Readings: Job 38:4-18 | Romans 10:5-17 | Matthew 14:22-33
Text: Romans 10:5-17
In the remainder of Romans 9 (Rom. 9:14-33), Paul cites three examples of hardened human hearts:
First, Jacob’s own fraternal twin brother, Esau. For him, everything was the same in terms of parentage, upbringing, environment. Isaac handed down the same word of Promise that was made to Abraham—perhaps even more so to Esau because he was daddy’s favorite [see Genesis 27]. But Jacob held to the promises of God, while Esau repeatedly rejected them. Esau hardened his heart.
Second, the example of Pharaoh, who was preached to by Moses. The lineage is quite a bit different, as Egypt was descended from Noah’s son Ham rather than Shem. But Pharaoh heard 10 calls to acknowledge God as the Creator of heaven and earth, 10 threats of judgment each successively worse, 10 calls to repent. However, Pharaoh hardened his heart, even overlooking the good of his nation. God eventually confirmed him in the hardening of his heart and his army was judged at the bottom of the Red Sea [Exodus 14].
Finally, there’s the example of Paul’s Jewish contemporaries. They were preached to by God-in-the-flesh, the culmination of all the prophecies, the very bread of God which came down from heaven that whoever eats it would live forever. They get it, but they don’t, as Michael Green explains in the Message of Matthew:
The Jews believed that the messianic age would see the return of the bread from heaven, God’s gift of manna to their ancestors in the wilderness. Food in the desert was a highly allusive strain in biblical revelation. Moses had fed the Israelites with manna in the desert. Elijah had been nourished by the ravens in the desert. Elisha had fed a hundred men on twenty loaves in the desert. Bread in the desert was very significant to Israel. It is hardly surprising therefore to find in 2 Baruch 29:8, which dates from around the same time as Matthew’s Gospel, the expectation that food in the desert would characterize the days of the Messiah. ‘It shall come to pass at that time that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat of it in those years, because these are they who have come to the consummation of the ages.’ Such was the expectation in many Jewish circles in the first century ad, and Jesus fulfilled it.
(Green, Michael. The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.)
Yet, God handed them this glorious gift of the Messiah and they hardened their hearts against Him, refused to give up their Rabbinical writings and their traditions. They were duly warned with the consequences of their unbelief—
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:11-12)
All these examples of hardness of heart can leave us discouraged at how talented people are at unbelief. Looking out at the world’s landscape right now, as the signs of the End Times rage—many falling away, betraying and hating each other, false prophets on the rise, lawlessness leading to love growing cold, pestilence, famine, wars and rumors of war, nation rising against nation[1]—it’s remarkable how blind and deaf people can be to God’s call to repent of their idolatrous false security. Hear how St. Paul explains it in Romans 10:
8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Today, the Word of God brings us a hopeful reminder about His might. Even though Scripture records these examples of hard hearts, history has also recorded that Esau’s descendants did come to believe in Israel’s Savior and now comprise the Jordanian Church (beginning with Mark 3:8). Egypt, which once rejected Moses and the Lord, later came to repent and believe and is now the long-standing Coptic Christians. And many ministries reach out to Jews throughout the world—those in the Holy Land and in America alike—striving to convince them that Jesus, the Messiah, has come.
These counterexamples ought to encourage us that while man is expert at hardening his heart, God is the one who makes believers out of unbelievers. How does He do this?
14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
The way that God gets through our hard hearts is the way He created Heaven and earth—by His Word. But His Word must reach us. It reached Esau, Pharaoh, and Israel, and was rejected by its first hearers. But then the same word was preached to generations after, and they turned from their evil and clung to Christ as their Savior!
So, this is where the Church has aimed her work for the past 2,000 years: at reaching all people with God’s holy, life-giving Word. Salvation comes through hearing the call for all people to repent and believe in God’s only-begotten Son. That is the Word with which preachers are sent out. How will they believe in Him of whom they have never heard? So, the Church has sent missionaries to the Portugal and North Africa, the Persians and Armenians, the Goths and Celts, Russians and Finns, Arab Muslims and Africans, and the list goes on.
This Word goes out with God’s power and blessing and He does incredible things with it—far more than we can imagine or predict. Yet, when we look at this passage, two doubts come to mind: First, we think these turns happened in the past when people were different, life was simpler. Now, we live in a world of secular humanism, a world of technological idols. But when have the philosophies and gods of men been too much for God’s Spirit to overcome?
The other doubt we have is that the task is too immense. There are simply too many people to reach in the world today. Besides, what if they are hardened against it and reject it. This doubt can lead us to not even try, not even say a word about Jesus because we imagine it will be dismissed out of hand.
But here we have a lesson from the Gospel today:
26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
On the Sea of Galilee, the disciples witnessed an impossible thing: A man walking on the water. Jesus identified Himself to them, and took away their fear with His Word: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Emboldened by this, Peter asked for a proof of this, asking Jesus to call him out with Him. He started out toward Jesus, a man walking on water, doing what is impossible by all accounts. But then it says he noticed the wind and Peter was afraid and began to sink in the water as men normally do. He cried out to Jesus to save his skin, which He did, but afterward, the Lord asked, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” What was it that made walking on the water impossible? It wasn’t a failure of the Lord’s Word. It was the disciple’s unbelief and falling back on their own reason, doubting the Lord’s command “Come.”
It’s not the failure of the Lord’s Word, but our own weak faith that we don’t share this Word of life with those we meet. In our darkened reason, we assume they already know something about it, they’ll just reject it because our church cares about pure doctrine and pastoral care in Holy Communion.
But what if we were to tell our friends and neighbors about our faith, about our congregation? If they reject it by choosing unbelief or feel-good TED Talk churches, then we commend them in prayer to God’s good and gracious will. We stand with the rest of the faithful, who having this great salvation, loved our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, enough to share it with them. The saints before us were not content to watch the heathen die in ignorance and despair, but they believed that the Word of Christ truly has the power to break through hard hearts and bring light to those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death [Matt. 4:13-17].
But it doesn’t depend on something in us. If it did, there would be little hope. It depends on the Lord, who accomplishes the prayer He taught us: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.” And as we pray for that to be done, God does His part: The calling, the gathering, the enlightening, and the sanctifying. It is right for us to commend ourselves into His hands as clay in the hands of our Potter, that He would make us fit vessels for this heavenly work and accomplish it among us! To that end, let us pray:
O God, whose infinite love restores to the right way those who err, gathers the scattered, and preserves those whom You have gathered, of Your tender mercy pour out on Your Christian people the grace of unity that, all schisms being healed, Your flock, gathered to the true Shepherd of Your Church, may serve You in all faithfulness. (7 August)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Prayers for the mission of the Church and her missionaries:
Almighty and gracious God, You want all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Magnify the power of the Gospel in the hearts of Your faithful people that Your Church may spread the good news of salvation. Protect, encourage, and bless all missionaries who proclaim the saving cross that Christ, being lifted up, may draw all people to Himself, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Prayers for those who are separated from the Church:
O God, protect the tempted, the distressed, and the erring, and gently guide them. By Your great goodness bring them into the way of peace and truth. Graciously regard all who are in trouble, danger, temptation, or bondage to sin, and those to whom death draws near. In Your mercy draw them to Yourself; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
[1] Matt. 24:6-13; Luke 21:10-11
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