I. The Word: Romans 9:1-5

1I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

In Romans 9:1-5 Paul expresses great sorrow for his fellow Jews who have rejected their Savior, Jesus. This they had done in spite of seven spiritual privileges Israel had received: 1) the adoption as sons, 2) the divine glory; 3) the covenants and the Law, 4) the temple services, 5) the promises, 6) the patriarchal fathers, and 7) sharing the same race as Jesus according to the flesh. Notwithstanding these privileges the Jews had rejected Jesus.

I think this was always hard for Paul to accept, although it is clear from what follows in Romans 9 and thereafter that the Lord had given Paul an understanding of why this had happened. Still, Paul seemed to find it hard to accept that the Jews would reject Jesus given all the road signs the Lord had given to Israel pointing to Jesus throughout history,  through Jesus’ life,  and by way of the evidence for the resurrection.

I think that is why, even though Paul’s calling was to the Gentiles, when he went into a city on his missionary journeys he would find the local temple and start by preaching to the Jews. Then when the Jews threw him out, beat him, or stoned him, he would preach to the Gentiles in the city

I also think this is why even though Paul was warned repeatedly in Acts by the Holy Spirit not to go back to Jerusalem he did so anyway. Paul just could not see how the Jews could reject Jesus, given all the evidence before them that Jesus was the Christ, not to mention the evidence of Paul’s own testimony that Jesus had appeared to him on the road to Damascus.

But I am just guessing. What we do not need to guess about is the explanation that follows in Chapter 9. The only question is whether we will accept it or insist that we know better than God.