Romans 11:16–18: For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
The firstfruit was Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and he was accepted before God. Thus it is natural for his descendants to be also accepted. Paul is making the point, how natural the Jews’ return and acceptance by God will be. Put another way, “if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Israel’s origins make her restoration the most natural thing! 1
Application
- The “olive tree” is a picture of the nation Israel, and the “wild olive” is the church. Everything you and I have is rooted in the fact that God called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that out of the nation Israel He brought Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. How could a Christian ever be anti–Semitic?
- The fruit in your life is related to your own spiritual root system. How well do you care for those spiritual roots? How often do you weed, water, and rototill your spiritual soil?
Prayer
Lord, do whatever it takes to make me as fruitful as possible for Your glory.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.