The travail of birth accurately characterizes the beginnings of the ecclesial (Christian) era. To bring it into being, the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, and other disciples endured great suffering. In this period of travail, many believers also suffered at the hands of Gentile and Jewish opposition.
The Jewish opposition was the first to appear, especially when the apostle Paul began to proclaim the gospel of grace for all men in Christ. The Jews of Palestine had already opposed the Lord and the Jerusalem ecclesia but Paul spread the message further, teaching in the synagogues of the diaspora.
Early opposition
As an example of the early opposition of the Jews, we recall what happened to Peter and John after healing the blind man at the gate of the temple. The temple officials quickly arrested and imprisoned them. The next morning, the apostles were interrogated and sternly warned not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Their response was one that all believers treasure: “We will obey God not man.” Being fearful of the people, the rulers reluctantly set them free.
Hard to refute
The message of the gospel was extremely difficult to refute. It was attested to by miraculous works of the Holy Spirit. These works not only motivated the apostles, giving them greater zeal, but they also provided clear testimony of the divine origin of their message. This miraculous confirmation of the gospel promoted its rapid spread throughout the Roman empire.
Why persistent Jewish opposition
One puzzle is why Jewish opposition remained so hostile to the gospel over such an extended period of time.
We suggest a possible answer lay in the interpretation of law and grace. The Jews considered that the two were interrelated. In other words, they felt law and grace under levitical priestly authority and the temple ceremonies complemented each other. The fulfilling of the law secured the unconditional grace of God and reconciliation with Him.
The gospel, on the other hand, proclaimed belief in Christ to be the only way to mercy and divine grace. This meant the law was fulfilled and its rituals were no longer binding. Such a conclusion was unthinkable to the Jews as it negated their belief regarding the national covenant under Moses. The law of Moses had defined their collective conscience; it defined what made a Jew a Jew. But Paul redefined what constituted a Jew under the gospel of Christ (Rom. 2:28-29).
The universality of sin
In general, the Jews endorsed the universal sinfulness of man when measured by the law (Rom. 3:20; 7:7). But they insisted the law could bring about release from the dominion of sin. And they felt Paul drew wrong conclusions from Deuteronomy 27:26: “Cursed be he that conformeth not to all the words of the law to do them.”
The gospel insisted that all men fall short of the law’s requirement and were thereby cursed by it. They thus needed mercy beyond what the law could provide (Rom. 3:9-28) and this mercy was centered in Christ.
Jewish tradition countered this argument by asserting that the law was given to bless, not condemn man. Therefore the Jews concluded Paul had underestimated the intent and provisions for divine mercy under the law.
Limitations of the Mosaic covenant
The Jews no doubt posed another important question: Why was a new covenant needed? Was not the Mosaic covenant an extension of the Abrahamic covenant and therefore intended to serve all the requirements of salvation? After all, the argument would go, God had promised they were a special people chosen to be high above all other nations. They were to be a holy people to the Lord their God (Deut. 26:18-19).
It was obvious that the Jewish theologians had not understood the provisional and limited scope of the law. It was never intended to be a covenant with no end. It was to be limited in its term of application and in the spiritual benefits available under it. “The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did” (Heb. 7:19).
Given the blindness of Israel, the gospel was hard for most of them to accept. And the words of Jesus were destined to be true throughout the centuries: “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:34-38).
We should not be surprised that Paul’s message is still a nemesis to most of Israel and the name of Jesus is a rock of offense. We are indeed blessed to be able to understand both the old covenant and the new and to be a part of spiritual Israel related to the promises to Abraham.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One