³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

Vice versa: Just as it has happened to us Gentiles, it will likewise happen to the Jews. The sequence goes like this: First God chose the Jews (descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob), not because the Jews were better or more holy than anyone else, but because God made a promise to Abraham. He promised to bless them, and then through them to bless the world. Ironically the blessing to the world came through the Jews’ disobedience to God’s Word. The blessing was mercy shown to Gentiles through the proclamation of the Gospel. Their salvation did not have to wait for the Jews’ obedience. Now, the Jews are in a position to understand the mercy of God, not just as something that the Gentiles need, but that they themselves also need. The whole world needs God’s mercy.

So far, that is straightforward. However, the rub is not in understanding this unfolding of the plot line. The difficulty comes in accepting this affront to our pride that this truth slams us with. We need the mercy of God—which means we are undeserving of anything good from Him. There is no entitlement; we do not define the rules of engagement with God. He says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Mercy is our only hope! And we must see our desperate need or we have no hope at all.

Mercy and grace are two sides of the same coin. Traditionally we define mercy as God withholding judgment that we deserve. Grace is God giving us blessing that we do not deserve. Yet the world today, in its humanistic way of thinking, is not just ignorant of that truth, but recoils with a vicious attack on such a thought. The popular song writer Paul Simon penned it this way: “I am a rock, I am an island.” The center of the universe is the “I” that makes up each one of us. Eastern religio-philosophy sees the individual “I” being swallowed up like a drop in the immortal ocean of Oneness, so that individuality is lost to the universal whole. Humanism, on the other hand, exalts the individual “I” where “I” am the center of the universe, which leads to the obvious self-contradiction of having multiple universe-centers. So tolerance and acceptance of each other’s self-definitions is the caveat, which of course moves us to the lowest common denominator of culture and life, as well as religion. There is no room for acknowledging the core arrogance of our humanity and the need for mercy because of our pride.

Lord, I surrender the need to say “I,” for You have shown me mercy.