(23) And they also, if they bide not in unbelief, shall be graffed in, &c. The principle which the apostle had just stated as applicable to the Gentiles, is applicable also to the Jews. Neither one nor the other, simply because Jew or Gentile, is either retained in the church, or excluded from it. As the one continues in this relation to God, only on condition of faith; so the other is excluded by his unbelief alone. Nothing but unbelief prevents the Jews being brought back, "for God is able to grafFthem in again." That is, not merely has God the power to accomplish this result, but the difficulty or impediment is not in him, but solely in themselves. There is no inexorable purpose in the divine mind, nor any insuperable obstacle in the circumstances of the case, which forbids their restoration ; on the contrary, the event is, in itself considered, far more probable than the calling of the Gentiles.
(24) For if thou ivert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree ; how much more, &c. The simple meaning of this verse is, that the future restoration of the Jews is, in itself, a more probable event than the introduction of the Gentiles into the church of God. This, of course, supposes that God regarded the Jews, on account of their relation to him, with peculiar favour, and that there is still something in their relation to the ancient servants of God and his covenant with them, which causes them to be regarded with special interest. As men look upon the chil- dren of their early friends with kinder feelings than on the children of strangers, God refers to this fact to make us sensible that he still retains purposes of peculiar mercy towards his ancient people. The restoration of this people, therefore, to the blessings of the church of God is far from being an improbable event.
(25) For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be ivise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened unto Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Paul, having shown that the restoration of the Jews is a probable and desirable event, in this passage declares that God has determined to ac- complish it. I would not have you ignorant, is a form of expression which he often uses when he wishes to call the attention of his readers to something of special importance. The word mystery, in the scriptu- ral sense of the term, does not mean something incomprehensible, but something hidden, or previously unknown, and which can only be dis- covered by divine revelation. In this sense the whole gospel is called a mystery, Rom. 16; 25. 1 Cor. 2 : 7. 4: 1. Eph. 6 : 19 ; or any single doctrine, however simple, may be so called; see Eph. 3: 4. The use of this word shows that Paul meant in this verse to declare a fact which was undiscoverable by human reason, one which could be known only when revealed. Such an event is the future restoration of the Jews.
Lest ye should be wise in your own conceits. This is given as the reason why the apostle wished the Gentiles to know and consider the event which he was about to announce. This clause may mean either,