Romans 11:11: “… their transgression brought salvation to the other nations …”
The main message of the Bible is reconciliation – Jesus’ suffering, substitutionary death, and resurrection. Simply put, the cross sheds light on all other truths described in the Bible.
More than 700 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and said:
Isaiah 53:4-5: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.
At their first meeting, John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the atoning sacrifice.
John 1:29: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Throughout church history, the accusation “You killed Jesus” has driven the persecution of the Jewish people. The well-known Church Father John Chrysostom (349–407 AD) preached:
“Jews are the most worthless of all men … They worship the devil, their religion is a disease. The Jews are the stinking murderers of Christ, and there is no forgiveness for having taken the life of God, no tolerance or grace. Christians need not refrain from their thirst for vengeance, and the Jew must live in servitude for the rest of his life. God has always hated the Jewish people, and it is incumbent upon every Christian—that is, every Christian’s obvious duty—to hate the Jews.”
Unfortunately, Chrysostom did not represent the exception but rather the rule. Large parts of the church were marked by contempt and hostility towards the Jewish people. We also see that a flawed and distorted understanding of Biblical texts can lead to horrific consequences for the spread of anti-Semitism, as expressed in Chrysostom’s quote. Therefore, in this chapter, we will examine some of these texts more closely and see how the Bible itself sheds light on them. Today, there is an awakening and repentance among Christians worldwide across denominations. They recognize that salvation comes from the Jews and that we are indebted to them.
The apostles Peter and Paul had a completely different understanding of the Jews and Jesus’ death. What we are about to look at, Paul describes as a mystery or a secret:
Romans 11:25: I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
The prophet Ezekiel does not use the term hardening but rather that God has hidden his face:
Ezekiel 39:28-29: Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Here, we are invited into God’s own heart and sense the pain it must be for a Father to hide his face from his children, whom he loves so dearly—the people He chose to bring God’s Savior to the world. Against this backdrop, Peter’s speech to the Jewish assembly after a lame man was healed gains meaning:
Acts 3:12: When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”
Peter continues:
Acts 3:13-15: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Notice how his speech continues. It is completely free of accusations, and instead, he addresses them as brothers:
Acts 3:17: Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. (NO 2011)
He goes on to explain that this was foretold by the prophets and how God’s purpose was fulfilled in this way:
Acts 3:18: But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.
Providing a reasonable explanation as to why God chose to do it this way may not be possible. Paul refers to it as a “mystery” or “secret” that has been revealed. Paul uses the word “mystery” 27 times in the New Testament to describe great truths in God’s kingdom, such as salvation (Romans 16:25), the Gospel (Ephesians 3:1-9), and the Church (Ephesians 3:1-9 and 5:32), to name a few. Although we may not always comprehend the depths of these mysteries, Paul wants us to know them, saying, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited …” (Romans 11:25). God does not reveal anything that we cannot see or understand. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s plans and purposes, just as we can understand by faith how the world was created by God’s word (Hebrews 11:3).
When Peter explains the Jewish people’s involvement in Jesus’ death, we must understand that it is not intended to hold them solely responsible, as we might be accustomed to thinking. Peter makes this clear when he speaks to the church during the prayer meeting after threats from the high priests and elders:
Acts 4:27-28: Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
As we see, Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all involved. Isaiah’s prophecy that began this chapter continues to describe this as follows: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6). Ultimately, we are all guilty! The key to understanding the great drama represented by Jesus’ death on the cross is, as Peter expresses, “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Ultimately, no one could kill Jesus, as Jesus himself states to his disciples: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18). What a Savior we have!
When we accept that God made a choice, that is, the mystery of hiding His face from the Jews so that salvation would come to the Gentiles, it becomes easier to understand Israel and the Jewish people in God’s great plan of salvation – as Paul writes about in Romans chapters 9–11.
The speech also reveals significant future events:
Acts 3:19-21: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
It is hard to interpret the text above in any way other than that this people must turn back to God and believe in His anointed—Messiah/Christ—before the Father can “send the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus.” This illustrates how God is not finished with this people.
The Apostle Paul teaches in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11 about the Jewish people. In chapter 11, he explains to the church in Rome about the fall of the Jews, which brought salvation to us. He addresses this topic five times in the same chapter, delivering an unequivocal message to the church that should fill us all with humility. He poses a thoughtful question to capture our attention and simultaneously gives a clear answer:
Romans 11:11: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles …
Romans 11:12: But if their transgression means riches for the world …
Romans 11:15: For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world …
(The Bible – God’s Word, Hermon Publishing)
From the Greek grammar in this verse (v. 15), one could argue that it refers to either their rejection of the Messiah or that God has rejected them. But from the overall message of the text, it aligns with the rest of the chapter, where it is clear that it is the Jews’ rejection of the Messiah that led to reconciliation for the world.
Romans 11:28-30: As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience.
As the apostles explain it, we can say that the majority of the Jews said no to Jesus so that we could have the opportunity to say yes.
Psalm 118:22-24 proclaims:
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Jesus sums up the central role of the Jews in the great story of salvation in John 4:22: Salvation is from the Jews.
Reflection Questions
1. – Why does Peter say in Acts 3:13-15 that it was the Jews who crucified Christ?
2. – In what way can we understand that this was God’s plan from the beginning?
(See Romans 11:11-12)
3. – What role does this revelation play in the history of Israel and the Jews?
