Romans 11:11-24

¹¹ So I am asking, they did not stumble into an irretrievable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by means of their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, making Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring? ¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I make a big deal of my ministry, ¹⁴ if somehow I could just provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. ¹⁵ Because if their loss is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches. ¹⁷ Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, ¹⁸ do not brag over the branches. But if you brag, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ Otherwise you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! ²¹ Because if God did not spare the natural branches, maybe he will not spare you. ²² Take note then of the gentleness and roughness of God–roughness toward those who have fallen, but God’s gentleness toward you, provided you continue in his gentleness; otherwise you also will be cut off. ²³ And even they–if they do not continue in their unbelief–will be re-grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ Because if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

their full restoration

For Paul, the only thing keeping the nation of Israel from receiving Christ as their Messiah was their unbelief. The only thing keeping Gentile believers in the tree was their faith. So, the Gentiles had no reason to brag, and the Jews had every reason to be jealous, and to come to Christ because of that jealousy. Paul expected a full scale national restoration of Israel. He expected them to come to faith in Christ.

In the mean time, he – as an apostle to the Gentiles – set his heart on reaching as many as he could with the gospel. He did not feel like he had betrayed his brother Israelites. Instead, he felt that the more Gentiles he brought to Christ, the better chance he would live to see that national spiritual restoration.

As missionaries, God has called Penny and me to preach the gospel in foreign lands. We do not regret the time and energy we spend away from our hometowns and families, touching those lives. We show our patriotism by exporting the one true spiritual wealth we have received. We regard the gospel as the one true wealth that we should share with the nations.

LORD, send us to the nations, and we will trust you to take care of our nation.