The Mystery of the Olive Tree
As Harry Ironside (the Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, and author, who pastored the Moody Church in Chicago from 1929 to 1948) recounts in his book The Great Parenthesis, there is a great Dispensational division in Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11. We can speak of these chapters as parentheses because one could move on without being conscious that anything was missing between the closing verses of Chapter 8 and opening verses of Chapter 12. In the first eight chapters of Romans Paul reveals ADONAI’s method of dealing with sin and providing a perfect righteousness for those who have none. Then in Chapters 12 to 16 of Romans we see the practical effects of those who have been made righteous by faith in Messiah. But between Chapters 8 and 12 we have a great parenthesis in which the apostle pauses, as guided by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, to show how the Gospel in the B’rit Chadashah harmonizes with the TaNaKh and His electing grace in the making of Isra’el His covenant people (see the commentary on Romans, to see link click Cn – The Centrality of Isra’el in the plan of ADONAI).
In Romans 3:23 we learn that there is no difference, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The Jew is shown no more grace in Messiah than the Gentile. All must come to ADONAI in exactly the same way, as needy sinners trusting in Yeshua for salvation. This would naturally raise the question in the mind of any honest Jew: But what then of the special promises made to Isra’el? What of the covenant entered into at Mount Sinai? How does this affect the promise made to Abraham and his descendants? These questions and others are fully answered in Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11. In Chapter 9, the Spirit of God speaks specifically of the LORD’s past dealings with Isra’el (see Romans Co – The Past Paradox of Isra’el); in Chapter 10, of His present dealings with them (see Romans Cs – The Present Paradox of Isra’el); and in Chapter 11, of His future dealings with His chosen people (see Romans Cw – The Future Paradox of Isra’el).
Turning, then, to Chapter 9, we see Isra’el’s past as an elected nation. It pleased ADONAI to separate these people from all other peoples to Himself in order that they might be a special testimony in the earth. This privilege was not given to them because of any merit of their own. Indeed, it was in His sovereign grace that Ha’Shem chose Isaac but not Ishmael, and chose Jacob but not Esau. YHVH was not unrighteous in doing this. He was the Creator. Like the potter, He had power over the clay to make it whatever He wanted to (see the commentary on Jeremiah Cw – At the Potter’s House). God chose Isra’el as the means of fulfilling His promises, so that they might be a blessing to the whole world.
Now if ADONAI chose to bless the seed of Abraham after the flesh, and they completely failed as a nation to appreciate His goodness, and when His own Son came into the world they fulfilled their own Scriptures in condemning Him, who shall question the righteousness of God in temporarily setting them aside, taking up the Gentiles and giving them the glorious privilege that they now enjoy?
So, in Chapter 10 we have the LORD’s present dealings with Isra’el. Yes, He has temporarily set Isra’el aside during this long parenthetic period, but that does not mean that individual Jews cannot be saved. Any Jew can come to Yeshua Messiah and find salvation on exactly the same basis as any Gentile. So we read in Romans 10:12, “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile – ADONAI is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him.” And the apostle adds in Romans 10:13, “since everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be saved.” During this entire period (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), while Isra’el nationally has been temporarily set aside, God’s whosoever may come message in John 3:16 is going out to the world, and any Jew or Gentile may take advantage of it, and if they refuse, they are responsible for their own judgment.
But, in Chapter 11 we can see the future of ADONAI’s covenant people. We are first told that their eyes were blinded because they were so preoccupied with their own works that they rebelled against the grace of God. Therefore, national Isra’el is judicially blinded until today: What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.
The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day (Deut 29:4; Isaiah 29:10).” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever (Ps 69:22-23).” Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring (Romans 11:7-12)!392
In His sovereignty, ADONAI has used the rebellion of the Jews to open the door of grace to all Gentiles everywhere. You might say that the Gentiles are indebted to the unbelieving Jews. So it is unthinkable for any Gentile to speak unkindly of any Jew because of their failure to understand God’s plan, despite understanding that there will always be a believing remnant of Jewish believers (see Romans Cx – The Testimony of the Jewish Believers) and that nationally all Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:25-26a), untold millions of Jews have missed their glorious opportunity, even as our Lord Himself said: But if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:42). Look, your house is left to you desolate. This prophecy of doom was soon fulfilled by her complete destruction (see The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). Then the Supreme Commander of Life and Death quoted from Psalm 118:26: I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). The multitudes did quote this verse when He entered the Holy City in His Triumphal Entry, but their religious leaders disapproved. He would not come again until a believing remnant had been prepared who would beg Him to come back (see Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). In the far eschatological future this truth will be proclaimed when Jesus comes again and enters Tziyon as the millennial Ruler.393
And so with the temporary setting aside of Isra’el nationally, we have the Gospel of grace going out to the Gentile nations. Speaking from the standpoint of the Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 13:37), Paul continues: For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! Now if the hallah offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you – a wild olive – were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! So take a good look at God’s kindness and his sternness: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you – provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in (Romans 11:15-22). The figure of the olive tree used here is taken from Jeremiah, ADONAI called you an olive tree, beautiful, full of leaves and good fruit. With the roar of a mighty storm the LORD set it on fire, and its branches are broken (Jeremiah 11:16).
There are three plants used in a special way as representing Isra’el. The vine speaks of them as God’s testimony on the earth; the fig tree is the symbol of Isra’el nationally, and the olive tree tells of them as a covenant people in special relation to YHVH. Because of their unfaithfulness, and particularly their rejection of Yeshua (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons), that the natural branches were broken off from the olive tree of which Abraham is the root. He is the father of all that believe/trust/or have faith in (Greek: pistis) the Messiah. Thus, as a result of Isra’el’s national unbelief, those branches were torn off of the olive tree. In their place, wild branches, representing the Gentiles, were grafted in (Romans 11:17). It is important to understand that these grafted in Gentile branches do not represent individuals, but nations. Any individual Gentile who does not trust in Yeshua as Messiah will face the same judgment as any unbelieving Jew (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment).
Unbelieving critics of the Bible have used Paul’s figure of the olive tree to say that it is not inspired by God. “How,” they ask, “could God make such a mistake as that which Paul has made here? He speaks of grafting wild branches into a good tree. Every horticulturalist knows that you do not graft wild branches into a good tree; you graft good branches into a wild tree in order to completely change the character of its fruit.” But here, as elsewhere, the critics are wrong. They do not read carefully enough, nor, shall I say, far enough.394
The only thing that is preventing Isra’el’s national restoration is unbelief. And if any Jew exercises belief he can be grafted back into this place of blessing. Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, then they will most certainly be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. This means that God is the Promise Keeper, which is essentially the message in Romans Chapters 9 through 11. Then Paul gives us the reason why we should expect the nation of Isra’el to be restored. The olive tree is Isra’el, and the Jewish covenants belong to the Jews. Therefore, if you Gentiles were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree, a nation of pagans separated from God’s promises, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree (Isra’el), how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree (Romans 11:23-24)! ADONAI’s setting Isra’el aside is not only partial and passing but also purposeful. YHVH temporarily set aside His chosen people in order to bring salvation to the Gentiles, to make Isra’el jealous of them (Romans 11:11b-c) so they would yearn to receive the blessings of the Messiah they had rejected, and thereby be used to bring blessing to the rest of the world (Romans 11:12-15). But God’s ultimate, overriding purpose is to glorify Himself.395
In Romans 11:25 the word “for” points forward to the reason, given immediately, why Paul has presented the olive tree illustration (see the commentary on Romans Cz – The Illustration of Isra’el’s Future). Paul uses the word brothers to emphasize that he considers not only Messianic Jews, but also Gentile believers to be his brothers in the faith, because he didn’t want any of them to be offended at what he was about to say next.
For brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery (Greek: musterion), which God formerly concealed but has now revealed (Rom 11:25a). At the end of Paul’s letter, he defines mystery as being a revelation which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is made known, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God (Rom 16:25-26; Eph 3:5-7). In this, both the Messianic Jews and the Gentile believers must grasp the fullness of their individual callings by ADONAI.
Why was this secret truth kept hidden for so long until Paul revealed it? Because one would have expected Isra’el to be the first nation to be saved. Isra’el had all the advantages enjoyed by no other people (see Romans Cp – The Grief of Isra’el’s Past Paradox: Eight advantages that the Jews have). The Gospel itself is to the Jew especially (Romans 1:16), and YHVH has promised Jewish national salvation (Ezeki’el 36:24-36; Matthew 23:37; Acts 1:6-7). Why then, is God doing the unexpected, making the Gentiles joint-heirs (Ephesians 3:3-9) with the Jews? In order to give the fullest possible demonstration of His love for all humanity and not merely to the Jews.
But before Paul identifies and explains the particular mystery of which he is speaking here, he once again cautions the Gentiles against their pride, warning them to avoid twisting the truths of the mystery as being wise in their own eyes: So that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do (11:25b). Proverbs 3:7 reminds us: Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom; but fear ADONAI, and turn from evil.396
What a day it will be when God’s program is completed and He takes Isra’el up again and brings them at last to confess their sin (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ), to look up in faith to the Savior whom their fathers had rejected, and confess Him as their Redeemer and their long-awaited for Messiah. Then Isra’el shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the earth with fruit, for they will become ADONAI’s instruments for the enlightenment of the Gentile world.397
Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your steadfast ever enduring love for Isra’el and Your deep and passionate desire to use whatever you have to use, so that Your chosen people will come to believe in You as their Messiah. How awesome it is that You desire to bless the Jews and Gentiles with Your love, but recognizing Yeshua as their Messiah. When Isra’el finally looks toward Messiah whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10, 13:1-9); then Yeshua will return from heaven to rescue Isra’el. Thank You for grafting the Gentiles into the olive tree. ADONAI’s love is so great! He eagerly waits to rescue both Jew and Gentile by faith in His death and resurrection, to hearts filled with love for God. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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