Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree, do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. (CSB)
Paul reminds the Gentiles of the need for humility in this passage, after spending the earlier part of the chapter acknowledging the position Israel finds itself in with God. The Jews were the original branches of Paul’s metaphorical olive tree, and Paul describes how the unbelieving Jews have been broken off from God. This was a result of their unbelief, but not because God was rejecting Israel fully and forever. If the Gentile audience was feeling prideful in being “grafted in,” (even after everything Paul has already said in Romans!), he reminds them that even in this, there is no room for pride. God’s choice in grafting them in was still God’s choice and God’s work alone.
Not only that, but a wild olive branch could do nothing on its own! It needed to be grafted into a rich and healthy root to sustain itself and thrive. The Gentiles were being grafted into the healthy, believing trunk of Israel. Some commentators consider the root in the metaphor to be the faith of people like Abraham, the other patriarchs, and those believing Jews who came after them. I lean with the other camp: the root is Jesus and the promises of God! The believing Jews make up the healthy tree/trunk we get grafted into.
Whose faith do we benefit from when we decide to follow Jesus and get grafted into the tree of God’s family? Maybe we’re blessed with believing adults in our childhood homes, whom we could model our lives after. Maybe there was someone in the wider circle of the church or community, or someone you met further into your life, who pointed you toward Jesus. More than likely, there was someone who shared the gospel with you, and that’s how you were brought into the olive tree. But even beyond that, once you’re a believer, you still benefit from the support of healthy branches around you. Rough day for the solo branch when high winds, disease, or bugs show up!
Some of you may be thinking, “Sure, someone shared the gospel with me. That’s great. But there were no spiritual influences in childhood, and no one is trying to do it now.” I get that. I see you. Many years ago, we had a former pastor who was preaching on parenting, and he said, “You may have had to build on a broken foundation, but through Christ, if you build well, those that come next won’t experience that. They’ll have a solid foundation to build on.” Now, while he was specifically talking about parenting, I think it’s reasonably accurate for this application: You may not feel like you had a spiritual influence to build on, but you could be that for someone else one day. Maybe today!
You also should not give up on finding that support for yourself. Sometimes, biological families and origin stories aren’t what we would have wanted. But God’s family is full of wise, seasoned saints who could walk alongside you. Sometimes all it takes is an ask. It was once explained to me that you should always pursue having a Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy in your life. This example comes from Paul’s life example and simply means you should have someone a little further along in the journey than you (Paul/mentor), someone in a similar stage (Barnabas/peer), and someone a little behind you (Timothy/mentee) that you do life with. We benefit from all three. Water sources with no inflow and outflow become stagnant. We need both to be healthy!
Wherever you find yourself today, whether grateful for the faith of others you build on or reflecting on what feels like lack, know that we are all richly blessed by the sustaining root of Jesus and the promises of God.
If you’ve had strong spiritual influences:
If you’re still searching for connection:
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