In my quest to dig up and understand the Hebraic Roots of Christianity, I discovered a different kind of root. It was the olive tree root! So many times in the past I had read Paul’s letter to the Romans as merely black and white words, yet didn’t “see” his words in color like I do now. Paul is speaking to the Gentiles in Romans chapter 11 when he refers to the olive tree: “If the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 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, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. “ Some Christians think that the olive tree is the Church, which they think has replaced Israel. There are no Scriptures to support that (a belief which has given rise to the error of Replacement Theology – that mistakenly assumes that the Church is the ‘new Israel’ in God’s eyes and that the Jews have been cast off). Obviously, the natural branches which were broken off due to their unbelief are the Jews who fail to accept Yeshua Messiah. The wild olive shoots that are grafted in are the Gentile Christians. Paul is warning the Gentile Christians to not think of themselves as superior to the other branches. Christians are not superior to Jews and are not to be arrogant towards them. The natural branch Jews (Messianic Jews), and the grafted in wild branch Christians all share in the nourishing sap from the root. But what is the root? In Romans 15:12 Paul writes:” Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." I think it fair to say that the root is Jesus (Yeshua [yeah-SHOO-ah]) the Messiah. It is the nourishing sap from Him that nourishes the natural branches (the Messianic Jews) and the grafted-in wild olive branches (the Gentiles who share in the covenant blessings of the commonwealth of Israel). Paul also tells us that the broken off branches (the unbelieving Jews) can be grafted back in to the olive tree once they accept the Messiah. Romans 11:24: if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you (Gentiles) were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches (the newly-Messianic Jews), be grafted into their own olive tree! As a Gentile Christian I am part of the commonwealth of Israel and I have been grafted into that olive tree, made holy by the holy root. I partake of the same nourishing sap along with the Jews, and experience the Abrahamic covenant promises and blessings. I like olives more than ever now !! Shalom
