Thought For The Week

WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?

In Romans 11 Paul addresses the fate of Israel.

As we read this chapter it is essential to keep in mind two principles that Paul has already laid down in Romans 4:

Firstly, that salvation is always by mercy, not by merit; it is by God’s mercy that we are saved, not by our actions or our racial or religious heritage.

Secondly, that there is a difference between the physical Israel and the spiritual Israel; between the physical descendants of Abraham and the spiritual descendants of Abraham.

Both of these principles are expressions of the flesh/ Spirit contrast that Paul has stressed in previous chapters.

Paul asks the question: Did God reject his people? (11:1). In explaining his answer, which is 'By no means!' he makes the following points:

Although the great majority in Israel turned against God, there has always been a remnant chosen by grace which God has preserved for himself (11:1-6). Paul emphasizes the grace nature of this remnant: the fact that, in Elijah's day, there were 7000 who did not worship Baal, was entirely due to God and his grace. But for his intervention they also would have worshipped Baal. This is something we need to keep firm in our minds.

This remnant, saved by grace, are referred to as 'reserved for myself' (11:4) and 'the elect' (11:7), a clear indication that their existence as people of faith was the result of God's proactive intervention.

Others were hardened (11:7).

Romans 11:7-10 is one of those 'difficult' passages against which our human minds and hearts revolt. There are other passages like it: Romans 9:14-23; Isaiah 6:9-10; 29:9-12; Deuteronomy 29:4; Matthew 13:10-17; John 12:37-41; Acts 28:23-28. From our human perspective these passages seem to indicate a harshness in God, even a fault, something that seems utterly unjust and unfair, and we are not sure that we want anything to do with a God who acts in this way. From the divine perspective we learn something totally different, and we get this divine perspective from Jesus Christ, the incarnate God.

Consider:

We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that 'the god of this has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ' and that the reason people do believe is that God 'made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ' (2Corinthains 4:6).

This parallels the words of Jesus Christ: 'No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him' (Matthew 11:27b). And, ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him’ (John 6:44).

We find actual examples of this in Christ's explanation of his use of parables (Matthew 13:10 – 17; Mark 4:10 – 12; Luke 8:9, 10): The parables told God's truth: but only those to whom Christ revealed the meaning understood. To the others who heard but did not understand, their hearing produced further hardening of their already hard hearts. Constant hearing of the word, without understanding and responding, produces more hardening and deeper darkness. The more the word of God comes to those who reject it the harder their hearts become. We saw this process and its consequences described in Romans 1:18-32.

In 11:11-25 Paul address his Gentile Christian readers, warning them against pride (11:18), arrogance (11:20-21) and complacency (11:21). It is not because of any good in them that they are now God’s people, rather it is solely because of the kindness of God (11:22). Gentiles, ('the world' verse 15), are being shown mercy and receiving reconciliation and salvation - being grafted into the 'olive tree', the people of God - while unbelieving Jews are missing out. As we read through this passage with its mass of horticultural symbolism one things stands out that is free from symbolism: the significance and reality of unbelief and faith. This is the issue that determines the spiritual position of all, whether Jew or Gentile (11:20,23).

In this section (11:11-25) we must constantly keep in mind the distinction, referred to above, between the physical Israel and the spiritual Israel. Abraham is the 'root' of the 'olive tree' to which Paul is referring (see Romans 4:0 – 16). Some of the natural branches (physical descendents of Abraham) don't have faith - they are not part of the true, spiritual, Israel - they are 'broken off'. Believing Gentiles are 'grafted in'. If unbelieving Jews change their minds about Christ and believe in him, they are 'grafted' back in.

© Rosemary Bardsley 2020