Expanding the Boundaries

Romans 11:25-32

This morning, a memory has flashed up for me, taking me back to my high school calculus class. On this particular day, we were starting a new section in the Calculus text book. Up to this point we had been reviewing all that we had learned in past classes and looking at the concepts from slightly different perspectives, introducing us to some of the basics of Calculus. However, this morning was going to be different, because this morning we were beginning to get introduced to Calculus Theory. “Absolute Zero.” Ms. Haddock spent the entire class period trying to explain to us the concept of “zero.” How in mathematics you can never actually get to zero, because it is a non-number. You can always add one more number to the end of the decimal and get one more step closer to zero, but in actuality, zero does not exist.

Our heads’ were spinning. “How can there be no zero?” “If you divide something by zero, you get zero.” “If I give all my money away, I have ‘zero’ dollars.” This concept was so abstract to us, that we could not wrap our heads around the idea. Our entire class period was spent by us, the students, arguing proven calculus theory with Ms. Haddock, the resident expert on the issue.

This memory has stuck with me, mainly because I think this was the first moment in my life that I can remember encountering a concept so far outside of my worldview that I found myself simply baffled by the new reality it was creating for me.

I’m seeing Paul struggling here in much the same way with his letter to the Romans. He is trying to explain a radical new way of understanding how YHWH God is working in the world. How do we include those who are ‘outside’ the covenant? How do we, as the outsiders, welcome those who are not welcoming to us? And what does this new way of living and moving and being in the world have to say about God?

I can just imagine the looks on the people’s faces. The Gentiles are completely dumbfounded! "All that we have known is that we are not welcome in this Jewish community, and now we are welcome?" "And we don’t have to do anything or pay anything, or “cut off” anything, in order to belong?"

And the Jews are baffled as well – “What do you mean God’s covenant in Abraham is for people who are outside the covenant?” “You are trying to tell me those “unclean folk” are privileged to the promises of God?”

It’s an argument of boundaries. For generations, the Hebrew people knew who they were by setting themselves apart from others, through the Law. Now Paul is rhetorically, figuratively, and literally turning the Jewish worldview on its head. The question now for Paul should be, "Is the old Law and covenant to be done away with?" – No, absolutely not, at least not for the Jews! But, what Paul is saying is that God is bigger. God is bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. God, who is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is expanding the boundaries.

That’s something we’re still trying to wrap our heads around today. What does it mean to have a God who is calling us to expand the boundaries? What does it mean to turn a worldview on it’s head and say God is bigger – bigger than we could have ever imagined?