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One of my lifelong passions is gardening and small scale farming . . . the organic way. It started one day as a child in grade school, when our teacher exposed to the miracle of life, as we watched bean seeds that we previously planted in cutoff milk cartons, burst to life and reach for the life-giving rays of the sun. What a miracle this was! From that experience on, , I became keenly aware of the tomato plants my father grew in the yard, and the assortment of vegetables in the large plot tilled by our next door neighbor in Brooklyn. Eventually, my passion to grow things, and for a simple, get-back-to nature life-style lead me from my backyard garden plot, to my own mini-farm in upstate NY. , complete with barn, cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys, and a huge garden. I read and studied many books and publications on the subject, and was always fascinated by the technique of “grafting”!
“Grafting” seems to go against all of the natural rules of nature, where one kind is unique to it’s own species. Yet, we can see several different types of fruit grow on a single tree., and see trees that usually grow very tall, become “dwarf” varieties, unfound in nature, all as the result of “grafting”.
In Romans, Chapter 11, we read about another type of grafting that was done by no other than mankind’s master gardener, Messiah! He also created something that was unfound in the natural order of things! The Apostle Paul taught this: “ If some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear. Romans 11: 17-20.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) uses the analogy of the gardeners grafting process on a Fig tree, to describe the relationship that God has caused to take place between the Jews, His Chosen People, and the Gentiles, who had no previous knowledge or affinity for the God of Israel. This “word picture” Paul painted, describes the Jews as being “broken branches”, cut from the stock of the tree that gave them life, with the Gentiles being branches of the wild Olive tree that become grafted in.
In the actual physical process of grafting, the horticulturist must remove a small, thriving branch from the tree stock by cutting deeply into the trunk in a prescribed manner. He would then cut the end of the young, tender branch, in such a way that it fits tightly into the space cut previously into the tree stock. They are then sealed with wax and bound tightly. If the procedure was done properly, the tree stock would provide the branch grafted in with everything it needs to prosper and grow. The branch would be entirely dependent upon the stock it was grafted into, for it’s life-giving sustenance, yet, it would retain it’s individual characteristics and uniqueness. For example, if the branch of a Red Delicious Apple tree was grafted onto the stock of a Yellow Delicious tree, the two separate varieties remain as two separate varieties, both fully dependent on the trunk and roots.
God cut deeply into the “stock of Israel” when he cutoff the natural branches (the Jews) because of their unbelief, so that the unnatural branches (the Gentiles) could be grafted in. Just as the “yellow apple tree” never becomes a “red apple tree”, the “stock of Israel” never becomes Gentile, even though the Gentiles were grafted in. It is God’s intention for Jews to remain Jews, and Gentiles to remain Gentiles, even though we are nurtured by the same “stock” . . . Israel’s Messiah!
Unfortunately, among the Gentile churches of today, there is little recognition given to the “Jewish stock” that we have been grafted into, that was, and remains the source of our spiritual nurturing. Sadly, the churches act as if they have become the “natural branches”, replacing the “broken branches”. that Messiah pruned for a season. Of course many churches profess to believe Romans 11, however, they fail to demonstrate it by their actions and works, expecting Jews that come to faith in their own Messiah, to suddenly become, and start living like Gentiles.
Paul went on to say this, “For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree.” Romans 11:24
Just as grafting branches from one tree to another is “contrary to nature”, so was it contrary to Jewish practice and law, that Jews and Gentiles be grafted together. This was a graft that only God could have pulled off! Jews and Gentiles were as far apart as a natural olive tree, and a wild olive tree, yet, after being spiritually grafted together, they broke down the “middle wall of partition” and became a “new creation”. Or did they?
From all appearances, the “church” has rebuilt the “middle wall of partition” that Messiah Jesus came to tear down. We need to heed the admonition of Romans 11:24 . The task of grafting the natural branches back into their own olive tree has been assigned to the Gentiles. This raises the alarming question, “why are the Gentile churches not grafting the natural branches (the Jews) back into the “stock of Israel” from wence they came? Why have the “wild olive branches” (the Gentile Churches) gone to great lengths to remove all traces of the “good olive tree” (the Jewish roots of our faith), to the point that the natural branches CANNOT BE GRAFTED BACK IN! In our arrogance, we seem to have forgotten where we came from! We act as if we are the “natural branches”, and turn a deaf ear to the cries of the Children of Israel who still seek and need their Messiah.
As we rapidly approach the end of the “Time of the Gentiles”, and eagerly await the soon return of Messiah Jesus, many small groups of believers have taken upon themselves the obligation to help graft the “natural branches” back into their own Olive Tree.
“The Lion’s Tribe” , an outreach of Shiloh-Ministries, is one of these small groups eager to heed God’s call to His people Israel. We encourage you to become active in our ministry, and/or get together with other Believers for the purpose of sharing the good news about Messiah with your Jewish friends and neighbors.
We currently meet the second Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at “Samantha’s Lil Bit of Heaven”, Larkfield Rd., East Northport, and 7:00 PM. We invite you to join us for a “Night of Messianic Fellowship” featuring “live” Messianic praise music, a time of praising the Lord for what He is doing in our lives today, a time of teaching from a Jewish perspective, a time of prayer, fellowship and refreshments. All invited, and children welcomed! “Come Out - You Can Make A Difference!
Please visit our website at: www.shiloh-ministries.org
Shalom, in the name of the Prince of Peace,
Ron Cusano
“The Lion’s Tribe”
Shiloh Ministries
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