Are The Jewish People Uniquely Hardened to the Gospel?

 

Are The Jewish People Uniquely Hardened to the Gospel? The short answer to this question is no. However, many Christians believe that they are. In this piece I am going to show you why this idea comes from a misunderstanding of what Paul said. And not only that, such a reading sets Paul against Paul.

First, let me ask this question: Why did Jesus speak to Pharisees and priests in parables? To force them to humble themselves, but instead they hardened themselves. He says in Matthew 13:11-13,

“11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

This seems to imply that they will not be able to understand the parables at all. But we see in Matthew 21:45 that they did sometimes understand them, “45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.” However, what they did not understand was that they were supposed to seek Jesus for the answers they did not have. The parables were meant to force the Pharisees and Chief priests to humble themselves under Jesus and become the learners instead of the teachers. Instead these parables provoked their anger. Jesus knew this as well.

Why does he do this? Why did Jesus cleanse the temple so violently and vocally? Why did Jesus refuse to respect these leaders, and really instead treat them with contempt in these passages? Why was his invitation to them cryptic, and not warm and open and conciliatory? Why? The answer is simple, but often misunderstood, he is actually seeking to harden their response to him so he can fulfill his purpose as the saviour of the world. Jesus knew not just that he was going to die, but also that it was the way he spoke to these guys which would get him killed. We all know this too, how you approach someone can really set them against you. Some of you are practiced at doing this with your own husbands and wives. And this is what Jesus is doing, and Paul tells us why, in Romans 11, an often misquoted passage. We read there,

“25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”

This passage is often read, without proper care, to say that the physical nation of Israel has been cut out of the people of God until the full number of Gentiles come in, and then in the last day “all Israel” or “all ethnic Jews” will be saved. But the problem with this reading is that Paul already defined “all Israel” in Romans 9 to only be those who believe the promise,

“6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

The children of promise are the children of faith. It was always this way, Romans 11:4-5, “4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.”

But an even bigger problem with saying the gospel must first go to all the Gentiles before “all Israel” can be saved, is Paul explicitly contradicts this, he says the exact opposite in Romans 1:16-17, “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” So, if Paul explicitly says the gospel of salvation goes to the Jews first, then the Gentiles, why on earth do so many people think it is the opposite?

Because they have been trained by a 170 years of propaganda to deliberately misread Paul, and to centre all of the end times events of the Bible around the physical nation of Israel. This propaganda especially intensified when the nation was re-established in 1948, as it motivates many Christians to stand behind Israel, whatever it does. And this matters especially in the case of the very Christian and very powerful United States of America.  

However, what Paul says here is pretty clear, right? First to the Jew and then to the Gentile. First to the Jew and then to the Gentile. He even concludes this section of Romans by showing all are in the same place as sinners, “9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,…” (Rom. 3:9). Paul goes out of his way to show that Jews and Gentiles are in the same place before God as sinners in need of mercy, neither has an advantage.

So, why then would Paul contradict himself in his own letter? Did he forget his own writings and the implications of his own gospel. No way, he is smarter than any of us, and his writings are very carefully crafted. So, what are we missing then?

Well, what is missing is a careful reading of what Paul said in Romans 11, the wider context, and in some of his other letters. Paul is not saying the Jews are partially hardened for all time until the end of day, he is saying they were hardened for a purpose. What was that purpose? Well, let’s read what he says,

“25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

The partial hardening was so that the Gentiles could come in, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…”  So, let me ask you a question? How does the hardening of physical Israelites achieve the full number of Gentiles coming? Why do they need to cut out so that the Gentiles can be saved? Why is Israel being hardened an advantage to ongoing missionary work?

When you think of it this clearly, you realize that such a position actually makes no sense. The Jews were instrumental in taking the gospel to Gentiles. The church in Antioch, which first went to Gentiles, was where Christians were first called Christian. Paul and Barnabas were Jews and they reached many Gentiles. Peter, a Jew, went to Cornelius, a Gentile. The Jews were instrumental in taking the gospel to Gentiles. They had to, they were the first to accept the gospel as it spread out from Jerusalem, then to Judea, then Samaria and then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They wrote the New Testament often directly addressed to Gentiles, and sometimes to Jews. They planted churches filled with Gentiles, discipled Gentiles, baptized Gentiles, and welcomed Gentiles into the fold (Acts 11, 15).

So how could the hardening of the Jews until the end of days achieve the salvation of all Gentiles? What is the reason for it or the benefit of it? Why would God consign most Jews who lived in history to no chance of being saved to bring in the full number of Gentiles?

Because he wouldn’t and he did not. The partial hardening here is the hardening that came over the Jews so that they would kill the Messiah, so that the full inclusion of the Gentiles could come in. Physical Israel was hardened, in part, so that “The deliver will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Physical Israel were hardened, in part, so that the Messiah could be killed, then the Gentiles fully included into the people of God so that salvation was now open to all. Paul tells us that this is what the mystery of the gospel is in Ephesians 3:6, “6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” The mystery of Romans 11:25 and Ephesians 3:6 are the same mystery: the full inclusion of believing Gentiles with believing Jews in the commonwealth of Israel (cf. Eph. 2:11-22).

This is also how Paul applies this in Romans 15:8-9,

“8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

Jesus came to the circumcision, Jewish people, so that he could fulfil his role and achieve the full inclusion of the Gentiles.

This is also how Paul applies this in Romans 16:25-26,

“25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—”

Do you see that? In Romans and Ephesians the mystery of the gospel is the full inclusion of the Gentiles in Israel. That is what has been revealed.

Coming back to Romans 11, we see that this is how Paul concludes there as well. Because he does not say the Physical Israelites are cut out until the end of time, he says this,

“28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”

“As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake.” Why, because their enmity with the Messiah killed Jesus and made salvation possible. Praise God. But they still have access to the gifts and call of God, because these cannot be revoked, “29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” And what is the gift and call of God? The offer of salvation, the offer for all sinners to have a chance to be saved, for all to receive justification by faith just as Abraham did,

“30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”

Do you see this? Paul ends here exactly as he does in Romans 3:9, Gentiles and Jews are all in the same place: we are all sinners needing mercy, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.” Paul does not say that Jewish people have less chance of being saved until the end of time. He says, very clearly and explicitly, that Jews and Gentiles have exactly the same problem before God: we are all disobedient to his laws, and we have the same solution: seek the mercy of God.

So, those who claim that the Jewish people have less chance of being saved in Jesus now actually contradict what Paul says in all of his letters, including this chapter here.

Paul is therefore teaching that the partial hardening had a purpose, to bring salvation to all. The Jewish leaders and crowds of Jesus day had to be partially hardened so that God’s plan could be fulfilled for the saviour to “take away their sins”. This was all part of God’s plan.

What Peter says in Acts 2 adds weight to this. For he says,

“22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:22-24).

Their partial hardening was always part of God’s plan to save many Jews and Gentiles by Jesus work on the cross.

And, to further confirm our reading, we see that this hardening has already been lifted in Acts, because look at how thousands of these Jewish people, who had previously opposed Jesus, now respond,

“37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:37-41).

We literally see a revival break out among the men and women of Jerusalem, right here in Acts. Nothing like this had happened on this scale during the ministry of Jesus. This indicates that the partial hardening has achieved its purpose and was no longer necessary.

Someone might say, “but Matt many Jews did not believe, so doesn’t this prove that the partial hardening is still in effect?” No, and here is why: we don’t see anything different happen with the Gentiles. We see the same with Jews and Gentiles in Acts, some believe many do not. We have seen the same thing throughout history. And why do we see the same for both Jews and Gentiles? Because both are in a position of having disobeyed God and therefore both are in need of the very same mercy. Even when we look at the crucifixion of Jesus we see it was done by both Jews and Gentiles together.

So, I don’t see any biblical basis for the unique ongoing hardening of the physical descendants of Jacob. At best, you would have to admit the biblical evidence for such a position is very flimsy.