The Jew’S Advantage
THE JEW’S ADVANTAGE
ROMANS 3:1-4
So what differences does being a Jew make?
This passage is a brief preview of chapters 9–11: Paul seems to pause at his last conclusion, wondering whether he has hit his compatriots too hard. Some might imagine that he had concluded that the Jew had no special privilege whatsoever, and that the sign of the covenant had no significance apart from a change in the heart.
In fact, that statement comes very near the truth. But Paul was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:4-6), and also remembered, perhaps, a word of Christ (John 4:22). On both counts he felt impelled to say a word of encouragement. The first question literally runs: “What has the Jew over the rest?” It continues: “What help is the sign in his body?”
He sums it up in 3:2: The Jews have the records of God’s own self-revelation. Why then “To begin with”? Paul has in mind the whole rabbinical argument of the three later chapters (9–11), and the list of advantages abruptly cut short in this verse could be completed from 9:4f. To be the guardians of God’s revelation of his person and his plan for humanity was an immense privilege.
Then Paul remembers the thread of his earlier argument. The Jews had much at God’s hand, but they used it badly. They were given commandments, not privileges. Special choice involves a special duty. Some, to be sure, failed to see this. They did not believe (3:3). Paul is treading carefully. It was a remnant only who believed, and the Old Testament is witness to this fact. And now it was “the remnant” again, who had grasped the truth that Christ fulfilled, concluded and gave significance to the Law.
Did the vote of “some,” even of a majority, invalidate truth? God forbid. This is the gist of Paul’s argument. The verdict of the multitude is no expression of basic truth—neither in time past nor now. God works through minorities. It is a truth worth remembering when alone or when a tiny band faces overwhelming odds. It is worth remembering in society at large. It is worth considering in the context of history, when so many compromise with secular thought. To belong to “the Few” is a privilege.