Romans 11:11-12 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
The mission to take the message of the gospel throughout the world will eventually have the affect of making the Jews jealous. I don’t know how, but jealousy results when people see something better that they want. The gospel provides a better life and outcome than anything else. We were created for the gospel and we find our deepest fulfillment in it when we come with fully consecrated lives. The way the Gentiles were included, at least in Paul’s mission, was when the Jews rejected the gospel. Paul turned to the Gentiles when the Jews rejected him. God’s intention was for all people to be saved (Acts 1:8), so the inclusion of Gentiles was part of the plan. But how this got started was through the persecution and rejection of the Jews, as the early chapters of Acts show. If the people of God’s ancient promise would come to believe, it would be overwhelming and awesome because it would verify and proof the validity of the Bible and all that God has said to people over the ages. Paul has full confidence in the promises of Scripture and believes God will fulfill these promises in the future. This is perhaps one thing that drove Paul to never completely give up on the Jews, even though it meant persecution and rejection.
For older posts, click here.