¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. – Romans 11:11-16 ESV

At one time, the Jewish people had been the apple of God’s eye, His chosen possession, and the sole recipients of His favor. He even sovereignly ordained for His Son and their Messiah to be born as one of them, a descendant of Abraham and David. But as the apostle John noted, when Jesus came, His own rejected Him.

He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:11-12 NLT

Using himself as an illustration, Paul noted that there had been a small remnant of Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. However, most Jews had chosen to reject Him, refusing to acknowledge Him as God’s chosen deliverer and unwilling to admit their need for a Savior to rescue them from their sins.

We see this scenario illustrated by Jesus Himself in His parable about the two sons. In Chapter 15 of his gospel, Luke records a parable Jesus told about a rich man who had two sons. One day, the younger of the two brothers came to his father and demanded his inheritance. Graciously, his father gave the son what he asked for, and immediately, the younger son “packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living” (Luke 15:13 NLT). 

In time, the son found himself living in abject poverty, trying to make ends meet by taking a lowly job feeding swine. But ultimately, the young man came to his senses and recognized the gravity of what he had done.

.“..he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant”’” – Luke 15:17-19 NLT

Upon his return home, he received an unexpected welcome. His father ran to him with open arms, embraced him, and welcomed him back with joy. His return was met with joy, love, and forgiveness, with his father responding, “We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found” (Luke 15:23-24 NLT).  There was no anger, recriminations, or retribution.

But, in contrast, his brother responded with jealousy and anger, refusing to join in the festivities. When his father begged him to join the celebration, the older son angrily responded, “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!” (Luke 15:29-30 NLT).

His response revealed his self-righteous attitude and his jealousy at seeing his rebellious younger brother receive unmerited forgiveness and mercy. Yet, his father assured him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” (Luke 15:31-32 NLT).

In His story, Jesus does not disclose what happened to the older brother. But it seems clear that the older son was meant to represent those Jews who were determined to place their hope in their own self-righteousness. They saw themselves as sinless and therefore, in no need of a Savior. The older brother responded with jealousy and indignation, the same reaction Paul refers to in his letter to the Romans. In this case, Paul explains that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus was necessary so that God could extend His offer of salvation to the Gentiles.

They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. – Romans 11:11 NLT

For generations, the Jews had embraced their designation as God’s chosen people and believed themselves to be blessed because they were descendants of Abraham. They belonged to God, and He belonged to them. They viewed themselves as privileged and protected because of their unique relationship with God. But when Jesus came, He called them to repent.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17 ESV

But what did Jesus mean by His call to repentance? What were they to repent of? The God’s Word® Translation renders verse 17 this way: From then on, Jesus began to tell people, “Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!”

In Greek, the word “repent” is metanoeō, and it means “to change one’s mind.” Jesus was demanding that they change their minds about God and how they viewed Him. They had long since lost their fear of God and their awe of His holiness. Jesus was also calling them to change their view of sin and their hope of achieving self-righteousness. They saw themselves as in no need of a Savior because they thought they were right with God because of their ethnic identity as descendants of Abraham. After all, they were heirs of the promises God had made to their patriarch. But Jesus said of them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor–sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17 NLT).

So when the “healthy” Jews rejected Jesus and demanded His death on the cross, God took His message of redemption to the Gentiles. And, as Paul noted, some Jews, himself included, embraced the good news of Jesus Christ as well. But the real objective behind God’s embracing of repentant Gentiles was to make His people jealous. Even Paul disclosed that his ministry to the Gentiles had an ulterior motive.

God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. – Romans 11:13-14 NLT

Later in this chapter, Paul will explain how this God-produced jealousy among His chosen people will turn out in the end. As usual, God has a plan and a purpose behind all that He does. His efforts are never in vain. Which led Paul to exclaim, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33 NLT).