Care should be used in dealing with another man’s illustrations and figures of speech. The language quoted is an illustration of God’s dealings with Jews and Gentiles. Because of unbelief the Jews had been severed from God’s favor; by faith the Gentiles had been brought into union with God. Neither Jew nor Gentile has any special favors from God; the standing of each depends on their faith. That is the point Paul is making, and to make his illustration do service beyond the point illustrated is to do violence to his language.
But what is the olive tree? It is God’s favor. Read the connection. The Hebrews had been in God’s favor all along till they were broken off because of unbelief. Their fall, mentioned in verse 12, is the same thing as this cutting off. But now, to both Jews and Gentiles alike, God’s favor is manifested in Christ, and may be obtained by faith in him.
No people as a nation will or can accept Christ. Any people as a nation must act as an organized government; those in authority determine what shall be done. But no constituted authorities can decide that the nation shall accept Christ; that is an individual matter. But even if a nation could through its proper authorities accept Christ, the Jews could not do so, for they have no one with authority to speak for the whole people on anything.
It is hard for some to see that God totally and finally rejected and destroyed the Jewish nation, but did not irrevocably reject the Jews. Paul gives himself as an example that God had not irrevocably cast off the Jewish people. That he referred to himself as an example shows that he had in mind the Jews as individuals and not as a nation. His case shows that the door of salvation had not been closed against the individual Jew. And his olive-tree illustration shows that he was speaking of the individual Jew and not of the nation. Both Jews and Gentiles were grafted into the same olive tree, and both by the same process. Paul’s conclusion—“and so all Israel shall be saved”—has been greatly perverted. The future-kingdom folks put the emphasis on _all Israel_; Paul put the emphasis on _so_. _So_ is an adverb of manner. He had been showing how the Jews might be saved, and not that the nation would be restored. He had shown that Gentiles were grafted in by faith—saved by faith in Christ. “And so”—in like manner—shall all Israel be saved. Peter had made the same point before the Jerusalem brethren: “But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.” (Acts 15:11.)