Paul wrote at the end of his letter of Romans, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:25-26).
That mystery has now been revealed through the Gospel and the Gospel is Paul’s theme in the letter of Romans (1:16). But, that Gospel is open and applies to both Jews and Gentiles. Yet, the Jews wondered how they fit into God’s plan if God were not saving people as Jews anymore. Thus, Paul wrote chapters 9-11 to explain God’s plan in that context.
Beginning in 11:17, Paul builds on a metaphor that he introduced in verse 16, the idea of a tree whose root is holy so that its branches are holy as well. As Paul builds on that metaphor, he shows that the root is the Jewish nation as God intended it to be with natural branches being Jewish individuals while the branches are Gentiles which have been grafted in to the natural tree.
The unbelieving Jewish branches were cut off for their lack of faith, evidenced in their lack of obedience. But the Gentile Christians should not be “arrogant” (used twice in verse 18) nor “conceited” (vs 20) toward the Jews because if they become unfaithful, they too will be cut off. God demands faithful obedience to Jesus Christ from all who would be saved. Through that whole discussion, Paul is emphasizing the continuity that exists between Gentile faith and the original Jewish faith. Unity in the one body is his over-riding concern.
Back in verse 7, Paul had said that some of Israel had been hardened through the ministry of Jesus Christ. That hardening had influenced some of Israel to send Jesus to the cross. That was bad for them but great in God’s overall plan since it brought salvation to everyone, including the Gentiles. Yet if the Jew’s failure to fulfill God’s plan had brought riches to the Gentiles (vs 12), what would happen if Israel were to fulfill their own reason-for-being and become Christians? There would be a massive evangelistic force for the cause of Christ.
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So here in verse 25, Paul points out that this partial hardening of Israel occurs while the Gentiles, the “fulness” of the Gentiles, comes in. The Gentiles, now, are to fulfill their “reason-for-being” – sharing the Gospel of Christ with everyone, including Jews. In that way, the promise of the Hebrew prophets might be fulfilled, that they can be saved. Israel needs to accept Jesus Christ, the “Deliverer from Zion” (quoting Isaiah 59:20-21).
Yes, Jews have been the enemies of the Gospel (vs 28), but they are still “beloved.” They still need to hear the Gospel and they still have the opportunity to become members of the body of Christ. The Gentiles were disobedient, but received mercy from God through the disobedience of the Jews (as they crucified Jesus). In the same way, Jews might receive the mercy of God, despite their disobedience, through the Gospel preached by the Gentiles.
Can we not stand and marvel at the wisdom and knowledge of God (vs 33)? No one has been or could be God’s advisor or counselor (vss 34-35). Appropriately, Paul concludes this theological section of Romans (chapters 1-11), with a doxology in praise of God (vs 36).
Paul Holland
