In Romans 11:17-24 , the Apostle Sha’ul (or Paul, as he is commonly known), speaks about the Gentiles being grafted in. Although I can’t speak for everyone, I will say that a majority of Christian believers have a big misconception about what this really means. Sha’ul was about as clear as one could possibly be about this statement. What needs to be understand is that from the time of Creation, it was always the will of YHVH to have a people for Himself. Sadly enough, things changed just as soon as they were started with the sin in the Garden. As time passed on, mankind drifted further and further from the wil of YHVH. By the time we get to Genesis 6, we find that things were so bad that YHVH was about ready to destroy everything and everyone. Genesis 6 goes on to talk about how in the midst of all of this, that Noach found grace in His eyes. Not long after the flood, we find a new patriarch Abraham, the man in whom YHVH would call to leave the land of his father, to a place that He would lead him. Once there, YHVH made a covenant with him, to make him “a father of many nations”. The goal was to establish a holy people, that would be a light to the other nations, causing them to ultimately want to be a part of them. YHVH ‘s end goal was for there to be “echad” (oneness) with all. This is evident in how YHVH told Moses that there would be “one Torah”, or Torah echad as it is in Hebrew. There was no division or disunity, but rather one standard of living for all. This revelation was lost over the years.
By the time of Roman rule, things had greatly changed. Starting with the Jews (Messianic believers, including Gentiles), not being willing to compromise Torah, the seeds of disunity were planted. I have addressed the affects of Roman rule over the church in past blogs, so I will not re-address this again. Anyway, over the centuries, the rift between the Jews and “Christians” grew and grew, eventually becoming everything that YHVH did NOT want it to become. With so much anti-semitism in the world that we live in today, Jew and Christian mix like oil and water. Most believers today rarely even acknowledge their connection to the Jews. We read from a Bible shrouded in Jewish culture and thought, yet are totally oblivious to it. Many of the translators of the Bible, in an effort to remove all things Jewish, found ways of writing things that made it sound anything but Jewish. When looking at it this way, it’s no wonder so many Christians see things the way they do. I have had some pretty intense conversations with Christians when it came to the Jews. Most have no love at all for them. Most churches even teach whats called a “Replacement Theology”. Replacement Theology is a doctrine that holds that the Church has replaced Israel as YHVH ‘s chosen people. What most people don’t realize is that acceptance of this unbiblical theology implies that YHVH failed to uphold His covenant with Abraham. Furthermore, it become clear that this God whom we hold to be “unchanging”, actually does change. So what are we to think? Did YHVH really break His covenant? If indeed He did, how then can we be sure He won’t break His covenant with us? We definitely have a real dilemma on our hands. So where can we turn for answers?
For this, we need to go back to the Apostle Sha’ul, and his writings. In Romans 11, the Apostle Sha’ul speaks about being “grafted” in. How many of us really understand what it is to be “grafted” in? I can recall hearing this term when I was a member of a Christian church, but I have to admit, I had no clue what it meant, so the revelation behind this concept was lost on me. I have to wonder, how many other people sitting in a “Christian”church could say the same thing as it relates to being “grafted” in? I did a study on what “grafted” in means, as well as watched a few online teachings to gain more insight. Of all the definitions I found, this one really stood out the most. To graft in is to transplant or implant (living tissue, for example) surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part, or compensate for a defect. This definition really brings it home. Many of the Jews refused to accept Yeshua as the Messiah. In fact, the Apostles had a real issue with many of them during their ministry. It was for this reason that Sha’ul decided to take the gospel to the Gentiles. It can be understood that the Jews that opposed the Apostles the most could be considered as the damaged part that needed to be replaced. Because they refused to accept Yeshua, they became damaged, allowing the door to be opened so that something needed to replace them, hence allowing us as Gentiles to become part of the family of Israel. So, if we as Gentiles, who were once NOT a part of the family of Israel, have become a part of them by reason of being grafted in, wouldn’t that mean that everything that was given to Israel is extended to us as well? This is what Sha’ul was saying. He further goes on to say that just because we have been grafted in, don’t think for a moment that we have replaced Israel and their covenant. On the contrary, we are reminded that we are simply a branch, and not the root. Furthermore that we are not to be boastful, but rather grateful that we are a part of them. That being said, if indeed we are a part of Israel, then shouldn’t our views on them as a people be more favorable? Not only that, but if we are a part of Israel, what does that say about Torah, and all of the teachings therein? YHVH did tell Moses that there was “one Torah” for the Jew and the stranger?
