The Olive Tree Family: Understanding God’s Big Story (Romans 11 Explained for Families)

When we read the Bible with our children, sometimes the big picture can feel hard to explain. Over the years, I’ve learned not to shy away from sharing big biblical truths with my children. Children are often more capable than we give them credit for. They were created by God, and His story resonates in their hearts in ways that can be deeply beautiful when we invite them to explore it.

There are many stories, many people, and many promises that stretch across generations as we read our Bibles. In Romans 11, the apostle Paul gives us a beautiful picture that helps us understand how it all connects.

Romans 11

He describes God’s family as an olive tree.

At first glance, that might seem like an unusual comparison. But when we slow down and look closer, the olive tree becomes one of the most powerful pictures of God’s plan in all of Scripture.

Jeremiah 11:16a "The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit."

The Roots of the Tree

Every tree begins with roots.

The root system of an olive tree is incredibly strong and resilient. First, the roots grow deep beneath the surface, anchoring the tree and drawing up the life it needs to grow. These deep roots provide stability, helping the tree withstand storms and seasons of drought. Every branch depends on the strength of those roots.

But olive trees also have a second kind of root system. Alongside the deep anchor roots, olive trees grow wide-spreading surface roots that reach outward through the soil. These roots gather nutrients and water from a broader area and help support the growing branches above. Together, the deep roots and spreading roots work to sustain the entire tree.

The roots of God’s olive tree are His promises. Long ago, God made a covenant with Abraham. He promised that Abraham’s family would grow into a great nation and that all nations of the earth would be blessed through him. Those promises became the foundation of God’s family tree. The roots represent God’s faithfulness — the truth that everything He promises, He fulfills.

Genesis 12:2–3 God’s covenant with Abraham becomes the root of the olive tree.

The Branches of the Tree

Branches grow from the roots.

In the Bible, the first branches were the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through them, God revealed His Word, His laws, His prophets, and ultimately the Savior. Generation after generation, the tree continued to grow. But Paul explains that something surprising happened. Some branches were broken off because they stopped believing God’s promises.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”

Jeremiah 11:16–17

“But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.”

New Branches Grafted In

This is where the story becomes incredibly hopeful.

Paul explains that God began grafting in new branches — people from every nation who believe in Jesus. Just like a gardener can take a branch from one tree and attach it to another, God welcomes people from all backgrounds into His family through faith.

That means the olive tree keeps growing.

Unlike the ancient process of an olive gardener, who would typically graft a branch from a cultivated tree into a wild tree to improve the fruit, God reverses the process. In Romans 11, He grafts the wild branch into the cultivated tree. Through faith in Jesus, people who were once outside of God’s covenant family are welcomed into the rich root of His promises. What would seem unusual—or even unnatural—in a garden becomes a beautiful picture of God’s grace, bringing new branches into His family tree and allowing them to share in the life that flows from the root.

Paul even acknowledges how surprising this is. In Romans 11:24, he says this kind of grafting is “contrary to nature.”In other words, it is not how a gardener would normally work. But that is exactly the point—God’s grace often works in ways that go beyond what we would expect. Instead of following the ordinary pattern, God makes a way for people from every nation to be welcomed into His family and connected to the promises that began long ago.

In many ways, this reflects the beautiful picture Paul is describing from the imagery of the olive tree. The deep roots represent God’s ancient promises—His covenant with Abraham and His faithfulness through generations. These promises anchor the whole tree. But the growing branches, spread wide across the world, represent God’s expanding family. Through faith in Jesus, people from every nation are grafted in, connected to the same life-giving root.

Just like the olive tree’s roots support every branch that grows from it, God’s promises sustain every person who becomes part of His family tree. The tree continues to grow, reaching farther and wider as more people are welcomed into His story.

Romans 11:17 “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches.”

A Story That Includes Us

As I began sharing these big biblical ideas with my own children, I realized how powerful this picture of the olive tree can be for families. It helps us see that the Bible is not just a collection of separate stories, but one beautiful story of God growing His family throughout history. There is something powerful about the heritage of faith passed down through the generations in Scripture.. From the promises given to Abraham, to the life of Jesus, to believers around the world today, the tree continues to grow. That vision is what inspired me to write the Olive Tree Bible Adventures series. My hope is to help families explore Scripture together, understand God’s promises, and discover that each of us has a place in His story—growing like branches connected to the same life-giving root.

Because the story of the olive tree is still growing today.

When we trust Jesus, we are connected to the same promises God made long ago.

We become part of the Olive Tree Family.

B.Hope | Letters

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