The relation of the Christian to our Jewish neighbors is a special case. Paul is quite clear in his letter to the Romans that God’s chosen people are still God’s chosen people. “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” “I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved;…As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:1, 25b, 28)
So what we are faced with is God’s people relating to God’s people. We were not originally among the chosen but through Christ we have been grafted in. When we share our faith, it must be in the spirit of dialogue by which we come to listen as well as speak.
I once heard a rabbi who was speaking to an interfaith group quote Paul’s words from Romans, “So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” (Romans 11:11) Then he looked at us and said with quiet sincerity, “I am prepared to accept that as an effective strategy but I have not had much reason to be jealous as of late.” For Christians, in relationship to Jews, we need to strive to live a life that will be attractive rather than speaking words that are condemning. The heart of the Good News for both of us is that God’s promises are irrevocable.
