Romans Chapter 9 cont'd
I tell you as sincerely before God as I can, and the Holy Spirit moving within my conscience affirms the truth of this, that I am carrying a continual and heavy burden in my heart for my own Jewish people. I would even accept eternal rejection from Christ if somehow I could change places with them.
They are the Israelites- God's historic "chosen people"; who were entrusted with the message of salvation, the manifest presence of God, the divine covenantal agreements, the written law, the awesome prophetic promises of God and with being God's true priests in the earth. The great spiritual patriarchs are their ancestors and, in his humanity, Jesus the Messiah (who is also fully divine), came from their lineage. He has authority over all things. He really does!
Comments:
In order to reset the context for Romans chapters 9-11, around the details of which there is considerable honest debate (and, not a few, irrational and fear-based reactions) in the body of Christ, we really should digress and look again at what Paul briefly spoke about in chapter 3 and some of the selected comments I made about the passages--which we will do in the next blog.
Keep in mind that Paul viewed himself, and the other apostles, as standing in the same Spirit and...because of the "event" of Jesus Christ in their day...standing in the "bulls eye" of the trajectory line of the Hebrew prophets of previous generations. The apostles of Jesus were the new Jewish prophets on the scene of human history, chosen and sent by God, who had the distinct honor of authoritatively proclaiming the central focus and fulfillment of the ancient words of their predecessors. As you think back on the lives and ministries of the ancient Hebrew prophets...they were very often, like the apostles...resisted and persecuted by the religious and political authorities of their day for their witness and message. The irony is that Jesus pointed out on more than one occasion is that, generally speaking, the Jewish people came to venerate their own prophets only after their initial rejection of them. So...the apostles of Jesus were standing in good company and were similarly treated.
And please never forget the "tears of the heart" that continually fell within Paul's being over the tragedy of any people group or person rejecting Jesus as the Messiah and their personal Lord and Master. Hating or resenting our fellow humans (including those who may choose to reject our Lord and the gospel) in any way, is never an option for one whose heart has been captured by Jesus...who was a "friend of sinners" and laid his life down for us all. May we too embody this apostolic heart of love and mercy and patient hope of redemption.
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