Wild and Unbelieving Branches

When it comes to the people of God, who are we talking about when we say this? It is commonly divided or coincided with Israel and the Church. Israel is a nation and they are a people and they are God's chosen people. This is an important detail to remember and not an easy one if you want to cast it aside.

It may seem odd that some would speak of Israel as not being the ones who get God's promises and that the Kingdom no longer belongs to them. This is an extreme treatment of the textual evidence where there is a answer to it that some either gloss over or ignore. Although scripture clearly speaks of Israel losing their place, one ought to be cautious before they make a foolish and unbiblical statement. An example of this evidence is Jesus' parable of the Tenants, which can be found in the Gospel of Mark in chapter 12.

The Tenants are those who were paid by the owner to tend to a vineyard. We are given this description in Jesus' parable's opening. While the owner is in another country and when the proper season comes, the owner sends a servant to the vineyard to get some of its fruit, but the tenants beat the servant and send him on his way empty-handed.

The owner sends another, who the Tenants beat and treat shamefully.

He sends another, this servant the Tenants kill.

This is the outcome of many more servants that the owner sends to the vineyard.

Now the owner would be getting a bit frustrated with these Tenants he left to tend to his vineyard and their disrespect to the owner's servants; thus their disrespect to him. The owner has but one servant left, "a beloved son." (v.6).

The owner sends his son to the Tenants, saying that his son will be respected as he is as much in charge as he is. But the Tenants did not respect the owner's son, they instead conspired to kill him and take the inheritance for themselves. They did just that, they took the owner's son, killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

"What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others." (v.9).

A parable is meant to reveal and to conceal and are often directed toward the religious leaders of Jesus' day: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. We are told at the end of the parable that they wanted to arrest Jesus, but feared the people and left to get away.

What is the meaning of this parable? It is such: The people of Israel were left the vineyard, they were to keep it and they did, but they kept it selfishly. They beat and killed God's prophets, then they rejected and crucified His son... the vineyard... it was given to others.

Paul writes of this in his Epistle to the Romans. Paul was Jewish and he was the Apostle to the Gentiles and gives clear words about this subject. In Romans 11 in the ESV...

We are told, "if the dough offered as first-fruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches." (v.16).

Most believers today come from a Gentile background. The Gentiles for most of world's history were considered to be outside of God's promises, at least from the people of Israel's standards during the time of Jesus. Yet in Acts 10, we have something magnificent happening. The Gospel is being preached to the Gentiles and the rest is history.

It is important to remember that we were once a branch from a wild olive tree and God took it and grafted it to a cultivated olive tree. We were once wild and nourished by the world's root, which was anything but; now we have been grafted to the cultivated olive tree and are nourished by its root. A far better root. We are told to not be, "arrogant toward the branches." (v.18). Further explained in the same verse that it is not us that supports the root, but it is the root that supports us.

Paul often counters his own statements with questions that he could anticipate to come out of our mouths. "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." (v.19). Paul says that this is true, but they were broken off for their unbelief and that "you stand fast through faith." (v.20) we are not to become proud, but instead we are to fear.

We are told to fear, as the reality of the situation must be on our minds. We came from a wild olive tree, thus we were a wild branch. The Jews that rejected Jesus were the natural branches, but because of their unbelief they were removed; they were the unbelieving branches. "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you." (v.21).

Paul calls us to think about the kindness and severity of God. His severity toward those who have fallen, and His kindness toward us. We must continue in God's kindness, lest we be cut off.

Is this the end for the unbelieving branches who were removed? No, Paul writes that if those who were in unbelief do not continue in it, but turn away from their unbelief. God will graft them back into the olive tree for He has the power to do so.

Israel has a partial hardening and that hardening will be there till the fullness of the Gentiles has come. God's gifts and His calling are irrevocable, as once we were disobedient and were given mercy so too will they be disobedient so they may receive mercy.

Is this evidence for once saved always saved? No, this is evidence of God's sovereignty and His will for his chosen people, all for His good pleasure and to show His glory, as all glory be to God.

Whether we be a wild or a unbelieving branch, it is God's grace and mercy that takes us from what was a wild olive tree and grafts us into a cultivated olive tree and returns a once cut off branch to be grafted back to their own olive tree.

Why then was Israel cut off in the first place? Paul tells us that it is through their trespass that salvation has come to the Gentiles, "so as to make Israel jealous" (v.11). Verse 12 speaks of Israel's trespass brought riches to the world, and if their failure meant riches to the Gentiles how much more will their full inclusion mean. Israel will come back to the fold after the fullness of Gentiles as written above. What fantastic times it will be when all of Israel comes to believe in Christ. Paul mentions this in verse 15, "For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?"

The grandness of scope of this passage of scripture is overwhelming with its implications, but let us conclude with this matter of the holy root. The holy root is Christ as verse 16 states that if the root is holy, then so are the branches. We are not holy, but we believers are called to holiness, be holy as our Lord God is holy. This is an impossible task for sinners, but by the life, work, and death of Jesus Christ it is now possible. For He was also raised from the dead, and we are saved by Him and through Him, it is by His righteousness and perfect works that we are able to even stand before the Father and be accepted into His kingdom.

We are the branches to the olive tree and our olive tree is holy, thus we are holy.