Inside and out

Insiders and outsiders keeps coming up in the lectionary text for me... I'm preaching on Romans as it is in the lectionary most of the summer. This week I tried to maintain integrity, and the complexity, of the "Jewish Question" - at least as it is according to Paul.

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Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

To all of you beloved by God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God the father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN

In our reading from Romans this morning, Paul is winding down his discussion of the “Jewish Question.” What does it mean that there are Jews in the world who have not followed Jesus. How will God remain faithful to his initial covenants with the Jews in the light of Jesus Christ? Will God remain faithful to his initial covenants?

And Paul’s resounding answer? By no means! No way, Jose. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
And how can Paul be so confident in this? And what difference does it really make to us that the Jews are still God’s people- even in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

For Paul it is their very rejection that others are able to enter into the covenant. The verses that lie between what we read today say this- based on Paul’s understanding of scripture- of the Old Testament- he sees that the Jews are committing a transgression in not following Jesus. They are falling away, they are sinning- like they had in the past- when they didn’t remain faithful to God at the time of the Kings. And so the prophets came and warned the people that they would be sent into exile if they didn’t remain faithful to the covenant with God. And we know the history- they weren’t faithful, Israel and Judah were destroyed- the people were exiled from the land. But we know there was reconciliation and return. The people were restored to relationship with God and to the land.

But now- in Paul’s lifetime, something else has happened. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ completely shift Paul’s frame of reference. So- how salvation will be affected for the Jews has also shifted- in fact- it is not completely clear for Paul how exactly it will happen. And so- he wrestles with these questions in his letter. And it seems Romans 11 is Paul’s best attempt at figuring out what is truly hidden within the mystery of God.

Paul concludes that while the Jews appear to be unfaithful when it comes to Jesus- this makes room for others to enter into relationship with God. Paul is very clear to point out that the Jews are not excluded from this relationship. In fact, they make possible the relationship for Gentiles- for they are the tree that the Gentiles are grafted into. They are the tradition, the family that we are adopted into and allowed to inherit. And Paul also makes it very clear that Gentiles, you and I, who have now entered into this relationship with God through Jesus Christ should not hold it over anyone’s head. Don’t boast- you’re not the tree- you’re only the branches grafted in- you could just as easily be lopped off again.

This is pretty harsh language… It does seem like some will be in and some will be out. And unfortunately there are those who did not heed Paul’s warning and they did boast over the Jews- to the point that this text was used in part for justification of the Holocaust.

But take in context- in both its literary context in the larger letter to the Romans and within its social context- it’s hard to justify anyone being cut off from God.

Paul lived in a society that was based on limited good. That is- there were never enough resources to go around- not enough food, not enough land, not enough status, never enough honor and repute. Basically- if someone had something, then somebody else didn’t have it.

I would suggest that this lies behind Paul’s effort to understand why all Jews have not followed Christianity. Paul calls it a partial hardening of hearts. Not all Jews have faith in Jesus Christ. But, there are many Gentiles who do have faith in Jesus Christ. Ergo- the faith that the Gentiles have means that the Jews cannot have faith right now- because in a limited good society, there wouldn’t be enough faith to go around.

And if you stopped here- the of course those who believed would get in and those who didn’t wouldn’t.

But, Paul doesn’t stop here- and neither do we. In spite of limited good- in spite of the appearance that there are Jews who don’t believe and it may seem that they won’t be saved and brought into covenant with God- Paul still states- very clearly and very firmly.
All Israel will be saved.
All Israel will be saved.

For Paul, everyone has been in the same place. Every one sins, every one has been out of right relationship with God – every one is in need of salvation. Jews have not kept the law. But Gentiles, up until this point have not even known God.

Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have no received mercy due to their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too many now receive mercy.

There is no either/or here. It’s a both/and- we are all in the same boat- we are all sinners having gone astray- broken, failing human beings not even able to live into what we truly are- looking to take something from someone else- food, land, honor, relationship, money. Our brokenness leads us to fear, fear of each other, fear of death, fear of God- that we would rather wall ourselves in and horde our treasures and our goods lest we lose even more. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish, or Christian, or what have you. If you are human, you are broken without God.

But, you are not without God- neither you, nor any Christian, nor any Jew are without God. Paul writes, “The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”
We haven’t made the decision to be in relationship with God- God has called us to be in relationship with him. We didn’t ask God to send Jesus to live among us, to teach us and to lead us into the way of salvation. He did it- he sent his son for us. You may think you made the decision to get up today and to come to church. You may have confessed your faith before you were baptized, you may have made a conscious decision that you wanted to be a Christian. But you didn’t do it without God.

God is the mover. God is the creator.
We are the ones who are created, who have the breath of life breathed into us so that we may live- who have the water and the spirit poured onto us so that we may be in relationship with God and walk in his ways and know his truths. It doesn’t work the other way.

So, Paul’s explanation for salvation for Jews and Christians is only possible. At one level it’s too cut and dry- on another level in raises questions about the nature of God- it makes me ask if God is really just if he’s cutting people off for a time. It makes me wonder what kind of God makes everybody unjust to show that he is merciful.

And wonder we will- but it’s not for us to decide and to determine the nature of God or even how our salvation will be accomplished.

And Paul recognizes this, too.
All Israel will be saved.
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
He made us.
He called us through our baptism.
He gives us life in the meal that he shares with us.
We are his- we do not live on our own.

And however that works out- however God chooses to save the world. The only thing we need to know is that he’s done it. He will do it.
God is faithful. God stands by his covenants. He has not failed us. He has not failed the Jews. He never will.

And so we wonder. We question. But we also praise and we worship, knowing that our salvation is sure. That our relationship with God will not falter- he is with us, here among us.

Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgment and how fathomless his ways!

Thanks be to God.
AMEN