Read: Romans 11:25-36
Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery. (Rom. 11:25)
As I ended my high school math classes, many of my fellow students prepared to go to engineering schools. That wasn’t my plan! Unlike them, I never understood math formulas. They remained a mystery for me, no matter how hard I tried.
In today’s reading, Paul wants us to understand the mystery of God’s salvation history. The salvation plan that we have encountered throughout Romans 9-11 is that Jewish rejection of God’s grace led to Gentile inclusion, and then back to Jewish inclusion. Paul has used many metaphors, but the result is clear: Jewish and Gentile believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul desired the one family of God to give witness to the true peace in the midst of the Roman Empire so that the Roman house churches could become the basis for fertile new mission fields. However, there are still elements of mystery about how “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).
Whatever we make of Paul’s explanation for the mystery, in verses 33-36 we join him in marveling that through creation, the calling of the nations, the coming of Christ, and the consummation of history, God remains faithful. Let’s again imagine Phoebe, the carrier of Paul’s letter, calling the Roman house churches of various languages and backgrounds to an extended time of prayerful doxology (see also 15:13; 16:20; 16:25-27). “To him be glory forever. Amen.” (v. 36)
As you pray, give thanks for God’s salvation history that extends to Israel and the nations.
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. He and his wife, Joyce, are active members of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. Kent is an active cyclist, and he and Joyce enjoy time with their children and grandchildren.
