Read: Romans 9:30-10:13; Deuteronomy 30:11-14
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. (Rom. 10:8)
When I first got graduated lenses for my glasses, my distance vision improved, but I missed steps that were right under my nose. That is, in effect, what Paul is describing about the spiritual vision of the Jewish believers in the church in Rome.
Today’s reading contains some of the most difficult verses in any of Paul’s letters, but our backwards reading of Romans can help. Paul uses the image in 9:32-33 of a walker so intent on the path ahead that she trips over a rock lying right in her path. Roman believers of a Jewish background were intent on Torah observance, despising their Gentile brothers and sisters. Paul’s response was that many had so focused on Torah observance that they missed the grace of God in Jesus that was right in front of them. Paul further illustrated, drawing on Deuteronomy 30, that we don’t have to go up to heaven because Christ has already come down, and we don’t have to go down to the depths because Christ has already been raised from the dead (vv. 6-7). Jesus, the Messiah, is present right in our midst, for both Jews and the Gentiles. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (v. 8).
Are you too focused on right behavior and following the rules that you miss God’s presence and grace right in front of you?
As you pray, ask God to help you see the grace of Jesus Christ present in your life.
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. He and his wife, Joyce, are active members of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. Kent is an active cyclist, and he and Joyce enjoy time with their children and grandchildren.
