When we read the Bible, it is easy for us to understand and even experience those things which fit our natural concept. If, for example, we read about how our environment perfects us, how tribulations make us patient, we can easily accept such a thought and apply it in our living.
It is another matter, however, when we come to the matter of God and man being organically mingled, as in grafting. We may feel we understand that we need to live such a grafted life, but when it actually comes down to our everyday experience, the truth is that we have not touched even the border of such a life.
In a recent meeting when the saints were sharing their experiences, I noticed that one after another testified that tribulation pressed them to experience the Lord. Some felt persecuted at home; others, at work. As I listened, I thought how easy it is to know tribulation, but how hard to know life. Yes, tribulation forces us to contact the Lord, but what is the result of contacting the Lord?
You may protest that it was I who taught you to accept your circumstances as the arrangement of the Lord. It is true that I preached a good number of messages telling you that all things work together for good, according to Romans 8:28. However, since 1961 I have been preaching mainly about the Spirit. How much of this have you taken in? The persecution of the environment we can easily comprehend, but the matter of the Spirit eludes us.
Consider our previous message on the grafted life. You may have been impressed while you were reading it, but before too long, you began to consider in your mind. You remembered learning that in grafting the better branch is grafted to an inferior tree. Why did the message say that the poorer branch is grafted to a good tree? All your inspiration about the Lord and you being grafted into one life fades away, and your mind continues its thoughts: Romans 11 is talking about the nations being grafted to the nation of Israel; it is not about our being grafted to the Lord Jesus. By all this activity in your mind, the message is made void.
What Romans 11 says is that the wild olive branch has been grafted to the good olive tree, and that its root is supporting the wild branch. The Bible is contrary to your thought. The good branch is not the Lord Jesus grafted into the inferior tree. In that case, we would be upholding Him, instead of His upholding us. The thought is that we as the inferior branches are grafted into Him. He is the true vine, but we as the branches have not grown naturally on His vine. We have been grafted into it.
Romans 11 primarily refers to the natural Israel. However, Christ is joined to Israel, and He is the true Israel (see Isa. 49:1-4). All Israelites can become the real Israel by being grafted into Him. Hence, this olive tree in Romans 11 may also refer to Christ. All true believers among both Jews and Gentiles are grafted to this olive tree, so that it includes Christ and all His believers.
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