Romans 9:30-33 (NIV)
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Paul concludes his theological argument, which takes up all of chapter 9, with what really is the bottom line: the gentiles have come into God’s kingdom ahead of His “chosen people”, the Jews, because they chose to come in through the way that He provided, while many of the Jews insisted on making their own way in, a dead end.
This makes sense. The Jews had received the law and had passed it down for generations. For most of the 1500 years between God’s issuing of the law through Moses and Paul’s day, the Jewish people had disregarded and disobeyed much of what was contained in it. But after their return from exile, a new passion for God’s law arose among a people intent on preventing the backsliding that had resulted in the exile. They were the forerunners, the spiritual ancestors of the scribes and Pharisees.
These people studied the law in minute detail and wrote extensive commentaries on every facet of every commandment. They worked hard, focused on grafting obedience to every letter of every command into every detail of their lives, and were impressive in their excellence in obeying them.
But in the process of trying to work righteousness into their lives through their own efforts, they allowed the law itself to become an idol to be served and obeyed, and lost track of God entirely. They claimed to be serving God wholeheartedly, but their total focus was on the letters, words, and paragraphs of the law.
So, when Jesus came preaching repentance and an opportunity to come into God’s kingdom by faith, He and His message were rejected by the Jewish leadership, who in turn dissuaded others from following Him. They believed that they didn’t need to repent, because they were following the law to the last detail. And if God had a kingdom, they were sure that they were not only already in it, but that they were an important part of it. In their self-made righteousness, which is like filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6), they ended up rejecting the very God that they professed to serve. Jesus and His offer of salvation by grace through faith and genuine righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit, became a stumbling block for them that they could not get across.
On the other hand, the gentiles who heard and received the gospel knew that they were unrighteous, powerless, and without hope of earning God’s approval by their own efforts. So, the repented, believed, and surrendered to God’s lordship. They came into God’s kingdom while His chosen people stood outside the door, positive that they were on the inside looking out instead of on the outside looking in. Though they were God’s chosen people by blood, they rejected Jesus, rejected God and His righteousness, preferring their own home-brewed righteousness, so they, in turn, ended up being rejected by God.
Father, Jesus told the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17 NIV) Of course, He knew that those questioning His actions were not actually righteous. But He also knew that as long as they saw themselves as righteous and not needing a Savior, they would never repent, just as someone who is convinced that he is healthy, even though he is actually sick with a deadly disease, wont follow a doctor’s orders so that they can be made truly healthy. But all those who admitted their true state to Jesus, which included the tax collectors and sinner that He hung out with, found spiritual wholeness, healing and genuine righteousness in Jesus. That’s my story, too! Thank You for Your love, Your grace, and Your power to heal broken souls. Amen.