the Skin Graft

What an amazing process is horticultural grafting! 

Part of one plant is joined into the stem, branch or rootstock of a different plant, in such a way that a union is formed and both plants grow together! Fruit trees and roses are commonly propagated this way, and I expect there are numerous other examples. 

Getting back to your roots:

I became fascinated with the process of grafting while I was reading Romans 11:16-21. The Apostle Paul had written to the Messianic Jewish and Gentile congregations in Rome because of conflicts between their beliefs.

The Jews would not accept Gentile believers as members of the Jewish community if they did not convert to Judaism.

The Gentiles developed an arrogant supposition that God had abandoned His Jewish nation Israel, in favour of a new Gentile-only covenant. We recognise this as early anti-Semitism against the Jewish people, which has infiltrated Christianity for thousands of years. 

But in his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote about grafting. Essentially, Paul was saying that if the rootstock (referring to Israel) is holy, so are the branches, but when a wild branch (referring to the Gentiles) is grafted in, then both branches (the holy and the wild) become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree. His analogy using the olive tree wasn't lost on the Jews - for they knew their Hebrew heritage was symbolised as God's Olive Tree. "The Lord called your name Green Olive Tree, lovely and of good fruit." (Jeremiah 11:16) "With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, and its branches are broken."

Paul went further with his horticultural example:

He warned the Jews they were in danger of being 'broken off branches' if they stopped trusting in their Messiah.

And Paul warned the Gentiles that their arrogance could result in also being 'broken off branches'. 

"Don't boast as if you are better than the Jewish branches! Remember that you are not supporting the root - the root is supporting you!" (Romans 11:18)

The prophet Isaiah wrote (ch.10:33) that the Lord God would lop off branches with terrible violence! But in ch.11:1 Isaiah prophesied that a branch would emerge from the trunk of Jesse. Who was Jesse? The genealogy of Jesus, beginning with Abraham, includes Jesse - the father of David the king. Jesus the Messiah is described in Matthew 1:1 "son of David, son of Abraham". The heritage of Israel's holy family tree is deeply rooted in Jewish history!

As I pondered over Paul's letter to both Jews and Gentiles, I realised afresh how precious is our heritage as Christians knowing we aren't a whole new wild tree, but we are grafted into God's green olive tree - the nation Israel, our faith grown upon Jewish rootstock, into a strong new branch!

You're not surprised then, that Jesus talked about grafting too!

John 15:1-2 records Jesus, "I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch which is part of me but fails to bear fruit, He cuts off; and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, so that it may bear more fruit." 

The picture of a sturdy base trunk, healthy shoots grafted into the grapevine, training the branches up onto trellises, pruning - and an abundant grape harvest is a striking image of our life in Christ, united in Him and growing in Him. 

Apart from Him we are unable to put forth fruit by ourselves.

Jesus connected Wine to the Vine

When Jesus shared bread and wine at the Passover meal before His betrayal and execution, He blessed the wine as a sign that "This is My blood which ratifies the New Covenant."  (Mark 14:24) His blood was shed on behalf of many, so that we may have our sins forgiven.

But here is the reason I'm writing all this:

As evening was approaching and Jesus had died on the cross, a Judean named Joseph asked Governor Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus to be taken down since the following day was Sabbath, the 7th day, a holy day of rest. The bodies could not remain hanging after dark. (Deuteronomy 21:23)

"When the soldiers came to Jesus, He was already dead. One grabbed a spear and stabbed Jesus' side and at once blood and water flowed out." (John 19:34)

Have you ever had a skin graft?

I have... twice... small grafts, and although immediately after surgery they looked gruesome, never-the-less the grafts succeeded.

Healthy skin without its own blood supply is transplanted over a wound, and healing relies completely on nutrients from the wound. The blood supply in the wound supports the life of the new graft because the graft of skin is bound into and over the wound.

After Jesus rose from death and appeared to His disciples, He showed them the wounds in His hands, feet and side. He said to Thomas, who is known as the one who doubted, "Put your finger here, look at My hands, take your hand and put it into My side. Don't be lacking in trust, but have trust!" (John 20:27)

By trusting, you can be 'grafted' into the bleeding wound in Jesus' side! He BINDS you in there, so HIS Righteous Blood supports you with HIS NEW LIFE.

Have trust! Believe and be grafted in His body - the Body of Christ! 

~ ~ ~

Scriptural quotations taken from the Spirit-Filled Life Bible

The Holy Bible. New King James Version

Copyright © 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible

Copyright © 1998 and 2016 by David H Stern

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.