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The Prejudice of Faith
Romans 11:11-24
Mari Ikeda
Today’s verse is from Rome chapter 11 verse 11-24. The theme is about prejudice by faith. Don’t we sometimes look down on others by believing that I who know Christ is right because Christ is right? Today’s verse asks such a question to us. From verses 11 to 15.
A. Those of faith judging those without faith (11-15)
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. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in 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 brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Things issued in this paragraph are something repeatedly spoken since chapter 9, which is that Jew refused Jesus while the gentiles believed Jesus. In addition, it was problematic that the gentiles were discriminating against Jews.
Paul was against that kind of situation and emphasized that ministering to the gentiles is not because he abandoned Jews. The whole purpose of his ministry to the gentiles was so that the greatness of Jesus would be revealed to Jews.
What history teaches us is that prejudice by Christian, who was originally gentile, became deeply problematic to the point of being a national level of persecution, when their power connected to the government body. Persecution is not limited to Jews and anyone even we could have a bias toward others, especially to people who do not believe Jesus or believe other God. However, such an attitude is wrong. Before going into details, let me move to the next verse from 16 6o 18.
B. The importance of the Old Testament (16-18)
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.17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
1. The Old Testament should not be disrespected
What Pau states here is that faith to believe Jesus is based on the old testament in which Jew kept warm. The old-testament records about Israelites who betrayed God over and over. At the same time, it is a record of Jews keep remembering God’s grace who saved them repeatedly and helped them to return to God. Like it was told in my previous session, it is proof that God preserved a true believer of God who lives in the trust of God while many simply use God with some lip talk.
Perhaps the old-testament is like an ancient old tale and tribe history book of Israelites, thus it is difficult for us to link it to our actual life. Moreover, there are risks for us to misinterpret the content unless we view it from the perspective of Jesus when reading the old testament. Yet, the old-testament teaches us about the unchanging love and grace of God and God’s wondrous works that lead to an accomplishment of God’s plan by using human sins and weaknesses.
2. Prejudice toward Judaism
One more thing that we need to keep in mind is that God chose Jews at first and promised his blessing to them. In the verse we read next, Paul says that Jews are blessed people by God even though they are not believing Jesus. It does not mean that Jews are superior to other nations nor the world should treat current Jews and the Jewish state. Rather, God is so sincere that never remove his promise, thus mercy on Jews is also never changed.
We also need to check ourselves if we do not have any prejudice to Jews and Judaism like gentiles in the era of Paul. In the new testament, the elite of Jews in the 1st century A.D such as legal scholars Pharisees, and priests often appear. Those people were criticized as a hypocrite who teaches legalism by both Jesus and Paul. Yet it was a mistake of those elite people and there were many Jews who were questioning their teaching. In fact, the teaching of Jew got reformed little by little after Jew lost their temple in Jerusalem in the war that took place after Jesus’s death. Thus, we need to be careful not to misunderstand Judaism when reading the new testament by acknowledging that some descriptions about Judaism in the new testament may be prejudiced.
C. Faith is a gift of grace from God
1. We should not be conceited (19-22)
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
It repeatedly teaches us that faith is not something we gain by our own strength rather it is a grace from God. Who will be cut off and who would be grafted in. those are not something that we determine. It is all God’s will whether the person has faith or not. We should not forget that we are also a simple branch that was grafted by God. We are not connected to God with our strength. Because Jesus holds onto us, we can continue having faith.
2. A God who turns unbelief into faith (23-24)
23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
God’s grace forgives sinned and transforms unrighteous to righteous. The heart refusing and distrusting God would be changed because it is the power of God.
I am not so familiar with planting, but I learned a bit about the technique of grafting. Grafting is a technique to cut off a branch from the weakened tree and use it to the tree that looks have vitality and help redeem it.
Yet, how Paul mentions grafting is the opposite. In his story, it is said that a branch is cut off from a good tree and １graft it to the wild tree. His teaching with an example of grafting is not based on common sense, but he says it is what God does to us. With what is said is that God draws us to him as his own possession, opposing our sinful nature.
Paul expects what God accomplishes. A branch once cut off in the past can be redeemed by God. The process (of the broken off branches being grafted back in) starts when they (the broken off branches) envy the wild branches as the wild branches produce good fruits abundantly by being grafted into the good tree.
A grafting that Paul explains becomes possible when we become free from any prejudices, forgive each other, and love each other.
We need to know that Jesus is righteous and choose to make an action, leading an accomplishment of Jesus’s righteousness. We need to keep remembering that Jesus is the one who is right not us. It is important that we recognize the unconscious bias that we have, admit it, and seek to be transformed.
（Prayer） Dear God, please draw our hearts close to you and guide us by your spirit. Please let us be aware if there are any biases and stubbornness in our hearts that need to be broken down. Help us to continue being sincere and honest so that we look for your righteousness rather than our own righteousness. Also, give us courage and wisdom to make an action for your righteousness when meeting the situation in which weak is despised and suffering due to a force against your righteousness. Father, let us know what we can do to stop the war in Ukraine and for Ukrainian who needed to leave home and have become a refugee
Summary
We have a tendency to assume that those of faith are always right and that people who don’t have faith are wrong. This is a mistake. We have been saved by a God who, by his grace, calls the unrighteous to become righteous. Also, we should be aware that the New Testament portrayal of Judaism is biased and can give us the wrong impression.
For Discussion
1 Do you find yourself thinking: I am right and they are wrong? Is this due to bias or justice?
2 What is your understanding of faith and freedom of religion?