depict their nation now depicts God’s worshiping people regardless of race or culture.  

            The olive tree didn’t die with the death of Jesus or, for that matter, with the Romans’ sacking of the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  In fact the true olive tree took on a new meaning with the coming of Christ, of God Incarnate, that Paul develops in this analogy.  The “fatness” of the olive tree becomes for Paul an analogy for God’s blessings on His faithful children—His children who walk by faith in true obedience to His commandments—regardless of their race or past culture. 

           According to Paul, in the present administration of God, Jews and Gentiles alike stand or fall before God on the basis of faith in Christ.  The blessings of the gospel flow through the “river” of faith.  We cannot and will not discover and enjoy them in any other way.  Regardless of our past racial or cultural identity, our only claim to God’s temporal blessings, all of the blessings that God bestows on His regenerate children in time, is through the vehicle of faith.  If Jews, regenerate Jews, who formerly enjoyed God’s blessings under the Law of Moses, but lost those blessings through their rejection of Jesus as the fulfillment of their Messianic prophecies, come to believe in Jesus, they will immediately discover the richness and flowing “oil” of blessings from the “olive tree.”  If regenerate Gentiles who have enjoyed those blessings by faith become filled with pride and turn from the walk of faith, they shall be cut off from the blessings of the olive tree.  However, if they repent and return to the way of faith, God shall restore them to the fatness of the olive tree and its blessings. 

Paul’s warning puts us on full notice of our present position.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear…. ( Romans 11:20 , KJV)

Scripture fiercely warns us against the dangers of pride.  Arrogant confidence in anything or anyone other than God and His revealed truth in Scripture, and declared in the gospel, is sure to sever us from the blessings of the gospel.

            Once again I revisit a central point of Paul’s theme in this chapter.  His focus is not on people gaining, losing, and regaining their personal salvation, their eternal standing with God.  Scripture consistently affirms that not a single one of God’s chosen people, blood-bought, and blood-preserved in Christ, can ever lose their eternal standing with God.  Do we need once again to revisit Romans 8:38-39 ?  However, every regenerate child of God stands by faith relative to the promises of God’s rich blessings in the gospel.  We may turn from those blessings and live our lives as miserable excuses for “children of the King,” but God is not pleased with such conduct.  Paul will not stop nudging us to acknowledge our family and our spiritual heritage as children of God.  He will remain “in our face” to the end, reminding us repeatedly of the blessings available to us in the way and the walk of faith.  We stand in these blessings by faith.  We have access to their royal fatness by faith.  They impart to us a profound sense of peace and joy with God ( Romans 5:1-2 ; do not overlook that Paul asserts that justification by faith brings us peace, a state of mind and blessing, not spiritual and eternal life.).  Claim and enjoy your blessing!