A Broke Evangelist

November 30, 2024

Romans 11:11-16

Setbacks Into Setups

“11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! 13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.“

Saturdays—the glorious middle child of the weekend. They’re supposed to be for relaxing and tackling all those tasks that have been giving me the side-eye all week. You know, the ones on the list I ambitiously wrote on Monday and then ignored with Olympic-level skill. But let’s be real—those tasks have patience. They’re not going anywhere. Meanwhile, I decided today would be dedicated to a critical task: sleeping in and watching college football rivalry games. The grind can wait.

Now, I don’t usually park myself in front of a game for hours on end. Normally, I’m “watching” a game while pretending to be productive—maybe typing away on the computer or chomping on a sandwich. But today? Oh no, today was for football focus. My alma mater, Fresno State, was playing UCLA, and I thought, “Hey, maybe they’ll make me proud this time.” Big mistake. They lost. It was only by ten points, but they really stunk. Embarrassingly, even. UCLA hadn’t beaten Fresno State in almost 25 years. It’s practically a quarter-century of Fresno pride, and we just handed it over like we owed them a favor. Why did we play so atrociously? I don’t know, but I could practically hear the collective sigh of Bulldog fans echoing across the Central Valley.

While I was shaking my head at Fresno State’s performance, I got distracted by highlights from other rivalry games—and boy, there was some drama. Apparently, a new trend was sweeping the nation: the victorious visiting team planting a flag—or in some cases, other pointy objects—right at the 50-yard line of their opponent’s field. Arizona State (Sun Devils) even tried to plant a trident (Poseidon would be proud). Naturally, these antics led to chaos: flying fists, swinging helmets, players getting maced, and a few coaches trying (and failing) to restore order. It was like the Jerry Springer Show, but with cleats.

Now, some might say, “If you don’t want another team planting a flag on your field, maybe try winning?” Fair point. But here’s the flip side: taunting the losing team after a hard-fought game is a classless move. Celebrate your victory, yes—but maybe skip the part where you turn into a WWE villain. Sportsmanship isn’t just a word they throw around at youth soccer games; it’s kind of the whole point.

But let’s be honest, this flag-planting thing? It’s got big "social media clout-chasing" energy. These kids are all about going viral, racking up likes, and turning every moment into a TikTok-worthy spectacle. It’s like they’ve replaced respect and humility with hashtags and followers. And here’s the thing about pride: it’s got a shelf life. Whether it’s your own misstep or someone else knocking you down a peg, arrogance always comes with an expiration date.

So, what’s the lesson here? Stay humble, my friends. Work hard. Keep moving forward toward your goals without stepping on others to get there. Life isn’t about planting flags of victory on someone else’s turf—it’s about building something sustainable for yourself. And hey, if you need a break from all that hustle, there’s always next Saturday to catch up on life—or football. Just pray your team doesn’t make you cry into your chile verde nachos.

We all stumble but we have hope when we get up again. Paul shares about this in Romans 11:11-16…

Romans 11:11 - Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 

Paul’s making a big point about the difference between stumbling and spiritual face-planting. Israel’s out a spiritual tightrope walk, and they stumbled. Maybe they stubbed their big toe or tripped over their own sandals. It happens. But they didn’t wipe out, arms flailing, landing in some metaphorical pit. What he’s saying is that stumbling isn’t the end of the world. We wobble, we catch ourselves, maybe look around to see if anyone noticed, and then we keep walking like nothing happened, saying, “I meant that,” as we continue our way. Falling, on the other hand? That’s a whole different story. Falling means we’re eating dirt. We’re sprawled out, trying to figure out what just happened, and maybe hoping someone will toss us a hand to get back up.

One time I tripped and fell into a row of bushes after parking my truck in front of my house, and as I popped up over the gutter to the grass strip in front of the sidewalk, I tripped on a gopher hole and landed across the sidewalk into a bush, bouncing off the bush onto the concrete. Thankfully, the bounce kept me from hurting myself. Unfortunately, I had a Hostess fruit pie in my pocket (cherry) that didn’t survive the squish. That was the worst part of it for me.

But going back to Israel, they might have tripped, but they weren’t kicked out of God’s plan. They didn’t go, “Wah, that’s it. We’re done. Game over.” No, God is like the world’s most patient coach, standing on the sidelines with a clipboard saying, “Alright, let’s try that again. You’ve got this!” So next time we stumble—literally or figuratively—we can channel our inner Israel, shaking it off, regaining our balance, and keeping on strutting along our tightrope. And if we fall? Well, let’s hope someone’s recording, because at least we’ll go viral and become famous.

Romans 11:12 - But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

Here, Paul is laying down some deep truth, and it has a bit of a punch to it. He’s telling us that Israel messed up and dropped the ball. But somehow, in God’s wild, mysterious plan, their goof-up turned into a jackpot for the rest of the world. When we stop to think about it, Israel’s like that one friend who forgets to invite us to their birthday party, but because of that, we end up discovering an all-you-can-eat taco truck festival down the street. Their loss? Our delicious gain. Paul’s basically saying that if their misstep handed out blessings like Oprah giving away cars, just imagine how awesome it’ll be when they’re fully back in the game.

Here’s another way to think about it: imagine a football team in victory formation—because, hey, it’s football season (we’ll save the baseball analogies for April). The game seems locked up, but then they fumble the ball, and the defense scoops it up and runs it back for a go-ahead touchdown with no time left on the clock. Brutal, right? Among the many times in the past, one instance stands out, when it happened a few years ago: Michigan State pulled off the ultimate stunner against Michigan. The Wolverines were leading with only seconds left. They lined up to punt, figuring the Spartans wouldn’t have enough time to do anything. Easy win, right? Wrong. The center snapped the ball way too high over the punter’s head, and chaos ensued. The Spartans grabbed the ball, bolted into the end zone, and stole the game. Final score: Spartans win, Wolverines lose. Cue the “Pac-Man Dies” sound effect. Michigan had the game in the bag and completely blew it, leaving their fans to stew in misery until the next season rolled around. Ouch.

It would be nice if all goof-ups were more serendipitous than punitive. Take my daughter, who once went to the wrong house when she was supposed to meet my wife and me at my cousin’s party for his son, who had just graduated from college. The party was held at his sister-in-law’s house, a place my wife and I had never been to before. My daughter and her boyfriend were supposed to meet us there but ended up three houses down the street, where another party was going on—complete with a taco truck parked outside. Naturally, they decided to grab some tacos first (who can resist a taco truck?) and then went inside. Here’s the kicker: they sat there for about fifteen minutes, chatting with people, before it dawned on them that they didn’t recognize anyone! I’m surprised they didn’t stay for the group photo! Then they made it over to where we were and ate more tacos.

Romans 11:13 - I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry

So now, Paul’s stepping out to say, “Hey, Gentiles! Listen up! This one’s for you.” He’s basically saying, “Look, I know my audience, and you’re it. I’m your guy, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and I am absolutely owning this gig.” Picture him as a motivational speaker at a sold-out event, pacing the stage with a mic in hand, pointing to the crowd like, “Yeah, I’m talking to you! You Gentiles! This isn’t just some side hustle—I’m the real deal, and I’m proud of the work I’m doing here.” But he’s not being arrogant or cocky, but with a proud affect that many speakers have, the confidence to declare what they’re there for and the message that they’re trying to bring. They put their heart and soul into it for the purpose of making a difference. It’s like putting together something that was delivered, and it gets put together with no screws left over, the kind of project that ends successfully, where we can say, “Nailed it! Yeah, this is what I’m made for!” Taking pride in his ministry was showing that he didn’t intend to phone it in, but to dive into it headfirst to bring all Gentiles into the fold, and loving every minute of it, and crushing it, Gentile by Gentile!

Romans 11:14 - in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 

Paul lays it out with a little strategy saying that the plan is working with the Gentiles, doing his thing and hoping that it gets his people, the Israelites, a little jealous. Not too bad, but just enough to get them a little motivated to want in on what they’re doing as well.  It’s eating the last slice of pizza in front of someone who said they weren’t hungry, and suddenly, they’re eyeing the plate like, “Hmm, maybe I do want some.” Paul’s over here saying that if seeing all the blessings that the Gentiles are getting make his people wonder what the deal is, and wondering why they’re not a part of it, then mission accomplished!”

It's like my dog, Buster, who whines about going outside when he wants to bark at the dog next door, thinking that it’s going to be the highlight of his day. We open the door, and he runs out, and he starts running along the fence barking with Max the German Shepard next door. He then realizes that he’s outside where he remembers it’s not to his liking and then turns around to see us in our comfortable environment inside the house, resulting in Buster’s FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). He then runs to the door and sits there with the “let me in” look that only Buster can give.

Paul was hoping for the same look from his people that Buster gives us. I think if Paul was around today, he’d probably be on TikTok or Instagram, posting pictures with Gentiles, showing how much their lives are being blessed, setting up all these posts, like “Enjoying another day with God’s grace!” with a hashtag #Blessed or #JealousYet? But he’s not trying to start a holy competition for grins—he’s got a bigger goal. He’s hoping this envy leads to full-on soul-searching, repentance, and, ultimately, salvation, instead of side-eye glances. So, he’s playing a long game. He’s working to use a little envy to save a few of them, which would be worth it to him.

Romans 11:15 - For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 

Paul was really bringing the drama with this one, and it’s kind of brilliant. He was saying that Israel was told to do some spiritual math to which Israel said, “Nah, we’re good.” That opened the door for the rest of the world to get reconciled with God. That’s a pretty good deal. But then he takes it up a notch and asks, “So if their rejection brought that kind of epic blessing, can you even imagine what’ll happen when they finally say yes? It’s like when someone cancels their first-class plane tickets at the last minute and offers them to us for a ridiculously low price. So, we get to board first, get the hot towel and champagne, thinking how great it worked out for us. But now Paul is saying that if we think this is good, it’s going to be even better when all of Israel gets on board! It’ll be first class for everyone!

According to Paul, when Israel accepts God’s plan, it’s going to be a resurrection-level event. It’s like one of those moments in a movie when the hero who we thought was dead comes back, bursting through the door in slow motion, where the hero you thought was dead bursts through the door in slow motion, with triumphant music blaring in the background, and everyone in the theatre cheering. At this point, Paul is hyping it up, telling everyone how if they thought reconciliation is good, they haven’t seen anything yet!

Romans 11:16 - If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

So, now Paul’s breaking it down with some solid kitchen and gardening wisdom here—two things everyone can relate to. For those who aren’t into baking, he’s telling us that if we have a batch of dough, and we add whatever to it, it’s going to affect the whole batch. If I put too much salt in the dough, it’s going to be too salty; if I put in too much sugar, it’ll be too sweet. But since he’s talking about firstfruits with dough, and we set it aside, it’s going to get that ingredient of holiness! Take a little, set it aside, and boom—holy! The first Christians were Jewish, and it appears that Paul was talking about those who came from Israel. Initially, the holiness that God provided came through the first believers from Israel.

And then he switches metaphors to use an example of a tree. If the root is holy—strong, pure, good—you better believe the branches are holy too. No root, no fruit. It’s science. Holy root equals holy branches.” The Gentiles were not part of Israel, obviously, but were later grafted into the God’s vine, His family, as they accepted the Gospel and placed their trust in Christ. It’s a reminder that only by God’s grace that they can be grafted into the “tree” of God, the “root” of which is Israel.

When sourdough bread is made, it has a funky smell to it that doesn’t give us much faith that it’ll taste good, nor when we see a shoot coming out of the soil that will one day be a tree that will grow into a mighty provider of fruit and shade. The start of something great sometimes must be worked through to see the result of great faith.

There is a lot covered here, but it shows us that God’s plan is bigger than human failure, that Israel’s stumble (rejection of Jesus) wasn’t the end of the story, but opened the door for the Gentiles, and that God can take human mistakes, missteps, or outright rejection to accomplish His purposes. So, we need not despair when things don’t go as planned. God is always working behind the scenes to turn setbacks into setups for greater things.

More to come…

A Broke Evangelist – November 30, 2024

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