Normally, in this column I reflect on the gospel passage the lectionary invites us to ingest on Sunday. This Sunday, the passage is Matthew 14:13-21. It’s about Jesus miraculously feeding over 5,000 persons.
Two years ago, I published my reflection upon that feeding.[1] I titled it, Was Feeding of the 5,000 Jesus’ Most Political Act? You can click the link to read it. So, today, I’ll reflect instead on the other New Testament reading the lectionary proposes for today.
The text is Romans 9:1-5. It’s the beginning of a portion of scripture to which The English Standard Version supplies the heading “God’s Sovereign Choice.” It’s Paul’s introduction to his explanation of a difficulty being experienced by the mostly Jewish members of the first churches.
The difficulty was that their membership was swollen by gentiles, non-Jews. Paul himself was a Jew. A strict Jew. A Pharisee. He punished, even killed, Jews who preached Jesus as the fulfilment of the Jewish scriptures. Yet, in a miraculous way – which you can read about in Acts 9 – Jesus appointed Paul to announce Jesus as Messiah. Paul accepted the appointment. He went on to establish synagogue-like churches for all mankind, not just Jews. Today’s reading was born out of Paul’s deep anguish for his kinsmen, members of his ethnic group, who refused to recognize Jesus as the fulfilment of their own scriptures.
Today, we have to be very careful when we use the words “Jew,” “Israel,” and “Israelite.” Please be aware that I do not use them to mean the modern state of Israel, or even those who identify today as Jews.
In today’s reading, in verse 4, Paul refers to himself and others, whom he calls his “kinsmen” as “Israelites.” It’s only in verse 24 that he uses the word “Jew.” It’s interesting that the word “Israelite” is used in the Gospels and Acts only twice.[2]
The first time is in John 1:47, which reads,
Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
The second time is in the speech of Stephen, the first Christian to be martyred. Killed, on instruction of Saul, whom Jesus later called to be an apostle. We know him as Paul. The text is in Acts 7:37. It reads,
This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’
From these two texts, we may say that Israelites are the people to whom God gave the law through Moses. And true Israelites are those who apply themselves to obeying the law. Pharisees applied themselves to being true Israelites. Applied themselves to waiting for the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah who would fulfil the promises God made through his prophets. Promises enshrined in the first part of our Bible. The part which we call the Old Testament.
As I said earlier, the term “Israelite” appears only once in the Gospels. What about the term “Jew”?
Remarkably, the word “Jew” appears a total of only 16 times in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but 66 times in the Gospel of John, and 76 times in the book of Acts. Remember, John is the last of the four gospels and is more theological and combative than the synoptic gospels – which are more narrative and descriptive. And Acts is Part 2 of the Gospel of Luke. From these observations, we may say that “Israelite” denotes an ethnic identity while “Jew” denotes a combatant identity.
As I said earlier, Paul wasn’t the only Jew to feel perplexed and sad over the rejection of Jesus by most Jews. Paul wanted to encourage his fellow Jews who had become Christians, who had left synagogues and joined churches. He also wanted to “talk down” Gentile Christians who might mock the Jews who shared the crucified Lord’s table with them. He did this by exploring his sadness theologically; by digging into the scriptures.
To know what he pointed out, you have to read chapters 9 to 11. If I had to say what I think are the most important points in today’s reading, at a time when the modern state of Israel is actively, and in some respects genocidally,[3] oppressing Palestinians, I would say this.
First, Christians recognize and value ethnic ties. It’s completely understandable that people care about their own ethnic groups, like Paul cared about Israelites. But there are limits. For example, in his letter to the Galatians[4] Paul himself says in Christ, there’s neither Jew nor gentile.
Second, the scriptures of the Israelites are also our scriptures, because “in Christ,” we are kinsfolk, relatives, of Jesus, descendants of Abraham, to whom God gave the command to bless all mankind.[5]
Third, we encourage today’s Jews to join with us in accepting what the learned Israelite Rabbi, Paul, says in today’s text:
… to [the Jews] belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To [the Jews] belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed for ever.
Peace be with you.
[1] As recorded in John 6:1-21.
[2] All wordcounts I are based on the English Standard Version.
[3] I say “in some respects” because I recognize that there are Arabs married to Jews, Arab members in the Knesset (Parliament), Arab judges, doctors, pharmacists, and so on. But what today’s Israel is doing to Gaza and to Arab settlements in Gaza is deeply offensive to God. Biblical prophets would call it a stench in God’s nostrils.
[4] Galatians 3:28.
[5] Genesis 12:3 reads, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
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