“Your people will be my people, and your God my God..." (Ruth 1:16)

Romans 11 says that when all believers from all nations come to Christ, each of them comes to the Jewish Messiah.

When they surrender to the God of Israel, they effectively join the Jewish olive tree. Yes, if they believe in Jesus Christ whom the Bible speaks about and not some pagan “messiah”, then indeed, they join the Jewish olive tree without which they cannot live, for only through the stalk of the Jewish olive tree they can be nourished with the roots and sap of the Savior.

Let me try illustrating this further… The roots represent the Jewish forefathers. The stalk represents the Jewish olive tree. There were many different wild olive trees around the Jewish olive tree. So, what represents the people of all nations who have believed in Jesus Christ?  According to one of the central messages of the New Testament written in the Epistle to the Romans, they are represented by branches that God take from wild olive trees and graft to the Jewish olive tree.

This is not my teaching or the teaching of someone else; it's not even Prophet Isaiah`s teaching, but rather, this is Apostle Paul`s teaching that is written in God's Word. In the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible it is written that the pagans who believed in Christ are grafted in instead of the Jewish branches who did not accept Christ. This is a false translation. There is no word “instead” written in the original text. This is a translation from Russian orthodox priests who were of anti-Semitic attitude. There are correct translations of this scripture in the traditional Catholic and Ukrainian orthodox translations and even in the translations of priests from other churches who did not particularly like Jewish people. Only in Russian Synodal translation do we see this scripture translated incorrectly.  

The original text says: “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others …” – not instead, but among.  Remember that you were cut off from the wild olive tree and were grafted into God`s Jewish olive tree which was not natural for you, and you were not natural for it. Branches were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith only through grace.”

When the Jewish branches will be grafted back, they will be grafted not only by mercy, but also by God`s promise to the Jewish forefathers regarding these roots.

Is it clear now? All nourishment comes from Christ. The olive tree itself is Jewish. Its roots are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God`s Word further says that once you come to truly understand where you began and where are you are now grafted, do not be arrogant, but tremble. Respect the Jewish olive tree to which you were grafted.

adapted from the KJMC Pastor’s Retreat