“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.' Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”
Romans 11:17-21

PAUL is speaking to Gentile Christians. His ministry under God was to Gentiles. He has been speaking to the Gentile Christians in Rome, but also everywhere, and is concerned that they may despise the Jews, and feel that they are superior to the Jews, because God had rejected the Jewish nation and given them salvation through the Gospel. Paul's aim in these few verses is to crush completely any sense of superiority over the Jews amongst the Gentile Christians, and tells them that there is no room for arrogance, but rather there should be humility. Paul presses home in these verses that before God, Gentiles and Jews are in the same position. There is a remnant in both groups, and that God has his elect whom he has given to Christ before the foundation of the world, and it is these who are saved. The whole Jewish nation is not saved, but just an elect remnant. This was true even in the Old Testament when the Jewish Nation enjoyed a special relationship with God. Paul is saying that this is also true of the Gentiles. It is not all the Gentiles throughout the world who are saved, but like the Jews only an elect remnant are saved. Paul is emphasizing that there is still an elect remnant amongst the Jews.

In this chapter Paul is not speaking prophetically about some future blessing on the whole Jewish nation. He has made clear in chapter 9:27-28 that the Jewish nation has lost for ever its special relationship to God. What he is impressing on the Gentile church is the character of the church all down history until Christ comes. There will be always a calling in of God's chosen in Christ, and this body will always consist of Jews and Gentiles. Because of this there is no place for arrogance and superiority amongst the Gentiles. They are in the same position before God as the Jews, which is that all in the new Israel are saved by grace through faith. Paul has been at pains to emphasize and point out that the true Israel has never been the nation of Israel, but the elect of God who have the same faith as Abraham all down the ages.

With this introduction to these verses let us address our attention to them.

THE PICTURE USED BY PAUL.

The picture is of the cultivation of the olive tree which was common in his time in Palestine. Olive growing was a common occupation, and they used a technique which is not so common today. This was the practice of grafting a branch of a wild olive tree into a cultivate olive tree which had grown unfruitful. By this means the cultivated olive tree was invigorated by the wild branch, and then caused the wild branch which had been grafted in to bear fruit.

This is a vivid illustration of the Christian church, the family of God. The olive root which is symbolized is the root founded in Abraham. There was Christians, true believers, before Abraham, but it was through Abraham that believers were set apart as a family of God. All through the Old Testament times this true olive root existed within the nation of Israel. The nation itself, most of the time, showed by its life that it was not part of this true olive root. But God always had his believing branches, truly united to the root, bearing fruit to God as these branches, true believers, drew their life and strength from the true olive root. The root symbolizes Christ who was promised to Abraham as bringing blessing to all nations, and the branches coming from the root, Christ our Lord, have always been united to him by faith. This body, growing out of the olive root which is Christ, has always been the real Israel of God. This is what Paul has been making plain in Romans 9-11.

APPLICATION OF THE PICTURE.

Now let us look at how Paul applies this picture in our verses. Because the visible representation of the olive tree through the Old Testament was expressed in the Jewish nation, Paul speaks as if the Jewish nation was the true olive tree. He tells us that some of the branches were broken off. This represents the rejection of the nation as part of the olive tree. The Jewish nation, in the person of their leaders, the Pharisees, Chief priest, and the elders, rejected the promised Messiah, promised through Abraham, when he came, and so were broken off from the olive tree. Paul goes on in the picture to liken the gospel being brought to the Gentiles as branches from wild olive trees being grafted into the root of the true olive tree. Paul says to the Gentiles in verse 17 “you, though a wild Olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others.”

The picture shows that although the mass of the Jews were rejected, there was still a remnant of Jews still united to the root and bearing fruit. These were those who did not rejected their Messiah. The most obvious examples of these were the twelve apostles, and the large body of disciples who remained faithful to Jesus; and also the large body of Jews who were converted on the day of Pentecost and later, making up the church in Jerusalem and in Palestine.

Paul points out that the Gentiles were grafted into this root to join the branches already growing from the root. They were not starting a new root, and so a new olive tree, but were grafted into the existing one, which already had many branches that came from the Jews.

Paul then presses home the fact that the Gentile branches had no place for boasting, and feeling superior over the other branches, as if they were inferior. Nor was there any grounds for despising the unbelieving Jewish nation, as if they were for ever outside the blessing of God. To press this home Paul explains to the Gentiles Christians that as branches in the true and existing olive tree, they were dependent on the the root for their life, and strength. They could not live without the olive root, and they did not maintain the root, but the root maintained them. They were wholly dependent on the root. This is the picture of the fact that all who are part of the true body of Christ, receive their life from Christ through faith, and are entirely dependent on Christ. Whether we are converted Jews, or converted Gentiles, we all receive our life from Christ, and without him we are lost, and only through abiding in him do we continue to have life.

Paul then speaks of the purpose of God which brought the Gospel to the Gentiles. He says the Jewish nation, like branches, was broken off from the olive root, and this was for the purpose of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles (v.19). In the history of the early church this is plain to see. The Gospel first was given to the Jews. All the early converts were Jews who responded to the Gospel preaching of the apostles and others. However the evidence of the Jewish nation being broken off from the root is seen that they as a nation were virulent in their hate and rejecting of the true olive and its branches, and through severe persecution drove these early converts, all of whom were Jews, out into the rest of the world, and by this Christ and his salvation was made known in all the world, and large number of Gentiles believed, and as branches were grafted into the true olive tree, the true Israel of faith.

There could not be a plainer illustration of the fact that the true olive tree, the true Israel of God, consists of branches both from the Jews and the Gentiles. Neither were superior to the other. All were part of the true olive tree through faith, and each received their life and strength from the root which is Christ. All are equal and exactly the same in as far as their gift of life, and their being maintained in Christ. All are the same because all have the privilege of being rooted in Christ by faith, and not by works or heritage, or anything else.

THE SPIRITUAL DANGER.

The danger Paul was addressing was the tendency of Gentiles to despise the Jews, and the nation of the Jews, and feel they were superior to the Jews, and so to look down on them, and reject them as outside the love and grace of God.

This is an ongoing problem all down history. Gentiles have despised Jews, and much harm and evil has resulted from this despising. But the problem is not just seen in the relationship between Gentile and Jews. It is seen amongst those who pride themselves of being faithful to the Gospel, who then look down and despise other expressions of the church of God, who they see as having turned away from the true Gospel, and are teaching another Gospel.

Paul was strong in his opposition to false doctrine, but he never looked down of those who embraced false doctrine, or even promoted it. He said the false doctrine must be opposed, and if possible the preaching of it resisted, but he did not set himself up as superior to those who held false doctrine. Paul was strong against those Jews who had been effected by the Gospel, who came in and turned the Gospel of grace upside down by preaching that the law of Moses must also be kept. He saw that this was bringing in salvation by works. However he always yearned over the souls of those who were outside the body of Christ, and not truly grafted into the true olive tree, which is Christ. We see here how he yearned for the conversion of Jews. He hoped that he might provoke them to jealousy by seeing the Gentiles blessed with salvation, and so cause them to think again, and perhaps be brought to faith in Christ.

The fact of the matter which Paul presses on us all in these verses we are considering, is the fact that in the true olive tree there is no room for pride. We are all saved, not by anything in, us but by faith. Faith is simply seeing we have no way of saving ourselves from God's wrath, and throwing ourselves on the mercy of God in Christ, and the promised hope in Christ, that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life. Faith is renouncing all trust in ourselves and what we do, and placing all our trust in Jesus. From this there is no room for pride, and arrogance can have no place. We are all, in ourselves, lost and blameworthy sinners, without hope and without God in the world. We receive the blessing of life and dwelling in the love of God simply through Christ, and our whole trust is in him. This is true of Jew and Gentile.