Romans 9:30 –10:4: The Law through the Looking Glass.

Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on May 04, 2008
and Swift Current Corps on August 02, 2009
By Captain Michael Ramsay

Have you ever noticed that there are times when it doesn’t matter how hard you want something or how much you think you deserve something that it just is not to be? Have you ever worked really hard for that trophy or job only to see it go to someone else? Or there’s the other side of that as well: have you ever really attempted to avoid a responsibility or attention for something but no matter how hard you try and avoid it, there it is?
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Once upon a time I was a teacher and, well, I was actually involved in many aspects of education for a long time. I remember there was this high school student, Alan, in the last months before his graduation: the school is getting ready like all schools do and all the boys are preparing to rent their tux’s and the girls are preparing to get their dresses made and the million and one other things it seems they have to do – which seems like quite a lot more than the boys actually. The atmosphere around the schools at this time of year is always really charged with excitement. The students have to vote on everything from what to do on grad night to what song they will play as they march into the auditorium.
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Most of the kids are all getting really excited to find out who is going to do this and who is going to do that at grad and some of the students are even campaigning to represent their class on Grad Night. Being Class Rep is a really big deal for some people - but not for Alan. Alan is really not into the whole school scene. He is graduating and he isn’t even sure if he wants to go to the graduation ceremonies led alone to bother to vote for a favourite song or who should represent his class on grad day. He doesn’t want anything to do with it.
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So when the big day comes where the school is supposed to vote for who will represent the class, Alan, along with some of his closest friends decide not to participate. They sneak out the back door and down the stairs and almost get away but the vice principal spots them and marches them unceremoniously into the gym - where they are just finishing the nomination process and all those who have been campaigning are sitting on stage and - now just when everyone is about to vote, someone notices Alan and the others being dragged in and yells out as loud as she can. “I nominate Alan!” Soon the whole student body is cheering – except for those who actually running and except for Alan. Alan is overwhelmingly elected.
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Now when Alan tells me the story, he tells me too, that not only didn’t he want the position, but he would have refused it if the Vice Principal didn’t come up to him after the vote and try to convince him to step down. So now he has this responsibility. He has won this prize but it’s a prize that he didn’t even want.
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This is a little bit like the story Paul is relaying to us in Romans Chapters 9-11 and if you have your Bibles with you, I encourage you to keep a finger in Chapter 9 verse 30 through to 10:4.
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I’ll read some of it again for you now (9:30-33) Verse 30: “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
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The Gentiles (and by Gentiles here, Paul simply means non-Jewish people) the Gentiles, weren’t campaigning to be class representative or anything (they weren’t seeking Salvation) and as far as many of the Jews[1] were concerned, the Gentiles were outside the promise when the election occurred but Paul here is letting the Romans know that indeed they snuck in at just the right time[2] and they were elected and whether they previously wanted it or not and even more than that…
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Paul has some not very good news for those who were actually trying to obtain their position. He says, paraphrasing Isaiah (Isa 8:14, 28:16), in verse 33, “…See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock [Jesus Christ] that will make them fall…(Cf. also Psalm 118:22-23)” Paul says, verse 31, that the Jews, that the chosen people, that Israel, – though striving for righteousness they did not obtain it. They did not get it. They now find themselves on the outside looking in.
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Jesus even, in Matthew 21:42-44, says very bluntly, “… the kingdom of God will be taken away from you [Israel] and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” ‘The kingdom will be taken away from you,’ Jesus says.
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So this isn’t really good news for some who are reading or listening to this letter in the first century and maybe it isn’t such good news for some today either. After all, now like then, some mistakenly thought that Israel was exclusively elected for salvation by God. They didn’t realise, as we know, that the purpose of the their election was (for God) to bring salvation to the world[3]. They didn’t understand and through of this ignorance of God some actually rejected the promise. Some rejected their election. They are crushed. The kingdom is taken away from them.

Now Paul loves his countrymen (Israel) and knowing this problem, 10:1&2, Paul cries out "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." The nation of Israel, in Paul’s time (and in our time too, actually) the nation of Israel, verse 33, strove for righteousness and did not obtain it.
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Now this raises a series of serious questions for us: why did they not obtain it?[4] And can we strive for God’s righteousness and not obtain it? Can we seek ye first the Kingdom of God and not find it (cf. Matt 7:7ff)?[5] Can we strive for righteousness and not obtain it? Can we try to get to heaven and be turned away at the gates? Can we? Maybe the answer is ‘yes’ (but cf. Matt 6-7)...
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Romans 10:2-3: “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
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These people then, though they are zealous for God, try to develop their own righteousness and in the process reject Jesus as God and therefore cannot know God and, as a result, they do not win the prize. They reject Christ, they reject God, and they reject His righteousness.
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It seems like (if anyone remembers) the classic story, ‘Alice through the Looking Glass.’ At a point in that story there are two groups of people: those who are determined to reach a goal (like Israel here in our story) and those who are not. Now those who are most determined to reach the goal walk towards the mirror where it is reflected but – of course – the never reach it because its not there – only the reflection is there. The ones, however, who turn (repent) and walk in the opposite direction are the one’s who in the end actually did find it.[6]
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It’s like us as we are looking a mirror. We can never grab a reflection in the mirror no matter how hard we try because it is not a real item: it is just a reflection. This is like the Law was to Israel – you see, the Law is a reflection of God. It is not God and as long as one is just reaching for His reflection (The Law), one can never grasp God. As long as one is just reaching for His reflection rather than for Jesus himself - even though He is standing right beside you – as long as you are just reaching for his reflection you will never reach him.
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Now are there anyways that we can be tempted to do this? Are there ways in our own lives when we are tempted to ignore God and try to grasp an image, a rule maybe, or a ritual instead? Are there times when we, like first century Israel, might rely on our own righteousness and in the process actually turn our backs on God?
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I think that sometimes in our very churches we make this mistake. I think sometimes some of us might be tempted to believe that if we come to church once a week (or even less in some people’s cases) and sing songs we’ll be saved. Do we sometimes think that the fact that we don’t swear or drink or smoke or gamble or whatever else we don’t do that we’ll be okay? Are we fooled to believe that if we are nice and don’t hurt anyone else then we deserve to go to heaven…I have heard that very sentiment at funerals - and it’s tragic. I have even heard alleged clergy suggest that anyone will be in heaven as long as they were just liked by someone.
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Well if any of us are hoping to get to God by being liked, by being nice, or on our own righteousness, then we will be disappointed because good personality, good works, or our own righteousness are nothing more than grasping towards a shadow, an image in the mirror.
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But lest we get too depressed here, there is some very good news for us all. 10:4 : Christ is an end to the Law. We no longer need to be deceived by that particular reflection (and indeed many people are not) anymore: that mirror is finished and there is more good news even: 9:33, those who do actually trust in Jesus, we will never be put to shame. We don’t need to look at anything else; we don’t need to be deceived by any other mirror or pale reflection. We don’t need to. Jesus is standing with us and he will never leave us nor forsake us.
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So this is it – this is the gospel – this is the real thing –so listen up: Jesus died, rose from the dead, and He’s coming back. Jesus died, rose from the grave, and he’s coming back and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). This is good news, this is the real deal and this is what we will see when we stop looking in mirrors of self-righteousness, rules, regulations, and traditions (as good as they may be at best they are only reflections of God). The real good news is what we see when we just turn to talk to Him, when we just (repent) turn to Him through praying and reading our Bibles.
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It is this very simple truth that Paul tells us (Romans 1:16) that the Gospel has the power to transform us. Even before we knew Him, he knew us. Even before we sought Him, He called us. He is standing with us right now. He just wants us to turn and - through prayer and Bible study - enjoy His open embrace.
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This is good news. He offers salvation to all of us. He is the whole of Alan’s Grade 12 class from our opening story. Remember our opening story? He’s the whole of the Grade 12 class chanting your name. He wants you to be His representative, so don’t turn your back on Him. Don’t reject your election. Instead turn around from the mirror of our other analogy, turn around and experience the Lord’s loving embrace.
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Let us pray.
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
[1] Not all by any means. Certainly some of the Pharisees were certainly evangelistic and probably the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8) whom Phillip baptised and possibly even the Centurion Cornelius (Acts 10) whom Peter met, to name a couple were already Jewish Proselytes at the time they ‘came to faith.’ Cf. Robert W. Wall, Acts. (TNIB 10: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2002),162 and William Neil, The Acts of the Apostles. (TNBC: Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981), 138 and Michael Ramsay “Acts 10:1-16 Interpretation: The Intentional bringing of the Gospel to the Gentiles,” available on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Acts%2010:1-16.
[2] Of course the Gentiles were never outside of the promise. God promised Abraham that “...all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen 12:3)”
[3] rather than for them to be saved at the expense of the Gentile world
[4] There is, of course, ambiguity in this sentence as well. Some such would argue that Paul is meaning here that the Jews were seeking righteousness: EP Saunders Paul the Law and the Jewish People. (Philladelphia: Fortress, 1983), p. 43. Others would argue that this is not necessarily the case: NT Wright. NIB X: Romans (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002), p.648.
[5] The answers are not all ‘yes’ to these questions. They are food for thought though. We cannot seek first the Kingdom of God and not find it (cf. Matt 7:7ff). We can however strive for righteousness and not secure it.
[6] Cf. NT Wright, p. 649.