In his letter to the believers in Rome the olive tree is Paul’s chosen metaphor for the covenant family of the God of Israel. We have considered the metaphor itself, so now let us study more fully what Paul wrote in the letter.

A balanced understanding is of great importance here. As we discussed in the previous article, imbalance has contributed to replacement theology and its consequences. Imbalance of other kinds is possible too in our quest to understand the relationship between the Christian Church and Israel.

The God of Israel remembers his Covenant promises to Israel, but these promises are only fulfilled through faith in Jesus the Messiah (Yeshua HaMashiach). There is one way to salvation for both physical descendants of Israel and those called to faith from the Gentile world. This too must be kept in balance.

Romans 11: a picture of the Covenant family

Paul’s letter to the Romans has been held up as his theological masterpiece. In it, he sets down a comprehensive understanding of God’s Covenant community fully and finally revealed in Jesus. In Chapter 11 Paul explores the way God is drawing together his Covenant family from all nations. However, this chapter does not stand alone - we must consider it in relation to the previous chapters of Romans.

The key issue in Paul’s day was a new move of God, whereby Gentiles, through faith in the Son of God, were included in the Covenant family. Chapters 1 to 8 are used by Paul to bring understanding to what God has done through the New Covenant. In chapters 9 to 11, Paul then balances this focus on the Gentiles by exploring God’s continuing purposes for Israel.

In Romans 11, believing Jews and Gentiles are seen as branches of the same body. Paul shows that God had already called many Israelites to faith and also has plans to call others in the future.

The ongoing plan, according to the promises given to Abraham, is that through grace there will be some from every nation in that family and an ongoing inclusion of some from the Tribes of Israel.

God’s timing

Since the time of Jesus there has been a partial blindness on the nation of Israel regarding God’s purposes in and through Jesus the Messiah, yet God still has a plan and a purpose according to all that he has promised. Paul asks:

I say then, have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! (Rom 11:11-12)

Paul sees a door of opportunity for the Gentile world opened by God. He is clear that he has been called as an Apostle to the Gentiles, but the Gospel to the Gentiles is not at the expense for God’s ultimate plan for Israel.

Paul’s ongoing love and concern for his physical family, the biological descendants of Jacob (Israel), is also very clear.

Paul’s ongoing love and concern for his physical family, the biological descendants of Jacob (Israel), is also very clear. He looks forward to the time when God will restore believing branches of Israel to himself, and though branches were cut off like branches cut from a tree, they can be grafted in again.

Believing Gentiles join, not replace, an existing family

Those who have been brought from the Gentile world into the family of God must realise they were brought into an existing family, just as a branch is grafted into an olive tree. They must recognise fully what God has done by their inclusion and not think that they have become a new family. Rather, they are a new part of an old family.

Particularly, by knowing this they must not boast but be aware of their position. They must in all humility understand that God has ongoing plans for the Israel. An implication is that Christian branches can also be cut off unless they are drawing the true life of the olive tree and producing true fruit, becoming what the deep soil and nourishment of Covenant history intended them to be.

Application

When Paul first used the metaphor of the olive tree there were misconceptions about the relationship of the new Christians in Rome to the roots of their faith. This may have been the reason for the clear exposition in his letter to the Romans. Be that as it may, the letter has also been bound into our Bible as a teaching for all generations.

Despite this, however, there has been neglect of chapters 9-11 of Romans (even in some Bible schools), so that the tendency of Christians through the centuries has been to misunderstand the roots of their faith. As a result, issues like the following are often side-lined or poorly understood:

• The Middle Eastern background of Christianity: Christianity developed out of Israel at the time of Jesus, and was founded on the long history that had paved the way to the coming of the Messiah. God’s covenant was made with Abraham; this is the foundation for all who come to the Father through faith in Jesus the Messiah.
• The Hebraic roots of Christianity: The language of Israel was Hebrew and the culture was Hebraic. This context became the foundational setting for the Christian faith. To study the Hebraic nature in the background to Christianity one should study the cultural and historical settings of the patriarchs and the Israelites through Old Testament times, and also study the Hebrew language to gain insights into Hebraic thought processes.
• The influence of Greek culture on the Christian faith: The Gospel went out to the Gentile world in the framework of the Greek language. This encouraged the Hellenisation (Greek emphasis) of the Church and the infiltration of Greek philosophical ideas that in turn caused separation from the true roots of the faith. The more meaningful approach has always been to trace back the Hebraic background to better understand the Gospel message as an invitation to join the Covenant family of God.
• Paul’s Jewish background: Paul came from a Torah-based, Rabbinical community. One should look into both his biblical and cultural roots to see the background from which he conveyed his message to the Gentile world.
• The Gospel call: The Christian Church emerged from a pagan world, but the Gospel message came from the nation of Israel, which was where God had made himself known by revelation. The call was to join God’s Covenant people through faith in the Messiah, not to interpret the Gospel message into the practices of the pagan world.

For Study and Prayer

Read the entire Letter to the Romans and consider the balance of Paul’s message. How might we ensure that we have the balanced perspective on our place in the Covenant family of God?

Next time: We will consider how aspects of ancient Middle Eastern culture help us understand the background to the Bible.

These studies are developed from the course 'Christianity’s Relationship with Israel and the Jews', first prepared for Tishrei Bible School.

What has Christianity got to do with olive trees? Clifford Denton opens up this important metaphor from Romans 11, in this second installment of our series on Christianity's relationship with Israel and the Jews.

In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of an olive tree to teach about God's Covenant family. In the preceding chapters of the Book of Romans, so strong is Paul’s message about inclusion of believers from the Gentile world, that one might consider that the Christian Church has replaced Israel. Hence, from chapters 9 to 11 there is a re-balancing of the picture. This confirms the continuing place of the physical descendants of Israel in the Covenant purposes of God.

Replacement Theology

Replacement Theology is the term that is given to the view that Christians replaced Israel as God’s Covenant People. Replacement Theology teaches that the failure of Israel has resulted in their total rejection - so that God could make a fresh start on a New Covenant plan. This is very subtle and has contributed to the loss of the Church’s deeper identity and an unnecessary rift between Christians and Jews. A study of Romans 11, therefore, helps us in the quest to restore an understanding of the relationship between Israel and the Christian Church.

The Olive Tree in Scripture

The olive tree is a familiar sight in the Middle East and, because of its character, is a very appropriate symbol to teach us about God’s Covenant family.

The first mention of the olive tree is in Genesis 8:11, where a dove brought back an olive leaf to Noah as the floodwaters receded. There are also a number of times when the olive is mentioned as a tree cultivated for its fruit in the Land of Israel (eg Deut 8:8).

It is a tree that has many uses, both every day and sacramental. Olive wood is a hard wood used for construction and ornaments. It was also used for parts of the construction of the Temple of Solomon, and was one of the trees specified for the construction of a Sukkah (Tabernacle) at the Feast of Sukkot at the time of Ezra.

The olive tree is first used as a metaphor in Psalm 52, where David compares himself with it. Prosperity for Israel is often linked to the health of the olive and the goodness of its fruit. The fruitful olive is often used to indicate health and wealth, whether in relation to the family (eg Psalm 128), or to the nation of Judah (as in Jeremiah’s warning, see Jeremiah 11:16). It is an eschatological symbol (that is, a symbol of end-times significance) in Zechariah 4:3 and 11-12. All of these scriptures come before Paul’s the use of the metaphor in Romans 11.

The Olive Tree and God’s Covenant

By using the symbol of the olive tree in Romans 11, Paul shows that the destiny of the faithful of Israel and of the Gentile world is bound together. The Christian Church has emerged from the same background as the faithful remnant from Israel.

The olive tree has some remarkable characteristics that remind us of God’s Covenant family:

• It is not an especially beautiful tree, but has nevertheless received much admiration from artists. Its roots are strong and can survive in a hot, dry climate and in rocky soil.
• Olive trees are well-known for their long life, more so than most fruit trees. Centuries-old olive trees can still bear fruit, and produce tender shoots around their roots.
• The fruit of the olive is either eaten or pressed to make olive oil. It is interesting that the word ‘Gethsemane’, the name of the garden where Jesus went before His betrayal, means ‘olive press’.
• Olive oil has, for thousands of years, been considered a source of wealth. It is useful for cooking, lighting lamps, ceremonial anointing and for medicinal purposes.

We can assume that, in the choice of the olive tree for the metaphor in Romans 11, Paul knew his readers would draw associations between these characteristics. This would help them understand about the root and branches of Israel and the whole Covenant family of God joined together as one body with one heritage, one character and one fruit.

For Study and Prayer: Consider the characteristics of the olive tree and discuss why Paul chose this metaphor to represent the covenant family of all believers.

Next time: Further studies on the olive tree metaphor.

These studies are developed from the course Christianity’s Relationship with Israel and the Jews, first prepared for Tishrei Bible School.