What Does it Mean to be a Grafted Branch?        By Drew McKenna

I was recently asked what it means to be a "grafted branch." In a letter to the Jews and Gentiles living in Rome, Paul calls the Gentiles, who have become followers of Jesus, "wild olives" grafted into the "rich root of the olive tree." For those of us with little to no knowledge of agriculture and its cultivation, the metaphor of an olive tree and grafting branches into it is confusing. I grew up in Western Washington State, and the only olives I ever saw came out of a can during special holiday meals in our home. So, quite frankly, the imagery of an Olive Tree and how branches from other trees could be grafted into it was something I really didn't understand.

So what is grafting, and why do it?

"Grafting is the act of placing a portion of one plant (bud or scion) into or on a stem, root, or branch of another (stock)in such a way that a union will be formed and the partners will continue to grow." Encyclopedia Britannica

In the Middle East and the Mediterranean lands, the olive tree, fruit, and oil is a precious commodity. In ancient times olive oil provided light when it was dark, a cleaning agent to remove sweat and dirt from their bodies, and ritual religious purposes. It was considered a symbol of peace and a gift from the gods in Greek culture.

Olive trees were first cultivated in ancient Israel long before Abraham began his journey through the land. As their reputation and value grew, the Greeks and Romans spread this valuable commodity throughout their empires. The Romans mastered the processes of nurturing and grafting the finest varieties producing the richest fruits and oil. Picking a healthy tree growing good fruit, they would graft branches into its trunk, allowing the tree to feed and nourish these foreign branches. A part of this operation included pruning those branches, even the natural ones, which either stopped producing good fruit or had just plain died.

It is essential to know that branches grafted onto a tree do not become the same species or variety as the root tree. They receive nourishment from the rich root allowing them to prosper and grow their own type of fruit.

It is no wonder that Paul would use the imagery of olive trees to describe Israel and his Gentile believers. Unlike myself, who grew up in suburbia, these Roman followers of Jesus understood what he was teaching them. The rich olive tree root is God's promise to Abraham. The natural branches are Israel, and the wild grafted branches are everyone else in the world who chooses to know God, believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and follow Him producing good fruit.

We are "Grafted Branches," people who love God, follow Jesus the Messiah, and are nourished through the rich root of God's promise to Abraham.