Devotion #3: Gentiles Grafted In

Being a part of a team is a special bond. Over the years, I have been a part of a variety of teams through work, school, a few sports, and, yes - video games. One word that crosses over the threshold of all these teams is unity. The incredible thing about Paul and his ministry, being a Jew himself, is his passion for all people, no matter their nationality. In Acts chapter 18, as Paul was sharing the Gospel in the synagogue and was rejected by the Jewish people, he shook off his cloak and declared his ministry to the Gentiles instead.  

Here in Romans 11:11-16, we read the same undertone of Paul ministering to the Gentiles because of the Jewish people’s rejection of Jesus. We read, “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. 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! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Although the Jewish people are rejecting the Gospel of Christ, even in Paul’s frustration, he desires that through the Gentiles heeding the Gospel, it would be an example and even a reconsideration of the truth for God’s people.  

Unity is an essential part of life. John 1:12 speaks of those who believe in Christ, are called children of God, and are adopted together into His family. Paul declares in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This is the true unity that is brought only through Jesus Christ. This is the unity that Paul is desiring, preaching, and fighting for. The reality is that when we are on a team, sometimes we need our teammates to build us up, encourage us, and lead by example. That is what Paul is preaching and desiring for the Jewish people: that they would see the work the Gospel is doing in the lives of the Gentiles, and it would stir up a conviction and desire for them to unite and be obedient to the Gospel of Christ.