11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!
V. 11 - “They did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be!“ - So, the Jews stubborn hearts led them to reject Jesus as Messiah. They were spiritually blind and deaf, their good fortune caused them to rely on their perception of that good fortune. They were special, but could not see that it was because of God’s grace they were so. Paul is praying that rejection is not permanent or final. He prays this is a temporary setback.
"Salvation has come to the Gentiles” - Salvation comes to the world through Jesus Christ. See John 3:16-17 - “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” The rejection by the Jews does not change God’s ultimate plan! (See: Acts 13:46) The difference is in the execution of the plan, not the end result. God’s mercy and grace is not a function of Jewish religion, but is offered to all who will believe in His Son.
“To make them jealous” - It was prophesied in Hosea that people who were not God’s people would be called God’s people. God was warning both the Northern and Southern nations of Israel. There would come a time when His grace was going to be offered to people who appeared to be rejected or ignored by God. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were chosen by God to have a special relationship with Him. All others were ‘the nations”, kind of a faceless mass of humanity. There would come a time when that would change. We Gentiles are no longer faceless or forgotten - we, too, are now Children of God. (See: 1 John 3:1-2)
Perhaps, if the Jews are paying attention, they will want to share in the grace offered to the Gentiles. Not a jealousy that causes resentment towards the Gentiles because of the grace, but a desire to know the abundant life promised by God.
V. 12 - “If their transgression is riches for the world ...” - The whole world is directly blessed, not tangentially, because Jesus is available to all who listen. Salvation is offered to we Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel to us. No longer a carom off a side cushion - salvation does not come from the Jews, but from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit spoken to our hearts and minds. All the riches of God is offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ.
“How much more will their fulfillment be!” - The Jews rejected Christ and the world is blessed by salvation offered to all and is efficacious to all who believe. This can be looked at in a couple of ways, so:
- The world will be blessed even more when the Jews come to belief in Christ.
- The blessing for the Jews will cause for even more celebration. The riches realized by the Jews will be even more wonderful because they overcame their stubbornness and bias.
I am not sure how anything can be better than having all the riches of God be ours through Christ - what could be better than being with Jesus and the Father, face-to-face, embraced in love for eternity?
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