Saturday 31 March 2012

Background

Paul comes to the end of his discussion of the problem that hasbeen occupying him throughout chapters 9 to 11: why have so few Jews respondedto the good news about Jesus Christ while non-Jews (Gentiles) havebeen so much more responsive? After all, God made promises to thepatriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that they and theirdescendants would be God's people, obedient to God and under God'scare. Those promises are surely irrevocable (verse 29), yet they donot appear to be being fulfilled.

With the eyes of faith Paul looks into the future and shares withhis readers a "mystery" (v. 25), that is, something hidden fromnormal understanding but revealed by God to those who have faith.There is a pattern to God's work. Israel was called to be a specialpeople so that the other nations might come to know God. This hasbegun to happen through the preaching about God's saving work inJesus. Unbelieving Gentiles are coming to faith. When that iscomplete, the process will go into reverse, so to speak, andunbelieving Jews in their turn will come to faith. He implies thatit will be by accepting Jesus as Messiah (the "deliverer" in verse26). So in the end "all Israel will be saved" (v. 26).

Paul takes his cue, as always, from passages in the Old Testament.He is dealing, of course, with the broad picture and speaking ingeneralisations. He is not asking whether every individual Jew orGentile, without exception, will be saved, and we do not know howhe would have answered the question.

The passage ends with an outburst of wonder and praise for God'sdealings with humanity - marvellous but quite beyond our fullcomprehension.

To Ponder

Is it appropriate to share Paul's optimism thateventually the Jewish people will come to faith in Jesus? Why?

Paul does not explicitly answer the question:will every individual eventually be saved. What answer do you thinkshould be given?

How can we wonder at the way God works if we donot fully understand it?