Just because Gentiles have been adopted into God’s family does not mean they are superior to the children who have wandered away. Jews have rejected God, and God has taken this opportunity to save Gentiles. Gentiles are no better than the Jews. Jews are no worse than Gentiles. All of humanity needs salvation, all men are sinners.
Paul is making an analogy of the Gentiles’ relationship with Israel: Some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree (v 17).
The you Paul is speaking to are the Gentile Roman believers to whom this letter is addressed. In particular, these are Gentile believers whose faith is spoken of throughout the whole world (Romans 1:8). Gentile believers are like a wild olive branch that is grafted on to a domestic olive tree. The wild olive tree does not produce good fruit, but when it is grafted in among the domestic olive tree, it produces rich fruit.
One way to think of this is that when the high-achieving nature of Gentiles is tamed by Jewish thought and redirected to God’s covenant command to the Hebrews to love and serve one another, this “hybrid vigor” produces a substantial elevation of goodness that benefits the world (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-39).
The broken off branches represent the unbelievingJews, while theGentiles are represented by the wild olive branches that are grafted in.The Gentiles can receive the benefits of the cultivated tree’s roots and health. But the grafted in branches need to recognize that they have not been elevated above the root, but are instead gaining sustenance from it.
The olive tree is a symbol for Israel. In the analogy, Israel is the root of the olive tree, and broken off branches represent unbelieving Jews.
Gentiles were grafted in as wild branches. In verse 18, Paul says, do not be arrogant toward the branches.The native branches are the Jews. Gentiles have nothing to brag about, nor are they superior to Israel. God redeems Gentiles through His grace, and He also has plans for Israel’s restoration through His grace.
Gentiles are grafted into Israel. They are grafted into the promises God made to Israel. Christianity is not a separate thing from God’s relationship with the Jews. It is an expansion of Judaism and a continuation of the unfolding of God’s promises. The promise Gentile believers have of righteousness through faith is exactly the same promise Abraham had (Romans 4:1-4; Genesis 15:6). All people of faith are children of Abraham because we are children of the promise (Romans 9:6-8).
Paul urges that his Roman audience continue to respect the Jews. He tells the Gentiles that if you are arrogant,remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you (v 18).
In this letter, Paul is answering competing Jewish “authorities” who are slandering him and saying that he is teaching a false doctrine (Romans 3:8). But these competing “authorities” are actually teaching false doctrine, and Paul is rejecting their doctrine.
Paul is not rejecting them. He recognizes that he is just as much a sinner as they (Romans 3:9-10).
But Paul is making it clear that Israel has not been rejected by God, as his detractors claim he is saying. Paul makes this clear elsewhere also. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he says the Gentiles were “excluded from the commonwealth of Israel” but were included in that commonwealth by Jesus (Ephesians 2:12). The word translated commonwealth can also be translated “citizenship.”
Biblical Text
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
Check out our other commentaries:
- In this passage, Isaiah, the prophet of Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, relays a message from God to King Hezekiah.......
- Boaz allows Ruth to eat with his workers and gives them further instructions to help her. Naomi is very glad when Ruth tells her she......
- Matthew tells his account of Jesus’s miraculous conception and birth. His description of these events demonstrate and emphasize the dual natures of Christ, who was......
- Jesus commands His disciples in every circ*mstance to treat people the same way we want them to treat us. This is both a distillation of......
- Moses instructs the Israelites concerning kingship once they have settled in the Promised Land. That king should be chosen by God Himself from among the......
FAQs
The olive tree is a symbol for Israel. In the analogy, Israel is the root of the olive tree, and broken off branches represent unbelieving Jews. Gentiles were grafted in as wild branches. In verse 18, Paul says, do not be arrogant toward the branches. The native branches are the Jews.
What is the meaning of the wild olive shoot? ›
The wild olive shoot represents Gentiles who HAVE chosen to believe in Jesus, who have recognized Him for who He is, the Son of God and the only Savior, and have transferred their trust to Him. The “others” in verse 17 are the “faithful remnant” of Jews who believe in Jesus and accept him as their Messiah.
Who is the root in Romans 11 18? ›
In the flow of this passage, the "root" is likely the patriarchs of Israel who received God's promises. Those roots, and the trunk which now grows from it are what supports these new Gentile Christians. They, the grafted-in branches, do not give life to the rest of the tree.
What does Romans 11 teach us? ›
Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ.
What does Romans Chapter 11 verse 17 mean? ›
He writes that some of the branches of Israel's tree have been broken off. In this context, that seems to mean they have been deliberately pruned away because of their refusal to trust in Christ for salvation. He describes Gentile Christians as being grafted in among the other branches on this metaphorical tree.
What is the sermon on Romans 11 17? ›
Sermon Description
In Romans 11:16–17, Paul provides more evidence of why the rejection of Israel was not final. Israel's stumbling was only temporary and because of their fall, the gentiles have received salvation. Paul explains that Israel's belief will be like coming to life from death.
What do olives symbolize in the Bible? ›
In Christianity the olive branch symbolizes peace and hope based on the story of Noah and the Flood. A dove sent out by Noah returned to him with an olive branch to let him know that the flood waters had abated, and that the Flood of God's judgment was over (Genesis 8:11).
What is the spiritual meaning of the olive? ›
The Olive Branch: a Symbol of Pace (Peace)
Perhaps the most well-known symbolic connotation for the olive is peace. The olive tree, or more specifically an olive branch, is a symbol of peace and friendship dating back to ancient Greek mythology.
What does the olive shoots mean in the Bible? ›
When God compares our children to young olive shoots, he's saying something about our children, our parenting and, most importantly, himself. Olive trees are achingly beautiful with silvery leaves, robust trunks, and lovely fruit (yes, olives are a fruit).
What does Romans 11 18 mean? ›
Salvation of both Jew and Gentile came through the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. This section of Romans does not say that Gentile believers became part of Israel but only that they participated in the blessings of Israel. The olive tree is not the church but the wild branches benefit from the root of the tree.
In the gospel, the righteousness of God is "revealed," in one sense, in that it is given to human beings by their faith in Christ. In other words, God declares human beings to be righteous in His eyes because of their faith.
What is the NLT in Romans 11 18? ›
18But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
Who was Paul speaking to in Romans 11? ›
Here Paul speaks to the entire congregation at Rome, both Jew and Gentile. God's plan includes both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 11:25). He will not lose one of his elect (John 6:37, 39-40, 44; 10:28).
What does Romans 11 16 mean? ›
God set those first Israelites apart as His people. He made them holy in a sense. In that same sense, Paul says, their holiness will determine the ultimate nature of Israel. That's why she must eventually return to a right relationship with God, which now comes through faith in Christ.
What is the lesson from Romans 1 17? ›
When Paul writes in Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God,” those two little words, “of God,” make an enormous difference in how we are to understand what is being taught. This means that this righteousness that we desperately need to find acceptance with God comes from God.
What does the tree represent in Romans 11 17 24? ›
While the majority of scholars would agree that the broken branches represent unbelieving Jews, the wild shoots stand for the Gentiles, and the cultivated olive tree that in the Old Testament represents Israel (Jer. 11:16-17; Hos.
What is the meaning of Romans 11 17 22? ›
He pictures this with an olive tree in Romans 11:17-22. There is a rich, all-supplying root, and that represents the covenant that God made with Abraham. There are branches, some natural—these represent ethnic Jewish people—and some unnatural or wild which are grafted in—these represent Gentiles who believe in Jesus.
What does the olive tree represent in the Bible? ›
In this sense, the olive tree represents Jesus and the cross, and olive oil represents the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to the New Testament Church fifty days later (Acts 2). Note: Jesus prayed in the peaceful and quiet Garden of Gethsemane, which included a grove of olive trees, before going to the cross.
