The Call of the Gentiles - Romans 11:11-24

Fewer than 1 percent of Christians today come from a background of Judaism. But that was not the case in Paul’s day. Initially, the majority of Christian believers were of that background. The church in Rome had a mix of Jews and Gentiles. There were apparently significant numbers of both, with evidence suggesting that those of Gentile background were in the majority. This put Paul in a unique position to address the church in Rome, a congregation he had never visited. His educational background was that of a learned Jewish rabbi. He had earned this distinction from having studied under Gamaliel, one of the best Jewish teachers of the day. This gave Paul great credibility with any informed Jew.

Yet Paul had devoted much of his efforts to evangelizing Gentiles. He even defended their legitimacy as believers before the gathering of “apostles and elders” known as the Council at Jerusalem. These actions resulted in Paul ‘s having great standing among believers of Gentile background. Both groups in the church in Rome would therefore listen to Paul. And it was important that they did so as he continued to address the issue of relationship between Christians of different backgrounds.

In , Paul began to work through a heartbreaking reality: great numbers of his own Jewish people had rejected the Jewish Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Paul’s missionary travels had resulted in not just disinterest, but ferocious rejection. Paul turned to Scripture to find the explanation. From to 11:10 he quotes from (what we call) the Old Testament 25 times. Given that there are only 64 verses in this section, that’s about one Old Testament quote every two and a half verses! Those texts reveal, among other things, Israel’s long history as a “disobedient and obstinate people”.

summarizes 9:1-11:6 by concluding that the proclamation of the gospel has resulted in two camps among the people of Israel: those who accept the gospel are “the elect,” while those who do not are “the others....hardened.” This significance of all this is the subject of today’s study.

Result of Stumble -

Romans 11:11-15

Romans 11:11–15 NRSV

So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead!

The phrase Again I ask introduces implications of regarding Israel’s division. In so doing, Paul acknowledges that the widespread unbelief of his fellow Jews is indeed a stumble. But he does not see this trespass a unrecoverable . When we combine the words stumble and fall with the “spirit of stupor” ascribed to Jewish unbelievers in , we have a picture something like that of a person sleepwalking. He is oblivious to hazards in such a state. A family member screams a warning of a hazard the sleepwalker does not see. The sleepwalker, not yet fully awake, pays no heed and trips. He is on his way to the ground, with no hope of regaining his balance in time. Right?

Not at all! says Paul. Recovery is possible because of two connected results of Jewish unbelief. First, as the Jews have rejected the great salvation message of the gospel, it has impelled Paul to offer this message to the Gentiles. Paul has found many Gentiles gladly receptive of the gospel. Contrasting the use of the word transgression here with that word in the first half of the verse is important. The Greek noun behind the second instance of transgression is elsewhere translated “trespass(es)” and “sin(s)” and those inform the sense here. To be sure, Israel’s lack of faith is sinful. But repentance and forgiveness are still possible, as Paul goes on to establish.

Second, the Gentiles’ receptivity to the gospel can serve as an incentive for Jews to believe as well. When we see someone receive a benefit, our impulse is to want that benefit too! Jewish unbelievers, seeing Gentile lives radically changed by Christ, will want this change and joy in their own lives.

What boundaries or limits should we observe regarding techniques used to win people to Christ?

Paul often characterizes the benefits of Christian faith as riches. The gospel’s gracious offer of salvation through faith represents the greatest spiritual treasure in the universe! But most Jews are leaving this offer on the table.. Their loss is accompanied by the “indescribable gift” being offered to the Gentiles.

Since that’s the as-is-case, then would it not be better still were Jews to accept the offer as well? Paul’s vision is grand here. Imagine if all Gentiles and Jews accept the salvation made possible through Christ! This would include every single person on earth. We gain a glimpse of what motivated Paul with such extraordinary passion as to suffer as he did for the sake of the gospel.

Paul addresses the Gentiles in his readership with a direct appeal: he intends to do everything in his power to arouse my own people to envy for this sole purpose of saving some of them. His technique will be to use his ministry as the apostle to the Gentiles in any way possible to win as many Gentiles to Christ as possible. By implication, the Gentiles’ part is to live in such a way that Jewish unbelievers will want to have what they have.

Under what circumstances, if any, should Paul’s ministry to Gentiles be a precedent for sending missionaries to other cultures rather than training evangelists from within those cultures? Why?

In verse 15, by their rejection Paul refers to the Jewish refusal to believe in Christ. As he has already shown, the Jewish unbelievers are culpable for this, but it also fits into God’s plan for the reconciling of the world, the inclusion of Gentiles into the people of God. What a great marvel would it be if, as a result, Jews come to faith! It would seem miraculous, like life from the dead.

Outcome of Brokenness -

Romans 11:16–21 NRSV

If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.

Paul now reasons with two examples tied to Jewish history. First, breadmaking in considered. The part of the dough in his illustration is the final dough ball that is ready to be baked. This process begins with grinding grain to make flour. Moses had commanded the people of Israel to take the firstfruits, a portion of this flour and make a loaf that was to be offered to the Lord. Paul considers this act of offering to be making the firstfruit loaf holy, and, by extension, this holiness can be applied to the whole batch of flour and its resultant bread loaves.

The second illustration has to do with a tree, its root and its branches. Branches are dependent upon the health of a tree’s root system. If the root dies, so will the branches. Branches detached from the main tree and its root will die. Paul has in mind here a family tree, the tree of the nation of Israel. In a sense, Israel is continually blessed and made holy by the covenant God made with its great patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If the essential root of the tree is considered holy, this holiness extends to an branches attached to the tree.

Considering Christianity’s roots in Judaism, how should this text influence our view of the value of the Old Testament?

Paul expands this analogy of a holy tree and its branches to imagine some of the branches being broken off. This may be from pruning or wind damage, but branches removed from a tree are usually unhealthy or unproductive. Such branches are fit only to be firewood. If an olive farmer cuts off some unproductive branches, it could be for the purpose of grafting on new, healthy branches from a wild olive tree. This description fits the Gentiles well, for they have been growing wild, apart from the supervision and care of God given to Israel for hundreds of years.

These new, grafted branches will be productive only if they tap the nourishing sap from the olive root. The new branches must receive water and the nourishment of the soil from their new host. They have been given a huge upgrade from their scrubby wild tree origins. They flourish because of the new tree, not the other way around. Paul’s word to the Gentile believers is to remember that their inclusion in the church allows them to be recipients of the great blessings the Lord has lavished on Israel for centuries. They, with faithful Jews, are now fellow heirs of God’s promises. There is no justification for boasting about status.

What needs to happen for you to be considered a root for the generation of Christians to come?

Conclusion

So the point Paul then tried to make is that the Christians should not get too full of themselves. “Don’t think in a proud way,” wrote Paul. “Don’t brag like you’re better than the other branches”. The Christians have been, contrary to nature, grafted into a tree that is much older and more mature. They have no reason to boast over the original branches that were cut out in the grafting process. They ought to be careful, Paul said, because the branches that were cut out of the old tree could easily be grafted back in.

Prayer

Oh Lamb of God, who, both by thy example and precept, didst instruct us to be meek and humble, give me grace throughout my whole life, in every thought, and word, and work, to imitate thy meekness and humility. Amen.

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