Question: Is the Olive Tree of Romans 11:17-24, Israel or the church?
Answer: Paul offered an illustration (vv. 17-24), where he used the metaphor of an olive tree because it allowed him to speak of different parts of a tree and compare them to what he was really talking about. According to verse 17, the natural branches of this tree are the Jews, and the wild branches are the Gentiles: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and did become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree. The olive tree in and of itself is healthy and good. However, some of its natural branches are broken off, and wild branches are grafted in.
In this passage, the olive tree represents neither Israel nor the church but the place of spiritual blessing. The root of this place of blessing is the Abrahamic Covenant. Paul makes the same point that he made in Ephesians 2:11–16 and 3:5–6. By their faith in the Messiah, Gentile believers have become partakers of Jewish spiritual blessings. They have been grafted into this place of blessing and are partaking of its sap. They have been made partakers of Jewish spiritual blessings as contained in the Abrahamic Covenant. Yet, they are not taker-overs.
MBS080 THE THEOLOGY OF ISRAEL: A STUDY OF ROMANS 9, 10 AND 11
By Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum
