Wayne Weekly “Broken Branches…”

I was excited. My vegetable garden had produced its first crop of pick-able sweet green peppers. I had five of those beauties dangling off the plants with the promise of lots more as indicated by little white buds amongst its greenery. I have a bumper crop of tomatoes coming along too, still in various sizes and all green, but nevertheless a promise of delicious things to come. Cukes and some squash…we got ‘em!

I had my daughter check out when the peppers would be ready to harvest. The report confirmed what I had hoped…”ready”. So out to the garden I went, my hands already it their grasping mode. “Yes”, I said to myself, “that one looks just right to be the first to pick!”

Now, I’m not much of a farmer. Sure, I’ve had a few tomato plants under my belt in the past, but not often. This year was different. I wanted to be successful in my home gardening venture. In the spring I tilled the weeded soil of last year’s not so successful, scantily planted garden.  This year I added fresh fertilized soil and racked and hoed until any vegetable would be proud to be planted and call my garden “home”. I faithfully watered and pulled weeds and watched daily as the plants matured and began bearing its joyfully anticipated fruit.

Yes, today was the day. I reached down and grabbed the shiny green pepper and pulled with a slight twist. “Snap”. I looked in amazement as it was not the stem of the pepper that gave way, but an adjoining pepper branch chock filled with those infant baby peppers. I counted ten hopefuls, now never to be in my salad. No one told me that pepper branches are so tender and pepper stems are so, well…attached! I quickly learned. I am becoming a real farmer, or maybe a vegetable garden grower anyway.

I can think of how blessed we are as believers in Christ Jesus, being “wild olive” branches that are grafted onto the cultivated olive tree. I also am saddened by those natural branches, the Jewish people, who were not spared but broken off due to unbelief. The good news though, “for God is able to graft them in again”. Pray for those people of the natural branch and their country Israel. Pray that they will recognize their Messiah. And remember to thank the Lord God that we being the “wild” ones, were shown grace and mercy and grafted into the “rich root”, Jesus.

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. ¹⁹You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰Quite 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. ²² Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. ²³ And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?                                                         

Romans 11.