Dear RTB’ers,
I’ve always enjoyed this section of Romans – the grafting in of the Gentiles into the Jewish root, and some of the original branches (Jews) breaking off from the root and then being grafted back in. Each of these types of grafting (in this text) is successful because God can do what God wants to do. Years ago, back in the church where we worshiped in Northern Virginia we heard a sermon from a guest preacher (who I recall was a bishop). His sermon was on this passage and as he spoke he actually demonstrated this grafting process, building his sermon as he performed the grafting. It brought this passage to life!
We, too, were grafted in, as an entire Christian church, beginning on that first Pentecost, when God took those wild branches (the apostles and others in the upper room) and filled them with His Holy Spirit, grafting them fully into the faith of Abraham. And billions more over the years – you and I included! Wild branches grafted onto our Jewish root… Awesome!
What a great passage!
Blessings!