Romans 11
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Read chapter 11 and you will see a lot about branches. Paul used this illustration to show that the Jews are the original branches because God chose them but they rejected his Son. The Gentile branches are grafted in, meaning the gospel is for all people, not just Jews. Just as Paul earlier warned the Jews about feeling superior, he warned the Gentiles to avoid the same tendency. The verse above is Paul’s exclamation of amazement at God’s overarching plan. There is still a plan for the Jews. That is why they are still a people in 2022.
Racism is wrong on many levels. The Bible makes it clear that we are all image-bearers. The inevitable result of racism is to feel superior to other people. One look at the cross should cure racism and anti-semitism. Nobody deserved the cross more than us but Jesus carried it to Calvary. Nobody deserved salvation less than us but Jesus bought it for us with his blood. He commanded us to love our neighbor and pray for enemies. Tough stuff. But Jesus even does that for us in his power. In John 15, he said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Abide in me and you will bear abundant fruit.” Just as an appliance won’t work unless plugged in, we will not love without being connected to Jesus. We can see that the world needs Jesus. Let’s show the world that the branches of Jesus Christ can withstand the storm with love so more branches can be grafted in. Abide in Jesus today!