Living Life in the Olive Tree By Faith

Olive Grove at Gethsemane

¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 

Romans 11:17–21

I don’t know if you saw, but someone broke off the top of our new tree that we planted in the side yard. Here’s hoping it survives the shock of transplanting and this unintentional pruning, but let’s say it was intentional to remove diseased branches. It just so happened that in my bible reading I came across this passage in Romans that uses broken off branches as an image of judgment. 

Let’s draw this out a little bit. First: what is the olive tree? The olive tree is an image of God’s people. It is almost like the tree of life, it is an image of the source of life. Any branch stuck in the tree is alive. And there is nowhere else to get life. There have been natural branches in the past, but many of them rejected the life the tree gave them. Some other Israelites lived by faith and remained planted in the tree like Abraham and all those who are in the famous hall of faith in Hebrews 12. 

One of the interesting messages of this olive tree in Romans 11 is that it is both an invitation to praise and a warning to stand fast in faith. ‘Do not be arrogant.’ Terry shared a story this week to the staff about when he came to Christ, and he said he thought he was one of God’s big catches of ‘74. There was some humility still to learn, as we all do. It is interesting how our current Christian culture (at least in the news) is one that is pretty full of pride. We all need to learn humility. We don’t support the root of the tree. How ridiculous is that? We are not the source of life for anything. God doesn’t need our service, but he does chose to use us as instruments of grace in others' lives. Instead, it is the root that supports me and you. 

How do we get to participate in this life? We get this life simply through faith. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. You believed God, and it was counted to you as righteousness. So don’t become proud! Instead fear! Wow, this is an astonishing command. The point is that we shouldn't take the life we have in Christ through faith for granted. Instead, we should live with praise. Paul just bursts out in praise all over Romans including at the end of chapter 11: ​​For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36.