Grafted In

by Dorothy Teague

There’s a popular show on one of the streaming services about a young orphan girl who is eventually adopted into a family of an older brother and sister. The transition period is difficult because their personalities are so different from each other. The adults are hard-working, no nonsense, conservative farmers. The girl, on the other hand,

has a vivid imagination, talks non-stop, and uses fifty cent words that they’ve never heard of. Her coloring, mannerisms, speech, and personality are totally different from the norm of that time period. She is constantly getting into trouble and feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. But, over time, they grow to love one another and meld into a family, and the family name is given to her.

In farming, there is a method called “grafting,” where one kind of “scion” (bud or shoot) is grafted into the “rootstock” of another tree. This is done to propagate a new kind of fruit on the tree. The same can be said of the grafting in of the Gentiles. While there were many Jews who were saved during the early preaching, God’s chosen people, Israel, as a nation, rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Because of their unbelief, the gospel was preached to the Gentile nation. In Romans 11:19, Paul is speaking to a group of both Gentiles and Jews and states, “Then you will say, Branches were broken off, so that I might be grafted in.” Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you be Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Jews and Gentiles alike are fellow heirs in Christ because of His sacrifice, both covered by His blood. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Because of God’s grace and mercy, all who will receive Christ as their Savior and Lord, get to be part of the family of God. In essence, we, the Gentiles, are the adopted children of God. We are the wild olive shoot grafted into the Davidic tree of Israel. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away, behold all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The family name has been given to us. We are the children of God!

About The Author

Dorothy Teague is a Tennessee native, who resides in McMinn County with her husband, Lewis, on their farm. After completing 31.5 years as a teacher in the Bradley County School System, she is active in her church at Eastanallee Baptist Church where she is a member of the choir and praise team.