It appears that God shows favoritism to the Jews. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we become the “apple of God’s eye” Deuteronomy 32:10, just as the Children of Israel are the apple of God’s eye.

In Romans 11:13-22, the apostle Paul describes God’s anointed community or commonwealth, as an olive tree. The anointed community is the Jews and the Church. It is not just Israel alone because some of the natural branches are broken off, and it is not just the Church alone, as replacement commentaries suggests, because the Christians are grafted unto the tree. It is two nations becoming one with a common allegiance to Jesus Christ. A nation of both Gentiles and Jews.

In Zechariah 4:12-14, we can prove what the olive tree is. Zechariah was given a dream, and an angel was sent to Zechariah to help him interpret the dream. Two olive trees were in the dream and the angle told Zechariah that the two trees were “the two anointed ones, who stands beside the Lord of the whole earth” Zechariah 4:14. Paul, also uses the olive tree to describe God’s anointed ones.

The Gentiles are described by Paul as the “olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated tree” Romans 11:24. The Gentiles were wild by nature, not producing fruit, but due to their belief in Jesus they are grafted into the cultivated tree, the covenant that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The cultivated tree being the Jewish nation, the Children of Israel.

A Fig Tree

The root that supports the tree is Jesus Christ, Romans 11:17. There are many Jews that believe that Jesus is the Messiah, which are the Messianic Jews. Jesus is the common root that supports both the Jew and the Gentile, and it is through that root that Gentiles receive the same blessings that were promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

“If some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree” Romans 11:17 (NKJV).  The branches that were broken off are the Jews that have not accepted Jesus as their Savior. The fatness of the olive tree is the blessings that were given by God to the Children of Israel due to the covenant that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jesus expects of us to help the branches that have been pruned off the tree, the unbelieving Jews, to be grafted back unto the tree, Romans 11:22-23.
It is through the root, Jesus Christ, that we receive our nutritious substance that allows us to produce fruit. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never thirst” John 6:35. Jesus will provide both food and water to the tree so that it will grow and produce fruit. It is our responsibility to evangelize to the cut off branches, the Jews that do not accept Jesus as the Messiah, so that they may be grafted back unto the tree.

A Fig Tree Producing Fruit

As Christians, we must share our fruit, and evangelize to others. Jesus cursed a barren fig tree for not producing fruit in Matthew 21:19-21. The fig tree appeared to be alive because it had leaves on the branches, but it was useless because it did not produce fruit. Jesus rebuked the fig tree and “presently the fig tree withered away” Matthew 21:19. The Greek word for presently is “parachrema” which means instantly, immediately or on the spot. Jesus caused the fig tree to wither on the spot for not producing fruit. Jesus does not expect every Christian to go to Israel and evangelize, but He does expect us to be fruitful by living as an example, and by drawing others to Him.

Yes, God blesses His anointed ones. Everyone that accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord, and Savior will be grafted unto the olive tree, and receive the same blessings promised by God that where promised to the decedents of Abraham.