The Wild and the Cultivated

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE WILD AND THE CULTIVATED

Rom 11:13-21

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; 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 boast over those 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 be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

NIV

How dare we Gentiles even consider being arrogant regarding our being recipients of the grace of God. Paul is telling those first Gentile readers of his letter that God has and will always love his chosen people, Israel. Yes, some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been snipped off. First, we do need to see that Israel is the cultivated olive tree, as God begin their cultivation with his promise to Abraham and has been personally involved in their development so they should produce much fruit. However, because we know of their rejection of his hand upon their lives, many of them were cut off from the natural tree, which Paul says now makes room for us to be grafted in. We are reminded of the words of our Lord when he used the root and the branches illustration to prove that apart from him, we can do nothing. But, on the other hand, because we are grafted in and are growing firming attached to the root, we will then produce much fruit. However, again, we would think that it is not us that produces the fruit, but the Spirit who dwells within us that produces that fruit in our lives. All the source of fruit on any tree comes from the life-giving sap that comes up from the roots. How then can we even think that we are able to produce fruit on our own, plus think that we are better thinkers than the people of Israel? How can we think that because we responded to the prompting of the Spirit and many Jews are still rejecting the message, we are any better than them, or for that matter, better than anyone who has either rejected or has yet to accept the “Good News”. We are but sinners saved by grace, and all peoples of the world have the same opportunity, for God so loved the world. Still, unbelief will result in being cut off from the root, and those dead fruitless branches will be cast into the flames. Therefore, let us always believe God, and always look to Him as the source of all things in our lives, and as he nourishes us, or as we receive nourishment from his word, and through the working of the Spirit within us, people will notice the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and yes, even self-control. As we have seen before and understood before all this fruit the Spirit manifests within us, is not for us, the branch does not benefit by bearing fruit, but it is there for others to come along and pick it from us and enjoy the sweetness of the Fruit of the Spirit. We may have started out being a wild branch grafted into the cultivated olive tree, but we are now part of that tree, fully integrated as one tree. Paul has already told us there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, all are the creation of God, and all can be connected to the root. So now, the wild and the cultivated are one.