Paul’s Misery – Romans 9:1-5

A text – Romans 9:1-5

9:1 I am speaking the truth in Christ–I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit–
9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.
9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
9:5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

A reflection:

Paul seems pretty miserable here. He has just spent several chapters in praise of a God who won’t let anything – hell or high water or anything – separate us from the deep and abiding love of our Creator and Redeemer. So why is he so miserable now?

Because in this chapter he has to deal with the fact that the Jews, Paul’s own people, do not believe that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who is redeeming not just the Jews but every human being for eternal life. The Jews mostly do not believe in Jesus as Messiah, but the Gentiles do, and Paul’s mission has been to bring this good news to the ends of the earth, where the word has been spreading and people like your ancestors and mine believed.

Paul wants to convince the Jews, who received so many gifts from the Lord (like the covenants, the law, the prophets, the patriarchs) also were given Jesus, whom they rejected and killed as a blasphemer. Paul grieves this task of convincing the Jews and wishes he himself could switch places with them if that would help them accept Christ as God’s gift of Messiah to them.

Paul is an eloquent writer and speaker. He captures the frustration of a person who knows what would save someone but who is unable to convince them to accept it. If you have ever dealt with a person with a deep mental health or addiction challenge, you probably know this same frustration and agony. We can only do what we can do, as my mom used to say. We can stand by and love, and watch as God also loves and remains faithful to these people, perhaps even unto the stroke of death, when God will finally take them up into God’s loving arms and carry them into God’s bright future. They are God’s beloved children, and God keeps God’s promises.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for sending us the Apostle Paul, who shared his joys of Christ and his agonies over his inabilities as well. Help us to see that you are always faithful to us and to all your beloved children, and that in the end you will win and redeem each one of us.  Amen.