16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,
18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
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V. 16 - “if the root is holy, the branches are too” - Two analogies here: dough and branches. If you take a lump of dough from a batch (“piece”) it will have the same characteristics. When I bake sourdough bread, the levain (a.k.a. sourdough starter) is mixed throughly in the flour and then allowed to bulk ferment. I separate the bulk into two loaves and allow them to proof before baking. Both loaves have all the same characteristics as the main piece of dough. If the starter has gone bad, then the loaves will be bad.
The branches of a grape vine, or an apple tree or olive, or a rose bush are fed from the root. If the root is healthy, the branches can be healthy also. Sometimes hybrid roses are grafted to a more hardy rose root stock. (This may be true for grapes or olives also.) The analogy begins to break down in that the hybrid rose maintains its qualities - the “Betty Boop” or the “April in Paris” grafted roses do not change to the root stock, but are maintained healthy.
V. 17 - “some of the branches were broken off” - Paul is describing a pruning process. One of the ways to get a plant to produce good and plentiful fruit is to cut off non-producing branches. For example, non-determinant tomato plants will grow and grow, producing luxurious foliage. The tomato plant will have better tomatoes if some of these branches are removed so the nutrients are concentrated. God said in Isa. 18:5 He will remove the unproductive branches and tend to the productive branches to bear much fruit.
“you... were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree” - A people, who were not originally His people, will be His people. God will take a branch from a “wild olive” - i.e., Gentiles - and add them to His family tree. We were lost, producing no good fruit. Those who were not His people have been given a new heart, a new nature, and being fed by the Holy root - the power of the Holy Spirit - will be able to produce good fruit.
This is where the analogy doesn’t quite fit - valuable olive, grape or rose branches are grafted to a hardy root stock - whereas we “wild ones” are reborn, given new spirits and new bodies fed by the power of God. We are “partakers of the rich root”. We do not produce good fruit on our own, but only by the grace of God. We are given a new nature, given to us because we accept and believe Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and that new nature receives life from God through the Holy Spirit.
V. 18 - “do not be arrogant toward the branches” - This reminds me of the first “Star Wars” movie. Luke and Han Solo are shooting at tie fighters, and Luke gets exited because he hit one. Han says, “Don’t get cocky kid!” You might ask, “From where would this arrogance come?” The answer is human pride. The Jews, (especially the Sadducees and Pharisees) were extremely proud of their Jewish heritage - they were ‘clean’ and the Gentile sinners were the ‘unwashed’. Christians are not any better than that. Too often, we get to believing that our salvation makes us better than others - non-beleivers. “Look at me! Look at what I’ve done!” We so easily ‘forget’ that it is by God’s mercy that we have been changed, and that not of ourselves. And if you have been a Christian for a significant period of your life, it is too easy feel superior to the faults of newbies. We chuff through our lips and think, “Well, I never… I am glad I am not like them.” By grace you have been saved, and by grace you grow in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who works in you to bring your closer in your relationship with the Lord. It is Christ the Lord who makes it possible for me to follow and act in His teachings.
“the root supports you.” - It is not your doing that brings salvation. It is by God’s grace, and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He did this, not you. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)
V. 19 - “You will say then“ - Continuing with the ‘don’t be arrogant’ theme: you may be tempted to think you are something special because you replaced the Jews. After all, they were rejected and pruned away from the righteous root, and you were added on.
V. 20 - “Quite right” - In that the Jews rejected Jesus, and those people are rejected by God. They are not saved as a result of their unbelief. Neither shall you be saved if you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior.
“you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear” - See Luke 7:50; Eph. 2:8-9. The only reason you can stand and face God at judgment time is that Christ Jesus intercedes for you, claiming you as His own. He has paid the price - God’s justice is satisfied.
Be wary of being conceited about your privileged position.
Too much of our life is infected with irrational fears - agoraphobia, speaking in public, spiders, invasion by outer space aliens, pandemics, ghosts. I think the "fear" is based on a healthy respect for the Lord, and that you might fail in your relationship with Him. “Fear” that your attitude will get between you and your relationship with God. Discipline is not spared because you are a child of God now. See: Heb. 12:9-11; Rev. 3:19. If you do not know Jesus as Lord, and have not accepted Him as your savior, you indeed have reason to truly fear facing Him at eternity - you will be lost. If you are a child of God, then the fear is that you might fail Him in your relationship with Him.
V. 21 - “God did not spare the natural branches” - The Israelites are God’s chosen people. Read Exodus through Malachi. Did God spare them discipline and punishment for their rebellion? What was 38 years wandering through the desert if not discipline? The book of Judges shows a cycle of rebellion, punishment, repentance and salvation. The ten northern tribes were severely disciplined for their rebellion, their pride and arrogance - to the point that only God knows where their descendants are located. Babylon and Rome were also used by God to discipline the Jews.
