December, 2018
now browsing by month
To Be Grafted In
The Israelites or Jews were God’s chosen people and remain that way. The Gentiles would be inclusive of all the other races and nationalities put together.
In Isaiah 5:1-7, God spoke through Isaiah the prophet suggesting that the Israelite nation was His vineyard and that the Jewish people was His choicest vines. So in this text we see where God gave to His people the very best, expecting them to bring forth good grapes, but instead they brought forth wild grapes. God’s action therefore was, and will be to remove the hedge (protection) from around the vineyard (His people) and allow it to be eaten up and trampled down.
Jesus tells us in St.John 15:1-8 that He is the true vine and that God the Father is the Husbandman (farmer). Verse 2 says that God purgeth (prune) every branch that beareth fruit that it may bring forth more fruit and in verses 6-8 Jesus tells us that if we are a non producing branch, we are cut off and burnt.
Paul explains in Romans 11:16-24 that some of the branches (Jews) were broken off the olive tree so that the wild olive tree (Gentiles) could be grafted in amongst them. So it is because of the unbelief of some Jews why the Gentiles was presented with the glorious opportunity of redemption. The Jews however will be grafted in again, if they remain not in unbelief (verse 23). Also see Zechariah 13:1, Romans 11:25-27.
To put things in a little better perspective I will explain basically how grafting is done. a) Rootstock:- it is important to select a proper rootstock (tree to be grafted onto) which has to be sturdy, disease free and from the same family of plants. So for example, orange, tangerine, lime etc. can be grafted on each other. You could also graft one or more different varity of citrus on the same rootstock. b) a bud(s) is then selected to be grafted onto the rootstock. These buds are to be healthy and just at the point where new growth is about to take place. The new buds will grow and bear fruit of the same kind as the tree where it was taken from. The rootstock is there primarily to support the growth of the new buds. New branches will sometimes appear from below where the bud has been grafted on. These must be cut off so as to avoid them crowding out the grafted buds and causing them to die. These branches that grow from the rootstock are called gormandisers.
Jesus is therefore the rootstock (the vine or the olive tree) with the Jews and Gentiles being grafted unto Him. Both Jews and Gentiles are expected to produce for the kingdom of God but after there own kind. None of these should really try to be the other and I don’t believe there is a need to. It is possible for both Jews and Gentiles to become joint heirs of Jesus Christ.
B.C. 28-12-2018.