Grafted (Back) In
When I started rereading the New Testament last summer, I resolved that with each portion I read, I would jot down a single note about the text. The notes could be anything: a surface-level observation, a short prayer, or just a humorous comment on how I’d misunderstood a passage as a kid. The point was not to draft the next in-depth commentary, but to help me focus on Scripture.
This casual notetaking strategy was effective in helping me engage with the Word. Motifs and parallels jumped out at me as I slowly read through the Gospels, Acts, and Romans, writing down my thoughts and observations. One interesting parallel I noticed was between John 15:1–17 and Romans 11:11–24.
John 15:1–17: Vines and Branches
First, let’s consider the context of John 15. The words in this passage were spoken by Jesus to His disciples during the Last Supper. Jesus had already washed the disciples’ feet, warned them He was about to be betrayed (John 13), and promised He would send a Helper – the Holy Spirit – after His departure (John 14). In John 15, Jesus teaches His disciples concerning their relationships with God (vv. 1–11), each other (vv. 12–17), and the world (vv. 18–25).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1–2). In this metaphor, the vine represents Jesus, and the branches represent His Jewish disciples. The verses go on to make several important points about the disciples’ relationship to Jesus:
Jesus is the vine from which the branches grow (John 15:1). It is God who anchors and nurtures the relationship between Himself and His followers.
Jesus chose them to be His disciples and bear fruit (John 15:16). God calls His disciples to salvation; they do not choose Him.
Bearing fruit is the mark of a true disciple (John 15:8). This implies that it’s not always straightforward to determine who is genuinely serving God – as evidenced by the disciples’ lack of suspicion of Judas. Proof of true discipleship is not necessarily found in what they say or how they live, but the fruit produced through their faithful dependence on God.
All fruit is from God, and only branches connected to the vine can bear fruit (John 15:4–5, 16). Any spiritual fruit born of the disciples’ ministry is brought about by God through reliance on Him.
Any branches that do not bear fruit will be cut off (John 15:2, 6). Lack of fruit is a sign that someone is not truly abiding in God, and those who do not abide in Him are not His. The disciples were evidently shocked when Judas betrayed Jesus, but looking back later, they must have recognized the lack of fruit in Judas’ life.
Romans 11:11–24: Olive Branches
Romans was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome. In the chapters preceding Romans 11, Paul expresses his deep concern for his Jewish brethren (Romans 9), emphasizes that salvation is by faith, not by Mosaic Law (Romans 10); and asserts that God has not rejected the Jewish people, but has allowed them to stumble so that Gentiles may come to faith (Romans 11).
Starting in verse 11, Paul discusses the dynamic between Gentile believers (the “wild branches”), Jewish people (the “natural branches), and Jesus (the “root”). Paul’s metaphor of an olive tree contains some striking parallels with Jesus’ metaphor of the vine.
Just as John 15:1 describes Jesus as the vine, Paul calls Jesus the root from which the natural branches grow – and the natural branches are the Jewish people (Romans 11:16).
Just as Jesus invites the branches to remain in Him (John 15:4–5), Paul teaches that the branches are supported by the root, i.e., God’s promise to bless the world through Abraham, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus (Romans 11:18).
Jesus warns that fruitless branches will be removed from the vine (John 15:2, 6); Paul notes that the natural branches can be broken off through unbelief (Romans 11:19–20).
Paul also expands the metaphor to illustrate how believing Gentiles fit in with God’s plan of salvation.
Paul characterizes Gentiles as wild olive branches (Romans 11:17). Though not the natural offspring of the root, these wild branches can be grafted in among the natural branches.
Faith secures each branch its place on the root (Romans 11:19–20). By faith, wild branches are grafted in; through unbelief, natural branches are broken off (Romans 11:19–20).
Branches that were cut off can be grafted back in (Romans 11:23–24). It is belief in Jesus, not one’s status as Jewish or Gentile, that gives one a place on the root. Jewish and Gentile unbelievers alike are cut off from salvation. But just as the wild branches can be grafted in, so the broken-off branches can be restored to their natural place by faith.
Paul warns the grafted-in branches not to show arrogance toward the natural branches (Romans 11:18). Lest they show disdain for unbelieving Jewish people, Paul reminds the wild branches that their very faith is a gift of God, and not to their own credit – and God is just as ready to extend the gift of salvation to the broken-off branches, if they are willing to believe.
Conclusion
Whether we are born natural branches (Jewish) or wild branches (Gentile), all of us began life in need of grafting. Praise be to God for granting us the faith to be grafted into the root and for bringing spiritual fruit out of our lives. Praise Him for including us in His work of restoring the natural branches to the vine!
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Written by Miriam, Life in Messiah Communications Coordinator
How are you bearing fruit? Thank God for the ways He is working through you!
Is God prompting you to reach out to the “natural branches” in your community? Visit our Jewish evangelism page to learn how.
Want to dive deeper into Romans 11? Check out this podcast.