Video Transcript
Dr. Wayne Wilks:
We’re in the garden of Gethsemane, and I just want to say a word about the olive tree.
We talked at Nazareth. He shall be called a Nazarene, a Netzer, this root out of Isaiah 11, that will arise from the stump of Jesse. It’s like after all the devastation of the children of Israel there’s going to arise again, a little shoot that will pop up from this stump. I think of many of our lives sometimes, you know, we feel like we’re just a stump. We’ve been cut down to a nub, but God loves to bring shoots up.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious. Isaiah 11:10
Paul gives us a very important doctrine in Romans chapter 11: “for if the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also holy.” It’s like the properties in a part of the dough are the same properties as the whole. So is the same with the root.
“And if the root is holy, the branches are too. 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 do not be arrogant toward the branches. But if you are arrogant, remember that it’s not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.”
Now this olive tree representing Israel, they’re the natural branches. We who are Gentiles have been grafted in, we are partakers of the rich root.
So when we talk about Jewish roots we’re talking about the beloved fathers–Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob– the roots of this great tree, the roots of faith, the Jewish people. And there are some branches, Paul says, that have been broken off and that are lying on the ground. Normal branches that would be off would dry up and die. But somehow the living sap is still in them.
And God is able to miraculously graft them back into their own olive tree, Paul says. And it’s happening!
And there are other branches that have miraculously been grafted in that are not a part of this.
But there are some branches, the natural ones, the messianic community, those are the natural branches that are still on this tree.
He said, listen, this is what the church has done for so long. It’s been so arrogant toward the branches, right? And we forgot our root. I believe we at Gateway Church, I think these are our priorities when we consider the nations. We have a great heart for all people.
We want the wild olive tree to understand the root, but we want to make them healthy, right? We want to be healthy. We want to encourage them in every aspect, not just Jewish roots, but every aspect. Knowing though that the root goes back to the Jewish people. And we also want to stand with the Messianic Jewish community, those natural branches. We want to affirm them.
We want to bless them. We want to make sure that they’re healthy. We want to encourage them, but we also want to show love and compassion to those branches that are on the ground Paul says.
So this is our prayer. We want to pray for the Church in the nations. We want to bless the Messianic Jewish community. We want to bless our friends, the Jewish community that doesn’t yet affirm Yeshua as Messiah. But this is–Paul explains this theology–and I think it’s very important for us to look at this here in the garden.
