G R A F T I N G G E N T I L E S
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
5/3/2014
The faith known as Christianity began in its purest form as originally just a sect of Judaism. The ministry of Yeshua the Messiah was pointedly to the Jewish people of the land of Israel. His outreach and focus was on His brothers in the land, and He appears very careful in the Gospel records on how He dealt with Gentiles. Of course, there was a reason for this. The fulfillment of a divine promise was being set into motion. The witnessing of His students after His own resurrection and subsequent ascension was also geared almost exclusively to Jewish people. For years after His proclamation for His students to go out and make disciples of men, the reach of their witness was limited to those in their own faith of Judaism.
Gentiles coming into the faith of Judaism through the witness about Yeshua became an issue with Simon Peter’s ministry, and even more prominently, with the extensive traveling of the later apostle, Paul. Suddenly, the world was interested in the Hope of Israel. What had for so long been a cultural faith had become one that people from all tribes and nations were desiring to affiliate with in greater numbers. Judaism was seeing an influx of proselytes by the sect of Judaism promoting Yeshua as the realization of the ancient prophecies.
The book of Acts deals largely with the early efforts to spread the Messiah-ship of Yeshua to the Israelites scattered among the nations, and part of the unexpected result of those journeys is the response of true Gentiles who were coming into the faith of the Holy One of Israel and His long-awaited Messiah. The Gentiles who were entering the faith of Judaism with access through the Messiah Yeshua were faced with some challenges by those who held particular, long-standing religious beliefs. The book of Acts records the immediate wall that was attempted to be erected by some sincere, but misguided Jewish believers in Messiah. Specifically, chapter 15 gives the scenario for us, where it says:
Yet, there descended men from Yeehud, and they were teaching unto the brothers that if you are not circumcised in the custom of the Instruction, you are not able to have life. And there was much uproar and disputation for Pawlas and for Barnawa with them. And it was that Pawlas and Barnawa, and others with them, should go up to the missionaries and elders who were in Ureeshlem on account of this question.
(15:1-2)
And also:
Yet, there arose those that believed from the teaching of the Phreeshe’, and they said, “It is proper for them to be circumcised, and command them to keep the Instruction of Mushe.” But the missionaries and the elders assembled together, that they should see about this matter. And when there was much dispute, Shemun arose and said to them, “Men, brothers, you know that from the first days, from my own mouth, Alaha selected that the peoples should hear the Word of the Declaration of Hope, and should believe! And Alaha, who knows that which is in the hearts, witnessed of them, and gave to them the Rukha d’Qudsha, as to us, and not a thing distinguished between us and them, on account that He purified by trust their hearts! And now you, why do you tempt Alaha, as that you place a yoke upon the necks of the students which also neither even our fathers nor we were able to carry?
(15:5-10)
The book of Acts deals largely with the early efforts to spread the Messiah-ship of Yeshua to the Israelites scattered among the nations, and part of the unexpected result of those journeys is the response of true Gentiles who were coming into the faith of the Holy One of Israel and His long-awaited Messiah. The Gentiles who were entering the faith of Judaism with access through the Messiah Yeshua were faced with some challenges by those who held particular, long-standing religious beliefs. The book of Acts records the immediate wall that was attempted to be erected by some sincere, but misguided Jewish believers in Messiah. Specifically, chapter 15 gives the scenario for us, where it says:
Yet, there descended men from Yeehud, and they were teaching unto the brothers that if you are not circumcised in the custom of the Instruction, you are not able to have life. And there was much uproar and disputation for Pawlas and for Barnawa with them. And it was that Pawlas and Barnawa, and others with them, should go up to the missionaries and elders who were in Ureeshlem on account of this question.
(15:1-2)
And also:
Yet, there arose those that believed from the teaching of the Phreeshe’, and they said, “It is proper for them to be circumcised, and command them to keep the Instruction of Mushe.” But the missionaries and the elders assembled together, that they should see about this matter. And when there was much dispute, Shemun arose and said to them, “Men, brothers, you know that from the first days, from my own mouth, Alaha selected that the peoples should hear the Word of the Declaration of Hope, and should believe! And Alaha, who knows that which is in the hearts, witnessed of them, and gave to them the Rukha d’Qudsha, as to us, and not a thing distinguished between us and them, on account that He purified by trust their hearts! And now you, why do you tempt Alaha, as that you place a yoke upon the necks of the students which also neither even our fathers nor we were able to carry?
(15:5-10)
The issue immediately facing Gentiles being brought into the faith of Judaism by the Messiah was the need for circumcision. Devout adherents of the Pharisee sect had also become followers of Yeshua in the days and years after His resurrection. Paul mentions several by name in Colossians 4:10-11. Paul is the most prominent of the Pharisees who believed in Yeshua, but he was by no means the only one. In this particular group of Messianic Pharisees, many of them maintained that circumcision was a necessity for initial faith. They upheld that since it was a covenant mandated upon all males of Israel, a Gentile could not actually be in covenant with the Holy One of Israel if they were still physically uncircumcised. Their argument was based on some valid points, yet they were also missing some valid truths that had to be taken into consideration before making their stand against accepting Gentiles prior to circumcision.
Simon Peter, in his above speech, makes note of these Gentiles who, while yet uncircumcised, had received a pure heart by the Holy Spirit, just as had those Hebrews who came to Messiah. This is an incredible point that he makes, and should not be missed. If the Spirit could purify the hearts of Gentiles without circumcision, then who were these Pharisees to demand circumcision as the all-important need before accepting those whom the Holy One had already accepted? It is a powerful statement that should have silenced them, but did not. The very words of Simon Peter are startlingly-pointed when read from the Aramaic:
And Alaha, who knows that which is in the hearts, witnessed of them, and gave to them the Rukha d’Qudsha, as to us, and not a thing distinguished between us and them, on account that He purified by trust their hearts!
(15:8-9)
Simon Peter, in his above speech, makes note of these Gentiles who, while yet uncircumcised, had received a pure heart by the Holy Spirit, just as had those Hebrews who came to Messiah. This is an incredible point that he makes, and should not be missed. If the Spirit could purify the hearts of Gentiles without circumcision, then who were these Pharisees to demand circumcision as the all-important need before accepting those whom the Holy One had already accepted? It is a powerful statement that should have silenced them, but did not. The very words of Simon Peter are startlingly-pointed when read from the Aramaic:
And Alaha, who knows that which is in the hearts, witnessed of them, and gave to them the Rukha d’Qudsha, as to us, and not a thing distinguished between us and them, on account that He purified by trust their hearts!
(15:8-9)
What Simon Peter does here is launch a biting word play against these men who are not being led by the Spirit in their conclusions of a spiritual matter. The word translated as “distinguished” above is the Aramaic term P'RASH. What is significant about the use of this word? It is essentially the exact same term as the title of the sect of Messianic Pharisees who are demanding of the Gentiles circumcision first, before they will validate their faith in the Holy One and His Messiah.
Peter gets it immediately. He is blessed with the understanding of how the Spirit’s presence in the life of a Gentile trumps any man-made condition. Notice that Peter’s words in verse 10 are that the Pharisees are attempting to place a yoke upon them that was obviously not a commandment of the Holy One! He understands that circumcision as a necessary entry-level requirement is not a commandment given by the Most High, and as such, is a perversion of the intended purpose of circumcision, if applied in that manner.
Paul, being a Pharisee himself, also is seen to fight this battle against those who would push circumcision first, and has to work it out with these other Pharisees whom he references in his letters. His particular take is that circumcision is not a vital necessity for Gentiles coming to Messiah for an excellent and Pharisaic reason, which these other Pharisees weren’t keen enough to realize. Paul, apparently due to his willingness to let the Spirit speak into and beyond his background as a Pharisee, was given the necessary insight to make the connections that spiritual acceptance did not require one to be circumcised first. He goes into his understanding that backs his opponents into a corner in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 4. Using Abraham as an example, he essentially argues that if he was accepted as righteous and covenant-worthy before he had performed the act of circumcision, then so too must it be for Gentiles who are coming to Messiah. If Abraham was himself a Gentile who was called out of the nations to live and worship a peculiar way, then he is no different than the Gentiles who come to the faith through Messiah. That does not mean circumcision will never be a choice they are confronted with performing, but that for being accepted by the Holy One as righteous, circumcision does not enter the picture.
Peter gets it immediately. He is blessed with the understanding of how the Spirit’s presence in the life of a Gentile trumps any man-made condition. Notice that Peter’s words in verse 10 are that the Pharisees are attempting to place a yoke upon them that was obviously not a commandment of the Holy One! He understands that circumcision as a necessary entry-level requirement is not a commandment given by the Most High, and as such, is a perversion of the intended purpose of circumcision, if applied in that manner.
Paul, being a Pharisee himself, also is seen to fight this battle against those who would push circumcision first, and has to work it out with these other Pharisees whom he references in his letters. His particular take is that circumcision is not a vital necessity for Gentiles coming to Messiah for an excellent and Pharisaic reason, which these other Pharisees weren’t keen enough to realize. Paul, apparently due to his willingness to let the Spirit speak into and beyond his background as a Pharisee, was given the necessary insight to make the connections that spiritual acceptance did not require one to be circumcised first. He goes into his understanding that backs his opponents into a corner in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 4. Using Abraham as an example, he essentially argues that if he was accepted as righteous and covenant-worthy before he had performed the act of circumcision, then so too must it be for Gentiles who are coming to Messiah. If Abraham was himself a Gentile who was called out of the nations to live and worship a peculiar way, then he is no different than the Gentiles who come to the faith through Messiah. That does not mean circumcision will never be a choice they are confronted with performing, but that for being accepted by the Holy One as righteous, circumcision does not enter the picture.
Paul goes on in Romans, in the 11th chapter, to develop the concept of the inclusion of the Gentiles with the faithful in Judaism using a concept that his readers would likely be very familiar with: the grafting process in horticulture. Using the concept of grafting wild branches onto a cultivated olive tree, Paul explains that Gentile peoples can be included in the promise made originally to the Patriarchs and their descendants. The image to the left displays one method of grafting. Referring to the widespread rejection of Yeshua by most of his Jewish brothers and the subsequent embracing of Yeshua by many Gentiles, he parallels this to the cutting off of natural branches and the grafting of wild branches in their place.
It is a horrible thought to consider the possibility of being cut out of the kingdom-plan of the Most High. To be added is a wonderful hope, of course, and is a reality found only through placing one’s total trust in Yeshua the Messiah. When complete trust is placed in whom He is and not in self, then a Gentile is added by spiritual engrafting to the tree and is a participant in all the promises. It is a supernatural adoption into the family. This fact abruptly puts an end to the ideas that Gentiles in the church have replaced Israel. Rather, Gentiles are added with Israel to the plan of the Holy One. Only certain branches were removed to allow them to participate in the plan at this moment. There is no true replacement taking place, however, and to assuage that fear, Paul makes an astonishing statement in verses 23-24 that deserves our careful attention:
And they, if they do not abide in the lack of their trust, even they shall be grafted, for Alaha is able to graft them again. For if you, you that are from the olive tree of the wilderness, of which was your nature, were torn off, and were grafted into that which is not your nature - into the good olive tree, how much more shall they, if they are grafted into the olive tree that is of their nature?
This declaration tells us that those who were broken off have the capability to be restored! There is no room for replacement theology or believing that Gentiles solely inhabit a former role that was taken from Israel due to unbelief. Gentile believers in Yeshua are fulfilling a part of the plan that is being worked out by the good pleasure of Him who has every right to perform it as He sees fit, for He is the covenant-maker, and we are parties to that covenant. As participants, we are His people all, and His will shall be done in us as He so desires.
It is a horrible thought to consider the possibility of being cut out of the kingdom-plan of the Most High. To be added is a wonderful hope, of course, and is a reality found only through placing one’s total trust in Yeshua the Messiah. When complete trust is placed in whom He is and not in self, then a Gentile is added by spiritual engrafting to the tree and is a participant in all the promises. It is a supernatural adoption into the family. This fact abruptly puts an end to the ideas that Gentiles in the church have replaced Israel. Rather, Gentiles are added with Israel to the plan of the Holy One. Only certain branches were removed to allow them to participate in the plan at this moment. There is no true replacement taking place, however, and to assuage that fear, Paul makes an astonishing statement in verses 23-24 that deserves our careful attention:
And they, if they do not abide in the lack of their trust, even they shall be grafted, for Alaha is able to graft them again. For if you, you that are from the olive tree of the wilderness, of which was your nature, were torn off, and were grafted into that which is not your nature - into the good olive tree, how much more shall they, if they are grafted into the olive tree that is of their nature?
This declaration tells us that those who were broken off have the capability to be restored! There is no room for replacement theology or believing that Gentiles solely inhabit a former role that was taken from Israel due to unbelief. Gentile believers in Yeshua are fulfilling a part of the plan that is being worked out by the good pleasure of Him who has every right to perform it as He sees fit, for He is the covenant-maker, and we are parties to that covenant. As participants, we are His people all, and His will shall be done in us as He so desires.
How does all of this relate to the apostles rejection of the Pharisees demand that Gentiles be circumcised when entering into the faith of Judaism through the Messiah Yeshua? It is all found in the concept of grafting. Grafting causes the branches grafted into the existing stock to take on the characteristics of the root stock. The image to the right displays another way the grafting process can be performed.
This is a known practice that has been utilized for thousands of years, and was used in the ancient world. Paul speaks of this idea of grafting, and uses a commandment from the Torah, plus his own background in Pharisaism, to bring in the concept of grafting Gentiles into Judaism without mentioning or requiring first the commandment of circumcision. The verse from the Torah he alludes to is that found in Leviticus 19:23-25, which says:
And when you have come unto the land, and have planted every tree from which to eat, then its fruit shall certainly be uncircumcised; three years it shall be uncircumcised for you: it shall not be eaten. And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be consecrated for praise to YHWH. And in the fifth year you shall eat of its fruit, for it shall add to its yield. I am YHWH your Elohim.
The commandment is admittedly strange at first glance, but straightforward; any tree planted by a person in the land of Israel cannot be eaten from for the first four years. Any fruit that might grow from it during the first three years of that time is considered by the Spirit’s decree as uncircumcised. That is a strange concept to many, but the idea is that it is not fit for consumption during the first three years. Scripture uses the term “uncircumcised” to describe that fruit.
Now, Paul was raised in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, who was a ruling teacher in Israel, and over the rabbinical school of Hillel. Paul excelled in his learning more quickly than his schoolmates, and thus we see that he obviously had an incredibly bright intellect. His own letters show this quick wit and sharp logic at work time and again. A major tenet of the rabbinical schools in Israel was the focus on the traditions of the elders, or what is commonly called the “Oral Torah,” and known in this day in its collected written form as the Talmud. It is a vast collection of religious decrees and cultural details about Israel stemming from a couple hundred years before Yeshua, to a couple hundred years after Yeshua. It is expansive, and contains many aspects that are to be outright rejected, as they stand opposed to the Word. However, not all of it is necessarily to be rejected, as some points made are logical and valid, and some are just observances of how things were done in Israel. It is a believer’s duty to be mindful of the leaven, heeding the caution of the Messiah concerning the teachings of the elders, but not reject the various insights outright. Paul would have been intimately familiar with the concepts of the content preserved for us today, and likely have committed long stretches of it to his memory, as was the common practice of his teachers and peers. Given that, there is a passage in the Talmud that speaks about grafting and the content of Leviticus 19:23-25, clarifying a point that the Mishnah had stated, and when properly understood, it sheds light on why Paul chose to bring up the concept of grafting regarding the Gentiles coming to Judaism in Romans 11, after first speaking of how circumcision is not a prerequisite for these particular Gentiles. The passage of interest is found in tractate Sotah 43b, which says:
This is a known practice that has been utilized for thousands of years, and was used in the ancient world. Paul speaks of this idea of grafting, and uses a commandment from the Torah, plus his own background in Pharisaism, to bring in the concept of grafting Gentiles into Judaism without mentioning or requiring first the commandment of circumcision. The verse from the Torah he alludes to is that found in Leviticus 19:23-25, which says:
And when you have come unto the land, and have planted every tree from which to eat, then its fruit shall certainly be uncircumcised; three years it shall be uncircumcised for you: it shall not be eaten. And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be consecrated for praise to YHWH. And in the fifth year you shall eat of its fruit, for it shall add to its yield. I am YHWH your Elohim.
The commandment is admittedly strange at first glance, but straightforward; any tree planted by a person in the land of Israel cannot be eaten from for the first four years. Any fruit that might grow from it during the first three years of that time is considered by the Spirit’s decree as uncircumcised. That is a strange concept to many, but the idea is that it is not fit for consumption during the first three years. Scripture uses the term “uncircumcised” to describe that fruit.
Now, Paul was raised in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, who was a ruling teacher in Israel, and over the rabbinical school of Hillel. Paul excelled in his learning more quickly than his schoolmates, and thus we see that he obviously had an incredibly bright intellect. His own letters show this quick wit and sharp logic at work time and again. A major tenet of the rabbinical schools in Israel was the focus on the traditions of the elders, or what is commonly called the “Oral Torah,” and known in this day in its collected written form as the Talmud. It is a vast collection of religious decrees and cultural details about Israel stemming from a couple hundred years before Yeshua, to a couple hundred years after Yeshua. It is expansive, and contains many aspects that are to be outright rejected, as they stand opposed to the Word. However, not all of it is necessarily to be rejected, as some points made are logical and valid, and some are just observances of how things were done in Israel. It is a believer’s duty to be mindful of the leaven, heeding the caution of the Messiah concerning the teachings of the elders, but not reject the various insights outright. Paul would have been intimately familiar with the concepts of the content preserved for us today, and likely have committed long stretches of it to his memory, as was the common practice of his teachers and peers. Given that, there is a passage in the Talmud that speaks about grafting and the content of Leviticus 19:23-25, clarifying a point that the Mishnah had stated, and when properly understood, it sheds light on why Paul chose to bring up the concept of grafting regarding the Gentiles coming to Judaism in Romans 11, after first speaking of how circumcision is not a prerequisite for these particular Gentiles. The passage of interest is found in tractate Sotah 43b, which says:
Do you see what the man is saying? If you graft a new branch onto a mature tree, that new branch is not subject to the waiting-period of time where it would otherwise be considered “uncircumcised.” Rather, the new branch immediately takes on the acceptable, “circumcised” status of the fruit-bearing tree upon which it has been grafted! A grafted branch immediately adopts the status of the tree of which it has become a part. If it were the other way around, the branch would determine the status of the tree, but Scripture says that the tree determines the status of the branch (see Romans 11:16)! Thus, Paul, after explaining that circumcision is not a prerequisite to Gentile proselytes, brings up the concept of grafting to his audience, and the horticultural ruling preserved in the Talmud is therefore being implied in regards to the spiritual status of the Gentiles; they are co-heirs with the natural branches – they cannot be viewed as uncircumcised by any spiritual respect!
If a Gentile desires, from a correct heart, to obey the Torah and become circumcised, there is no issue, but it is not to be an immediate concern for a Gentile coming into the true faith. Paul very openly and readily had Timothy circumcised in the book of Acts 16:3. The wording of the text actually makes it sound like Paul himself performed the covenant cutting, which would accord with why he later endearingly refers to Timothy as his “son,” as it was the father’s duty to see the son circumcised according to the Word. Therefore, we see Scriptural evidence that circumcision done out of obedience to the Holy One is acceptable, but it is unacceptable if done to please a man or a group.
If a Gentile desires, from a correct heart, to obey the Torah and become circumcised, there is no issue, but it is not to be an immediate concern for a Gentile coming into the true faith. Paul very openly and readily had Timothy circumcised in the book of Acts 16:3. The wording of the text actually makes it sound like Paul himself performed the covenant cutting, which would accord with why he later endearingly refers to Timothy as his “son,” as it was the father’s duty to see the son circumcised according to the Word. Therefore, we see Scriptural evidence that circumcision done out of obedience to the Holy One is acceptable, but it is unacceptable if done to please a man or a group.
Thus, the Gentiles have been grafted into the spiritual olive tree, into the true faith through the Messiah, and in coming to Him, we have a circumcision foremost of the heart, and secondly, as the Spirit should lead individually, also of the flesh. Gentiles experience all the covenant promises and benefits as Israel, whether or not they are initially circumcised in the flesh. We can trust that if the Spirit has accepted wild branches onto the circumcised olive tree, then there is nothing separating us from growing in faith together, bearing fruit that is acceptable and pleasing to the Holy One.
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.