Jesus the Jewish Messiah part 3; Jesus the Jewish Messiah and the wisdom of God

Jesus the Jewish Messiah and the Wisdom of God;

The conundrum of a rejected messiah

Daniel 9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Zechariah 12:10 They will look on me, the one they have pierced,

Luke 24:25-26 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"

Acts 3:18-26; But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.

So, Jesus was rejected, just at the Prophets and Moses foretold, and that rejection resulted in the loss to Israel of all three messianic offices, just as Hosea 3 prophesied. Jewish history ever since has been lived out in the reality of that loss. Even if we can accept all that, the central question remains;

Why did the messiah have to be rejected?

A rejected Messiah is on the face of it a very strange idea.

Now, this rejection occurred in two stages. The rejection which led to his death was clearly needed to purchase our salvation. Jesus had to die, his sacrificial death bringing salvation to the world, restoring to humanity everything which Adam had lost. The messiah had to be rejected because it was necessary that he die for the Jewish nation and “for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.” (John 11:52) But that never meant that the Jewish people were called to kill God’s own son and then disappear from salvation history! God called them in love, to be a blessing. He longs for them and they remain beloved for the sake of their fathers!!

He therefore had to be initially rejected, but why was it necessary that that rejection by the bulk of the Jewish people continue on/ be reconfirmed after his resurrection? After the resurrection, there was indeed an immediately an offer of repentance given to Israel!

Acts 3:18-26; But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. … When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

God could simply have assumed this second rejection as the logical continuation of the first – ‘you rejected and killed my beloved son, therefore I will send the message of salvation to the Gentiles.’ As seen, God did the exact opposite of this. Amazing grace! This second rejection of Jesus after the resurrection, this doubling down on their earlier rejection, was, like the first, never total (“I myself am an Israelite,” “a remnant chosen by grace”). The Jewish people as such, however, did indeed refuse this second offer of repentance.

This second rejection had already been foreshadowed in their history; In Acts 7 Stephen specifies that as well as rejecting Moses initially, that even after the Passover, the Jewish people still/again rejected Moses; "He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us. But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.” Romans 11:25-29 “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part” So, why was this continued rejection post resurrection necessary, and part of God’s plan (Romans 11:33-36)?

There are two profound answers to this question, and the second answer cannot be understood or entered without the first, and both may surprise you! Also, each answer highlights a different aspect of God’s character.

Answer 1 So that the Gentiles could be brought in!

– The first purpose of Jewish rejection was to bring salvation to the Gentiles

Lets take this slowly!

1.      Saving everyone was always God’s purpose in calling Abraham;

Genesis 12:2-3 “and you will be a blessing. … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Acts 26:22-23; “I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” I think we are all happy that God always intended to save both Jews and Gentiles.

2.      Equally, as seen, the conversion of the Gentiles was always centered on the Messiah;

Isaiah 49:6 he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

Romans 15:12 And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."

Now, and here is the difficult part, it turns out that bringing in the gentiles required the temporary rejection of the Gospel by the Jewish people. This is clearly taught in Scripture;

Romans 11:11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

Romans 11:27-29; And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." ²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Romans 11:30 you [gentiles] who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their [the Jewish people’s] disobedience, 

What amazing words! Because of their transgression, salvation has come to the gentiles, as a result of their disobedience, gentiles have received mercy! Which again askes the question;

Why did the Gentile mission require the rejection by the Jews?

Well, Joseph had to leave his own family in order to save the Egyptians.

Remember, this is only the first of two answers given in the Bible, so on its own it must be incomplete, but lets look further at some of the theological and historical aspects of this;

1. Theological considerations; The righteousness of God

In choosing Israel to bless the world, God always left himself open to the charge of playing favourites. They were blessed with his Law, rescued from Egypt, given Godly prophets etc. This however was never the case – see Deuteronomy 10:14-19 “To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. ¹⁵ Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”

Here God says; I chose you above all the nations, I do not show partiality, love the alien. Generosity was demanded of them – they had always to be a blessing to the wider world due to the blessing they had received. (2 Kings 7:9) only Gentile blessings could absolve God of the charge of favouritism!

This important issue is also dealt with at length in Romans. Here, Paul examines this question in terms of God’s righteousness. Is God a righteous judge? Has Israel’s election made him biased? Here, the question is answered by God’s righteous judgement upon all who did not have faith. In Romans 2, Paul shows that the Law shows us what is holy, but that it does not of itself make us holy – it does not force us to obey it. This leads on to a discussion of the consequences of God’s giving of the Law to the Jewish people. The discussion centres on the character of God.

Romans 2:9-11 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰ but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

 (Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.)

So, Jewish rejection has highlighted the righteousness of God. It proves that he does not play favourites. Clearly, however, the Law is a blessing, and an aid to faith – and God takes this into consideration;

Amos 3:2 "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins."

God does not say “I have chosen you therefore I will go easy on you!”

Luke 12:48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Matthew 11:21-22 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

Now, if God’s favor has resulted in stricter judgement, one might well ask;

Romans 3:1-6 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? ² Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. ³ What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? ⁴ Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." ⁵ But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) ⁶ Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?

Here we can see Paul laying the ground work for “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (“Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!”) The contrast between the faithlessness of some Jews, and God’s faithfulness again serves to confirm God’s promises to the circumcision (Romans 15:8). More than that, look at the line; “our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly.” This is also, given its immediate proximity to “What if some did not have faith?” another indication of how, in Romans 11 Jewish unbelief has aided Gentile conversion; it shows God’s righteousness more clearly. Their rejection has highlighted the singular necessity of faith in salvation for all, which blesses gentiles, the very ones whom otherwise would have been disadvantaged! (Just as the re-grafting of Israel in again on this basis will also do!).

Romans 3:9-10 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;

Paul bases the topic on righteousness.

Romans 3:21-24 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.)

To continue;

Romans 3:27-31 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. ²⁹ Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

In Romans 11 we read; “they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.”

Here again, Paul is saying that, in light of their undoubted advantages, Jewish unbelief has clarified the nature of salvation, and in that way aids gentile conversion. That is, it highlights the basis of the Gospel; by faith alone, and the extent of the Gospel; to all who believe. In this very real way, Jewish rejection has indeed aided the understanding/spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles. It proves/proclaims that their genuine advantages are irrelevant when it comes to salvation if they exist in the absence of faith. Their very stumbling proclaims that salvation is by faith alone! It is not about being Jewish or Gentile, it is about grace working through faith. (Something we all need to remember!!) It is not that the Jewish people were chosen and blessed, and as we draw closer to them, so we are chosen and blessed! No way!! It is rather about faith in God!! This is what Jewish rejection makes clear! Salvation is not about discovering that you are Jewish, it is about discovering that you are forgiven!

Paul then uses the very same basis of salvation, by faith alone, to then hold out hope for the Jewish people; “And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in.” We already know their rejection is not total (due to the existence of the remnant saved by grace) and here we find the rejection of the hardened majority is also not necessarily permanent. Rather the possibility/hope of salvation is also held out to them, and again on the basis of it being met with faith. This could include both the inclusion of individual Jews by faith into the remnant, or also the final salvation of all Israel as referenced at the conclusion of this passage. Paul then again references Jewish advantage – “how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” The Jewish people are and remain cultivated olive branches! In any event, Jewish rejection has aided Gentile salvation re faith and righteousness.

Responsibility

Does this mean God had to shoot the messenger to clarify the message, and for the message to be acceptable to the Gentiles? (because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles. …they are enemies on your account; … you [gentiles] who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their [the Jewish people’s] disobedience, …"Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.")

Romans 3:7 "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned

Firstly, God did not shoot the messenger! He did not reject Israel, rather the messengers chose to reject him!! The fact that Jewish unbelief has had this positive effect (re-Gentiles) does not mitigate the seriousness of the offence, or Jewish responsibility for Jewish unbelief. Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” That good has flowed to the Gentiles because of it in no way lessens the seriousness of Jewish unbelief!

Just as the rejection of Joseph and the death of Jesus were both fully human and fully divine, and resulted in Gentile blessing, so the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people is fully human, but used by God in his divine wisdom to bless the Gentiles.

So, how did Israel stumble?? Given their very real advantages, and the fact that they were wanting to please God and looking for the Messiah, how did they stumble?

Romans 9:30-33 The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. ³² 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."

They stumbled because they pursued righteousness is if it were by works!

Why did they do this?

Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ⁵ Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."

So, why did they pursue righteousness as if it were by works?? Because God gave them the Law, and Moses said ‘the man who does these things will live by them.’ Well might the Jewish people echo the words of Paul; Romans 7:10 “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.” And no, God did not set them up to fail. As we have already seen in the first article, the Law was always intended to be temporary. It taught us about the reality and extent of sin, and also of our inability to keep it – that was why the whole sacrificial system within it was required! It was a misunderstanding of the nature of God’s gift, and a concurrent failure to emphasize justice and mercy which led to the Jewish people stumbling. The fault did not lie in the Law!

Galatians 3:24 “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 4:1-5 “What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, … He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ^{… 4} But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵ to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

Romans 10:4 “Christ is the end of the law” (τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς).

Just as the gentles had corrupted creation to sin, so to Jews had corrupted God’s special revelation to them to sin. Just as Gentiles had worshiped the creation rather than the creator, so Jews had worshiped the Law rather than the Law giver. Christ is the goal/outcome of the law! Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law” (John 1:45) "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. (John 5:45-46)

So, in stumbling because they pursued righteousness by works, the Jewish people clarified that salvation is not by works, but rather, is by faith.

2. Historical considerations

As well as this primary theological concern, are there other, more practical considerations? Once again, can history inform our discussion? Here we will look both at Biblical history, recorded in the book of Acts, and then at post-Biblical history, always a more opaque undertaking.

Biblical history In Acts we repeatedly see the Jewish people rejecting the Gospel, and it going to the gentiles as a result.

Acts 13:45-49 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: " 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' " When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

See also; Acts 28:24-28 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

 ²⁵ They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: ²⁶ " 'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." ²⁷ For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"

Luke 5:37-38 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

One of the reasons Jesus gives for the use of new wineskins is so that the old wineskins are not ruined. God is not finished with national Israel! Jeremiah 31:37 This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD.

Words of hope! Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Had the Jewish people accepted Jesus as their messiah, the synagogues would have become the means by which the Gospel reached into the gentile world (as indeed, Paul tried),

Acts 18:4-8 “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. ⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶ But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." ⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.”

Here, Paul starts preaching in the synagogue to Jews and Greeks, then Jewish rejection forces him to leave the synagogue and set up in a gentile’s house, but the first convert we hear of is the ruler of the synagogue, again stressing that Jewish rejection was not total, and reminding us of the remnant saved by grace. In any event, the synagogues rejected and expelled Paul, and he, like Joseph before him, was sent to the gentiles.

In the Old Testament, from Genesis 12 onwards, there is what can be called a Jewish focus or Jewish priority in the revelation of God. There are a remnant of Gentiles such as Rahab, Ruth, and others in Exodus 12:38 and Esther 8:17 who are saved, and this involves joining themselves to Israel. The Temple was likewise given to all nations, but placed in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:41-43). In the New Testament, we see this reversed into a Gentile priority, with a Jewish remnant being saved and incorporated into a Gentile church (Romans 11:30-31). And so the Gospel has spread first to Europe, and from there to Africa, the Americas, Asia etc. And all the while the Jewish people remained largely unreached.

Had Paul succeeded in the synagogues, then all the new gentile Christians would have flooded into the synagogues, where there would have rightly been neither Jew nor Gentile, and within a short time, the Jewish people as such would have simply disappeared. These were wineskins however which Jesus did not want ruined! As it is, and as prophesied in Hosea 3, the Jewish people have been preserved, kept almost in spiritual suspended animation, with neither king, sacrifice or priest, but also without the prince, sacred stones or idols. Unlike other nations, Israel has not decayed and withered, and since the exile in Babylon, they have not fallen back into idolatry. They have indeed endured many days of being without David, and without idols. They are unknowingly still waiting in hope, until as Paul tells us, the full number of gentiles are saved. God still has a redemptive purpose for the nation of Israel. More than that, more even than the oaths and promises he made to them, they continue to be “beloved for the sake of their fathers.” 

Now, while we might see some need for an initial push to get the Jewish Christians out of the door and on the road to tell Gentiles about the Good News, and Jewish rejection/persecution provided that push (Acts 8:1, although see Matthew 23:15 - proselytes), in Romans 11:25 we read “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until you start including Gentiles in the church? NO! until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” That is, this partial hardening has become an enduring feature of this present age, and has already lasted for over 1900 years! Jewish priority also lasted a long time (Matthew 1:17), but this prolonged hardening, this enduring grief, what are the reasons for it?

Thinking of Joseph’s brothers, one imagines they tried to forget him, but the reality of what they had done left an enduring knot of grief, horror and loss in them that would only be removed when they looked upon him whom they had pierced and wept for him. One imagines something very similar has occurred re the hardening of Israel. (See also 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”) Their hardening has continued for reasons we will get to shortly!

Post-Biblical history

A further historical consideration is that early Jewish rejection of Christianity did indeed aid the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles. (Just as continued Jewish rejection has preserved the Jewish people.)

From the mid 60s through to the aftermath of the Bar Kochbar revolt, pagan Rome was in conflict with Jews and Judaism. It fought three bitter wars against the Jews during this time, the first Jewish War (66-73 AD), the Trajan or Kitos war, (115-117 AD) and the Bar Kochbar Revolt (132-135 AD). At the same time, the wave of anti-Jewish writers included Quintilian, Martial, Plutarch, Persius, Seneca the Younger, Tacitus (“The apogee of pagan antisemitism was reached in Tacitus”) and Juvenal. Vespasian placed a special tax on all Jews, while popular feeling towards the Jews was so strong after the Jewish war (66-74 AD) that Titus was forced to cancel his marriage to Bernice. The Jewish Diaspora uprisings of 115-117 AD, the “Trajan war,” occurred throughout the eastern Diaspora communities, and was especially severe in Cyrenica, Egypt, Libya and Cyprus. It greatly increased the popular resentment of Jews generally. Hadrian also came to be anti-Jewish, re-imposing the Jewish tax, and outlawing the Jewish feasts, Sabbaths, and Torah study.

If Christianity had been spread from and centered in the synagogues, the new faith would have been seen as promoting Jewish national interests and culture at a time when these were largely rejected. At a time of three wars between Rome and the Jewish people, this would certainly have impeded the spread of the good news.

The seriousness of this can be further seen in the increasingly anti-Jewish polemics from within Christian Orthodoxy itself, as well as in the beliefs and successes of the two main threats to that orthodoxy during this time. Jeremy Cohen has said; “the logic of early Christian history dictated the affirmation of Christianity in terms of the negation of Judaism.” Likewise see Longenecker’s interesting point that in the New Testament, the Adversus Judaeos polemic was “an intra-family device used to win Jews to the Christian faith, [while] in the second century it became anti-Semitic and was used to win Gentiles.” (“we are not Jews, its OK to join us”)

Turning to the two great heresies of the early Church, both Gnosticism and Marcionism based their appeal on a total rejection of the Jewish roots of Christianity. Valentinus has been described as a Christian who sought “to set forth the living essence of their Religion in a form uncontaminated by the Jewish envelope in which they had received it.” In the Testimony of Truth, the view that “the orthodox, by still retaining the Old Testament ... were not truly living in ‘the freedom with which Christ has set us free.’” And [as a] Christian [people] we [ourselves do not descend] from the Jews.” Here the Gnostic writer both affirms his view of himself as a Christian, and denies “any prior connection with Judaism.” As Frend put it; “[anti-] Judaism was to be the one continuous theme through all the variations of Gnosticism.” Indeed, S. Wilson refers to Gnosticism as “a form of metaphysical anti-Judaism.” As Koschorke summarized it; “the reproach of Judaism plays a fundamental role ... in the debates between Gnostics and the church.” 

It should again be stressed that members of the Church experimented with Gnosticism and Marcionism at a time when to be associated with Judaism was politically, legally and socially damaging, and that the general anti-Jewish sentiment was shared by Gentiles in the Church. It is this desire to distance themselves from Judaism that gives us the motive underlying the movements. It was Christians wishing to escape the reproach of being labeled with Jews that formed the adherents of Marcionism and Gnosticism. The force of such sentiment can be seen from the success of the Marcionite church, which in the 3rd century, was larger in the eastern empire than the orthodox church.

Tragically, and reflecting no virtue upon the Gentiles, the Jewish rejection of Jesus, and the distance that created between them and the early church, did indeed aid the success of the Gospel among the Gentiles.

3. Philosophical considerations

Here we will briefly address the dialectic between the particular and the universal. The particularity of Jewish revelation secures it from ownership by any single Gentile ethnicity (Deuteronomy 32:8). Jesus being Jewish means he is not British, African, Chinese etc. Even with this safe-guard, ideas that “God is an Englishman” or God is a German”, or “Rome is a holy city” have been pernicious. How much more so if, for example, God had chosen the English to write the Old and New Testaments, if Moses and David were English, and Jesus had indeed walked upon England’s “green and pleasant land.” Think of the numerous heresies that simply trying to be “the ten lost tribes” has spawned! Jewish advantage has been a blessing for the universal gentile mission. On top of this, the Jewish rejection of Jesus has meant that historically, there have been no specific claims to him, so he is freely accessible to all.

Conclusion

The Bible states that Jewish rejection of Jesus served to aid Gentile conversions. We can affirm that this partial and temporary rejection also functioned to preserve the Jewish people, and that God still has redemptive blessings for them, but Paul makes a clear causative link between Jewish rejection and Gentile salvation; because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles. … As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; … you [gentiles] who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their [the Jewish people’s] disobedience, 

We have examined theological, historical and philosophical ways in which this was true. It is the theological argument which is referenced by Paul and which carries the most weight, although Jesus comment about avoiding ruining the old wineskins is also significant. The Jewish people had been called by God to bless the world. Through them, the messiah had come. Had they then taken this message to the rest of the world, the world may then have viewed them as the real spiritual aristocracy, and the gentiles as Johnny come latelies. And this for a saving message which is by grace alone through faith alone, send by a God who does not play favourites. There could be no more powerful and drastic demonstration/ evidence of this truth than the cutting off of natural branches who did not have faith. This vindicates God’s righteousness, enhances his truthfulness and increases his glory.

God has shown no favouritism. The natural branches which did not believe have been cut out. Not because God rejected them, but rather, because they did not have faith. In a real sense this clears stones away from the path and makes straight the way of the Lord for Gentiles. Romans 11:30 you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience,

Ok, so we have looked at Jewish rejection and seen that the first reason given for it is Gentile salvation. Now, the second, even more surprising reason that Israel remain hardened, and the Gospel has gone to the Gentiles, is because

this is God’s way of saving the Jewish people!!

Jesus coming to Israel and being rejected by them and going to the Gentiles is how God saves Israel. This is what it looks like! Just as we saw that the salvation of the Gentiles was always God’s plan, and that Jewish rejection aided the spread of the Gospel to them, so too, the salvation of Israel has always been God’s desire. Jewish rejection, like the Law itself, was always intended to only be temporary. God has promised the restoration and future salvation of Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:8 “But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers.” The further redemptive purpose, the future blessing that God intends for Israel, is to be found after Jesus returns, in the millennium, which will be discussed further later on. Looking now to the salvation of all Israel, in Ezekiel we read; 

Ezekiel 11:17-20 “I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.' ¹⁸ "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. ¹⁹ I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Romans 11:23-26 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. … And so all Israel will be saved,

This is central! Jesus came to Israel, was rejected by them and killed. Jerusalem was then destroyed and they were scattered and persecuted for the past 1900 years. In the light of all this, was the coming of the Messiah a good thing or a bad thing for the Jewish people?

Take just his birth as a test case – was the coming of Jesus joyful or tragic news for Israel? Remember, as a result of Jesus being born in Bethlehem, Herod will kill all the Jewish children there, and he will kill them because God invited Gentiles to the birth! Gentiles being blessed and Jews dying because their messiah came. So, should the people of Bethlehem been glad or terrified when Joseph and Mary showed up?

But look at the prophecies surrounding Jesus birth. They are directed at Israel, and they are joyful! This is God intervening to save his people! Jesus coming (to be rejected and killed) is good news for Israel!

Mary - Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Zechariah - Luke 1:68-75 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. ⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David ⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), ⁷¹ salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- ⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham: ⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Simeon - Luke 2:30-32 For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all people, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

They all look beyond the immediate pain and rejection. Jesus did not come to be rejected and killed! He came to save, to rescue. Being rejected and killed was simply the means by which he did that. So Bethlehem would have been right to rejoice! Tragically, they didn’t even recognize him, but let him be born in a stable - John 1:11-12 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

God knew that Jesus would be rejected and killed. Revelation 13:8 “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” But before it even happened, God in mercy and tender consideration is already speaking words of mercy and hope. Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save. Look at;

The angel Gabriel - Luke 1:32-33 The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Had God said; “and the Jewish people will give him the throne of his father David” then they are in trouble. Because they failed, they rejected him. But knowing beforehand that they will reject him, God cries out to them (Hosea 2:1 "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.'”) “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David!” If this doesn’t happen, it is not the Jewish people who will have failed, it is God almighty himself! Think on this! God is sending his beloved son to people he knows will murder him, and the first thing he tells them are words of hope, assurance and love. He knows they are in for long term pain, but he promises everlasting gain. He places the onus of their blessing not on their choices but on his name.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Marvel at the grace and mercy of our God! He gives comfort and hope to his own, even as they reject him! He declares before it even happens that their rejection will not stand, that their weakness and sin are not greater than his love; that they will not prevent his good purposes towards them.

So, theologically, the salvation of all Israel will proclaim the faithfulness of God.

God’s faithfulness is tested by Israel’s rejection of Jesus; (will God now likewise reject them, in spite of all his promises to them?) and it is answered by the salvation of all Israel. God is faithful! The theoretical conclusion of Romans 8 is proved in practice in Romans 11:28-29! “as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Romans 3:3-4 “Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? ⁴ Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar.” It must be stressed that Jewish rejection of Jesus was not met by divine rejection of Israel! God has not, as a consequence, rejected the Jewish people!

God has chosen Israel because he loves everyone. He has not rejected Israel because he is faithful. Israel have stumbled because of lack of faith, that stumbling has blessed the gentiles, and in the end, all Israel will be saved.

So, looking at the question theologically, Jewish unbelief and consequent judgement has vindicated God from the charge of favoritism, just as the salvation of all Israel will vindicate him from the charge of deceptiveness and unfaithfulness. God is both righteous/impartial and faithful! Both of these qualities make God worthy to judge. Romans 3:4 As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."

Quick summary;

Jewish rejection highlights God’s righteousness, and clarifies the way of salvation.

Key verse; Amos 3:2 "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins." 

Jewish re-inclusion (on the basis of faith) proclaims God’s faithfulness.

Key verse; Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

Finally, having seen how Jewish rejection aided the Gentiles, how does Jewish rejection, and the subsequent salvation of the Gentiles, aid in Jewish salvation??

BREAK

It does so because Gentile salvation is how God has determined that redemption shall come to Israel. The salvation of the Gentiles was not God abandoning or replacing Israel – this is God working towards their salvation and full inclusion!

We catch a glimpse of this already in the Jewish remnant who, in every generation since the Crucifixion, have been saved by grace! Romans 11:5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant [of Israel] chosen by grace.

They were saved largely through the example and witness of Godly Gentiles.

Romans 11:11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.

Joseph has to leave his own family in order to save not only the Egyptians, but also his own family! Genesis 50:20-21 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."

God also sent Joseph to Egypt in order to save the Israelites!! In going to the gentiles, Jesus was saving Israel! This is what saving Israel looks like!

Genesis 45:4-11 "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.'

Romans 11:31 “so they [the Jewish people] too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you [Gentiles].”

God cares about everyone! He cared about the Egyptians, and sent them Joseph, and he cared about the children of Israel, and sent Joseph on ahead of them to preserve them and to save their lives! Joseph went on ahead because he was rejected by the sons of Israel. Through enormous suffering, he was able to bless those gentiles. Joseph’s going on ahead was also God’s way of confirming his promises to the Patriarchs that he would care for their children and not allow them to perish from the face of the earth.

Question; how does God’s mercy to the gentile church facilitate the salvation of Israel??

What is the role of the [gentile] church in the salvation of “All Israel?” Paul and Joseph clearly teach that this is why [in God’s plan] they rejected Jesus. (Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”)

So, how does salvation come to Israel? Salvation comes when then look on him who they have pierced. When the redeemer comes from Zion. It is Jesus centered! He is their Messiah!! However, Jesus says; Luke 13:34-35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' "

The Jewish people must ask Jesus to return!!

Hosea 6:1-3 Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. ² After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. ³ Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

Acts 3:19-21 (speaking to the men of Israel) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven (“Then I will go back to my place”) until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Joel 2:29-32 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. ³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. ³² And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Psalm 102:15-22 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. ¹⁶ For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death” (or “children of death”) So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.

Psalm 50:7, 15 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, … and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." 

I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' … Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. 

But how will they know to do this? They did not know during the Holocaust, the most awful tragedy imaginable, how will they know at the time of Jacob’s trouble? Jacob’s sons knew only that the Egyptians had food! They did not know this was due to their brother Joseph!

Romans 10:12-19 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" ¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"

 ¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." ¹⁹ Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;"

Romans 11:11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.

Yes! Romans 11:13-15 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Again, see Acts 3:19-21!)

So, envy for the riches we have in Christ is how the remnant are saved. Is it also how “all Israel” are made aware of the only name given under heaven by which they might be saved?? Paul’s logic here moves beyond the remnant (“some of them”) and looks to the salvation of all Israel (“their rejection/acceptance”), and the return of Jesus! “Repent, then, … that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” And what is Paul’s trigger for this blessed event? Gentile salvation making them envious! It is the children of Israel, desperate for the food of the Egyptians. Jesus says you will not see me again until you say; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! This salvation heralds the end of the age, the return of the King, and the consummation of history. It is Gentile salvation that will bring the Jews to repentance, it is Jewish repentance that will bring Jesus! And it is in this same passage in Acts where Peter calls upon them to repent, he also stresses God’s call to Abraham was always a means to bless Gentiles; Acts 3:25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'

Romans 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (This verse is terribly undervalued in much Christian theology!)

And they would not have know who to cry to if the gentile church had not shown them the way! “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent?”

Romans 11:25-6; I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so (in this way) all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

So, why must they wait until the fulness of the gentiles has come in?

Because the fulness of the Gentiles will be needed to save all Israel!

It was not just one or two years of harvest that were needed to feed all of the gentiles who came to Joseph and his kinsmen according to the flesh! The whole harvest of the Egyptians was needed to save both the Egyptians, the family of Israel and all the scattered children of God. Note also that Joseph does not simply save his family by himself, by just sending them regular shipments of grain or some such. Rather, the Pharaoh and the Egyptians are very much part of this rescue.

Genesis 45:16-18 When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, ¹⁸ and bring your father and your families back to me. I [Pharaoh] will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.'

Here Pharaoh and all his officials are saving Israel from the famine. “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so (in this way) all Israel will be saved.” Israel is saved by being invited and coming into the land where Joseph rules, by coming into the Kingdom. Note also the beautiful humility of the Gentile leadership!

Genesis 47:7-10 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. … ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.

Hebrews 7:7 And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater.

Romans 11:18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

The Pharaoh understood this truth! We see those who have been saved by Joseph rescuing Israel and being blessed by Israel!

The Jewish rejection which led to his death was needed to purchase salvation. The Jewish rejection after his death was necessary for the delivery of that salvation to both Gentiles and Jews.

So, the final question is, having failed to make Israel jealous for 2,000 years, how will God use the church to preach the Gospel to Israel?

What more do we know about this vital, blessed event? Well, it will happen after “the fulness of the gentiles are brought in.” 

Matthew 24:14-32 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ¹⁵ "… ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. ²² If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³ … ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. … "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. ³¹ … ³² "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

Jeremiah 30:7-9 'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress, But he will be saved from it. ⁸ 'And it shall come about on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck, and will tear off their bonds; and strangers shall no longer make them their slaves. ⁹ 'But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

In Zechariah 12-14, all the nations of the world come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 14:2-4 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. ³ Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. ⁴ And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 12:9-10 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. ¹⁰ "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

The reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers is prolonged and difficult on both sides. Joseph secretly weeps, the brothers likewise find the process confusing and painful.

Genesis 42:21 They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."

For the people of Israel, clearly it is hard to walk back from rejecting and killing the messiah God sent them! The guilt is too great to acknowledge, the shame too overwhelming. It is only the extremity of the famine (the time of Jacob’s trouble) which forces them time and time again to go for the riches of the land ruled by Joseph. (Genesis 42:1-2 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" ² He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." Romans 11:11 salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.) The wealth of the Egyptians is vital in this, they know without it, they will die, but the first time they go down, it is difficult and unsatisfying. They take losses (Simeon is imprisoned), and the cost of these riches (Benjamin, their most precious possession) is too high. And all this time they remain unaware of the true identity of Joseph, unaware he is the brother they thought they had killed, but who now rules these blessed gentiles. It is only as the famine becomes even more unbearable that, in fear and uncertainty, they return, unsure what to expect - Genesis 43:8-14 "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die…. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁰ … ¹³ Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."

Jesus says you will not see me until you say “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Note also that God is not prepared for the present estrangement to continue on indefinitely. It is he who takes the decisive steps to force the issue. He initiates the crisis that will compel them to seek him.

Genesis 41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Zechariah 14:2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it;

Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.”

Psalm 105:16-17 He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;

 ¹⁷ and he sent a man before them-- Joseph, sold as a slave.

Note also the difference in degree here. God sends a famine, but the result is reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers, between Joseph and his father and between the brothers themselves. The short-term pain is most definitely worth the everlasting result! Hosea 6:2-3 “on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. ³ Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

“blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This comes from

Psalm 118:1 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. … ¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me (For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle), but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. (Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.' ⁶ "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples,)¹¹ They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. …¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. ¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. … ¹⁷ I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. ¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. ¹⁹ Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. ²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. ²² The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; ²³ the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ²⁵ O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

Israel cries out to God, and God answers their cry. He becomes their salvation. The stone the builders rejected becomes the capstone, and it is marvelous in their eyes. It is the glorious consummation of their history, and it is so worth it!!

The role of the church here is both vital, and yet strangely distant and incomplete. Their riches have pointed to the one who will save Israel, but they have not revealed his identity, or brought about that salvation themselves. It is only when Joseph reveals himself that they realize who he really is. It is only when he stands on the Mt of Olives that they look on him whom they have pierced. It is only when they cry out, and he answers them that he becomes their salvation. They are not saved prior to this – it is only when they look on him that they repent and mourn that a fountain is opened in the city of David to cleanse them from sin and impurity. That is, they call out in a still unsaved state, in desperation. So they cry out with seemingly incomplete knowledge, and only because of the depth of their travail. And yet they know that those riches are there! Here again,

Genesis 42:23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.

Now, an interpreter is usually a good thing, a vital aid to communications. Like a spokes-person. We are indeed called to such a role;

2Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

And this has worked great in bringing the saving new of Jesus to the gentile nations. Europe, Africa, China, the Americas etc have all heard of Jesus through the lives of his faithful ambassadors. But when it comes to his own Jewish people, the generations of Jacob, the gentile church has largely served not to aid communication, but rather to hide the true identity of the one they represent. Christianity is not a gentile religion for gentile people, Jesus is their long-lost brother.

And so, finally, after confusion and pain, Judah confesses the sin his brothers had been unable to speak;

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

Joseph dismisses the faithful but ineffective interpreter, and speaks to his brothers himself, in Hebrew. Do we catch a glimpse of the rapture of the church here? In any event, the role of the church in Israel’s salvation remains frustratingly unclear. It is vital, it informs Israel where they must go to, but somehow not to whom. Why is it so inarticulate, and how, given the history to the church up till now, is it even that effective? These are questions vital to the church today!!!!! Romans 11:31 “so they [the Jewish people] too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you [Gentiles].” because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.

[ Isaiah 40:9-10 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

Isaiah 52:7-10 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" ⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. ⁹ Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. ¹⁰ The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.]

Romans 11:13-15 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Now,

It is Gentile salvation that will bring the Jews to envy, it is Jewish cries that will bring Jesus! And then the Jewish people take the Gospel to all the world!

“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.”  

Zechariah 8:20-23 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, ²¹ and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, 'Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.' ²² And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him." ²³ This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

Isaiah 2:2-3 In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³ Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Romans 11:16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

If all Israel are saved, then in that very fact lies hope for the Gentiles! God is always generous! Our (be we Jewish or Gentile) blessing lies in their (be they Gentile or Jewish) blessing; as we bless them so we are blessed. Note also that God brings about the crisis which precipitates his return and reconciliation with Israel not just for their sakes!

Ezekiel 38:16, 23; 39:7 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes., … And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.' … " 'I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel.

Romans 11:30-36 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. ³² For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. ³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" ³⁵ "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" ³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Ephesians 2:14-15 “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,”

John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 

John 11:51-52 but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one

Here, too, blessing is commanded!

Psalm 67:2-4 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. ³ May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. ⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah

Isaiah 65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.

Application

We worship a rejected messiah. This also meant that all who would follow Him must do what He did, and go beyond the city walls, and bear the shame and reproach. We also must be ready to lay down our lives, “the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [others] to God. (1Peter 3:18) note also that Paul draws his own application from all this - Romans 15:8-12 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." ¹⁰ Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." ¹¹ And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." ¹² And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."

Romans 12:1; “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.”  

Conclusion

Jesus came as the messiah of Israel, as their prophet, priest and king. We have already seen how in fact he achieved many fundamental messianic things in his first coming, breaking through the Law, restoring to mankind everything that Adam lost, opening the gates to heaven etc. His rejection by the Jewish people likewise fulfilled the prophesies concerning the rejection of the Messiah, and ushered in the time of the Gentiles. It is directly as a consequence of his rejection that the people of Israel have abided many days without a king, sacrifice or ephod, because he is these. With his rejection and departure, the Spirit left the Temple, and Jerusalem was trodden down. In answer then to the question posed originally, the first coming of Jesus was Messianic because it fulfilled Jewish understandings of a messianic prophecy, both as it related to the Jewish people and religion, and as it related to the person of the Messiah Himself.

As Messiah, Jesus ben Perez, is also Davidic and will indeed be “good for the Jews.”

Jerusalem was doomed. Jesus coming to the vineyard and being killed simply proved the point. God judges us by our fruit. The walls of Jerusalem were already rotten with human sin. The Old Covenant was always temporary! It could not last! Judaism needed and needs its messiah!!

In his first coming he made/created an escape route out of the doomed city and saved many. Likewise, this escape route has saved a righteous remnant of Jews ever since, in every generation. Their very rejection aided the creation of the Gentile church, who in turn will show the way of salvation to the Jewish people. Finally, Jesus will return and save all Israel. That is, his first coming was redemptive at the time, has been redemptive of the remnant and the wider church ever since, and finally, it will be redemptive for all Israel.

All of Jewish history proclaims to the world that it is by faith and faith alone that salvation is to be found. It shows the impossibility of reaching God through good deeds, it shows the depth of human depravity, the wages of sin, and finally, the free gift of God. Jewish advantage, Jewish failure and the salvation of all Israel proclaim the Gospel to all humanity.

Once the full number of Gentiles have come in, then the partial hardening of Israel will be lifted. So, if you want all Israel to be saved, get out and witness to Gentiles!

Summary

The conundrum of a rejected Messiah

Why did the Messiah have to be rejected?

He was rejected in two stages, pre-crucifixion, and post crucifixion

Two answers to this grief

1.      The first purpose of Jewish rejection was to bring salvation to the Gentiles

a.       Saving Gentiles was always God’s plan

b.      Their salvation was always centred on the Messiah

c.       This salvation required the temporary rejection of the Gospel by the Jewish people

d.      Why??

i. Theologically, Jewish rejection declared the righteousness of God. He is impartial, salvation is by faith alone, to all who believe.

ii. Historically, as the Synagogues rejected Paul, so he took the message to the Gentiles

iii. Philosophically, rejected Jewish particularity safeguarded Gentile universalism

2.      Jewish rejection and the consequent Gentile salvation are God’s way of saving the Jewish people

e.       Saving Jews was always God’s plan

f.        Their salvation was always centred on the Messiah

g.      Their salvation required Gentile salvation

h.      Why??

a.       Theologically, Jewish salvation declares the faithfulness of God.

b.      Historically, Gentile salvation has functioned to make Jewish people jealous of the riches we have in Jesus

c.       The Jewish people must ask Jesus to return

d.      The fulness of the Gentiles will be needed to save all Israel

e.       God initiates the crisis which forces the Jewish people to seek out the riches we have.

f.        They do this incompletely – it is only when Israel look on him that they are saved.

Romans 11:30-12:1 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience,

 ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.

 ³² For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

 ³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

 ³⁴ "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"

 ³⁵ "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"

 ³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.