We are part Abraham’s tree.
11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.
13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
We need to pray that the original branches are restored to the tree.
17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.
Romans 11:11-24
I love Paul’s heart.
Paul was optimistically hopeful that his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters would accept Jesus as their Savior. He cared so much for all people and for their eternal salvation. He didn’t want to see any perish. Jesus doesn’t want to see any perish either.
God is hopeful that by making salvation available to the Gentiles, the Israelites would get jealous and claim it for themselves. We, too, should be hopeful for this same thing. Paul clearly tells us in verse 15 that we were only offered salvation because of Israel’s rejection. Therefore, we need to understand that if it weren’t for these people, we wouldn’t be in the story at all. We need to keep the Jewish people in our prayers. They are still God’s people.
Paul brought the message of grace to us.
He was appointed by God as our apostle and he tells us in Galatians that he received the gospel message directly from Jesus Christ. This is the same message that is for you and for me.
11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:11-12
Reading further in Romans 11, we see that Paul uses the analogy of the branches and the root that Jesus used in John 15. Paul tells us that some of the branches of the tree were broken off because of the Israelites’ unbelief. He also warns us not to get too full of ourselves for being grafted into the tree. It is not because of anything that we did – it is because it was God’s will for us to be grafted in. If it was His will for us to remain outside, we would remain outside. It’s that simple.
We are part of God’s Kingdom because of HIS GRACE and MERCY.
Not only did He graft us into the tree, Abraham’s tree, but He also gave us the blessing that was promised to Abraham and his children. We share in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. This is how much God loves us. Meditate upon this great love. Know that you are loved dearly!
We need to understand that it is not about our love for God. It is His love for us that we need to dwell upon. Yes, we do need to love Him but if we focus on our love for Him, we will falter. When we focus on His love for us we have sure footing in this world. Paul reminds us in the end of verse 18 that we are just a branch, not the root. The root – the foundation – is Jesus Christ. And this is where the love flows from to the branches.
Focus on His love for you.
We also see in these verses that the original branches were broken off from the tree because of unbelief. The Israelites did not believe in Christ so they were removed. We were added because we do believe in Jesus but we need to stay humble and not think too highly about ourselves. Remember, if we can focus not on our works or our love and rather on the finished works of Jesus and His love, we can maintain a humility that is necessary in our walk.
God is able to do whatever He desires with His tree.
If He desires to add the original branches back to the tree, that’s His choice. We should pray that He does add those branches back in. This would mean that His people – the Israelites – believe Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. Let’s pray this not only for the Jewish people but for everyone!
Stay in the Light and the Love Always,
Eva
Leave a Reply