Scandalous Faith

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Romans 9 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 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 people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
As most of you know I recently returned from Israel, so I read this passage (as well as chapters 10-11) with a little more attention. Israel is a land where national and familial identity is everything. To be Jewish is to be set apart, special, chosen by God. But chosen for what? To bless the world; to be a kingdom of priests through whom God would make himself known to all. 

Well, over the centuries before Christ, Israel struggled with their calling. They saw their “chosen” status as a place of superiority rather than a place of service. God repeatedly took them through hard times in order to re-mold the clay, seeking to shape them to come in line with his purposes, but to little avail. 

In the midst of Israel’s obstinacy, along comes Jesus who is not only the example of the perfect human, but more specifically, he is the fulfillment of the perfect Jew. He came to serve and bless and save… get this—everyone, gentiles included! This was extremely scandalous to the Jews. They thought, “How can these pagan gentiles be accepted by God based solely on faith, while we have been toiling for centuries to keep the law?! It’s just not fair!”

Remember, even today, the Jews (especially in Israel) are a hated people. They have enemies on all sides. And when you live with constant hatred toward you, you just learn to view all outsiders with suspicion, especially those of gentile descent. So, to have the messiah of the Jews (Jesus) be one who proclaimed blessing and salvation to all, including Israel’s enemies, was scandalous indeed, even blasphemous. No wonder they “stumbled” over him.


APPLICATION:
One of the most meaningful parts of our Israel trip was the privilege of worshiping with a messianic congregation (Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah) in Jerusalem. As Calev (the lead elder of the church) puts it, the goal of the congregation is to live out the kingdom of God… and in God’s kingdom people from every tribe and language and nation come to worship. As Paul would say, there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ. 

So, starting about 6 months ago, they began to incorporate Arabic songs into their worship service, even inviting an Arab Christian to join the worship team. Now you can’t begin to imagine how much hatred and suspicion and malice has been ingrained for centuries between the Jews and Arabs. The worship leader, Shelly, even had a bomb go off within a block of her house one time (fired from one of the neighboring Arab nations), so for them to make this move is amazing and way more challenging than we can understand. In fact, many people left the church over it.

But despite the opposition, they pressed ahead, and as I was standing there singing worship songs, the words on the screen were in Hebrew, English, and Arabic (and I think we have a diverse church!). I was so blessed to see them overcome their hatred and suspicion and seek to reconcile and truly experience the Kingdom of God. Just think how challenging it is to set aside your own preferences in all kinds of areas of life (including worship music!), much less to embrace a race you have long considered your enemy.

Even now as I reflect on that church service, I am impressed by the power of the gospel among them to overcome prejudice and their willingness to even incorporate Arab style into their music, but I am also convicted of my own pettiness. It is way too easy to let my personal preferences reign supreme rather than to truly seek the diversity of the kingdom of God.

Again, when you live with persistent hatred, part of your identity actually becomes being against that certain group or person. And I love how this church is letting their identity as Christ followers overcome long-held hatred and prejudice, to actually be known for embracing and welcoming “enemies.”

What about you, me? Have we embraced that scandalous love of the Lord Jesus that actually blesses those opposed to us, genuinely seeking to love and reconcile? Or have we let part of our identity be found in our opposition and hatred of another person or group? Grace is a funny thing. We are thankful for it ourselves, but leery of expressing too much of it to others.

May we be known for the same kind of scandalous, outrageous, enemy-embracing love that got Jesus killed. 


WHO AM I?
My name is Greg Bland, and pictured is my simple attempt at peace and trust—receiving a straight razor shave in the Muslim section of old Jerusalem.