Good morning, and welcome in to Mishkan Katan for our last installment in the month of February, in real time, and also for our next-to-the-last installment of teaching in this wonderful letter to the Romans. At first, I was going to ambitiously try to do two chapters today, chapters 15 and 16. But, as I began to flesh out my teaching, I realized that we would not finish both, in our allotted time. So, today, even though we may finish a tad early, we will study only chapter 15. Let’s begin with verses 1 and 2, from TAW, as has been my practice to use that translation from the Aramaic throughout this study:
1 We then who are strong should bear the infirmity of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 But each of us should please his neighbor in good things, for edification.
We touched on the meaning of edification last week. But, let’s look at it again today.
Our goal within the Body of Messiah should be the good of the whole Body. How do we do that, by building up each other, as opposed to building up ourselves. In the Body, just as in a human body, we are all interdependent and intertwined, connected. Due to the unique combination of spiritual gifts each believer is given by the Ruach HaKodesh the moment salvation begins, we are meant to use them to fulfill our spiritual calling. But, we can’t do that apart from serving each other, the other members of the Body, the Bride. Edification is more than merely encouraging a fellow believer. It is actions that result in us being conformed more and more into the likeness of our Mashiach Yeshua. Sometimes you will see the phrase “building up” used to describe edification, because the Greek word oikodomé actually means the “building of a house”. This word only occurs in the Brit Chadasha, the New Testament, and then only in Paul’s letters. Isn’t that interesting?
In the next verses, we are told WHY we should do this. It is because Mashiach did this, you know, our Messiah? The one we are to imitate?
3 Because Mashiyach also did not please himself, as it is written: “The reproach of your mockers fell upon me.”
4 For everything that was previously written was written for our instruction; that we, by patience and by the consolation of the Scriptures, might possess hope.
5 And may the Elohim of patience and of consolation grant to you to think in harmony with one another, in Yeshua the Mashiyach;
6 So that, with one mind and one mouth you may glorify Elohim, the Father of our Master Yeshua the Mashiyach.
7 And so, draw near and bear up one another as also Mashiyach had drawn near to you for the glory of Elohim.
So, we see here that Mashiyach did not live to please Himself. The latter part of verse 3 is a quote from Psalm 69:9. Yeshua allowed that reproach from his enemies. There was a song that I used to sing in churches as a child, when my mother took me around to churches to sing, as a five-year old. I come from a very musical family. Anyway, it was called “Ten Thousand Angels”, and the gist of it was that if He had wanted to please Himself, He would have avoided the gruesome, excruciating death He died. The word “excruciating” comes from the same root as does the word “crucifixion”. He, in fact, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He allowed Himself to be arrested, that if at all possible He could avoid this torturous death. But, in the end, like Paul says in verse 3, He did not live to please Himself. He submitted Himself to the Father’s will.
Now, we must not miss the clear declaration Paul makes in verse 4. What does he mean by “everything that was previously written was written for our instruction”? Well, he is referring to the Hebrew Bible, all the Torah, all the instruction (which is what the word “torah” means) of the Old Testament. As AGR says in his footnote #145 - - “Here is one of the clearest pro-Torah statements in all of Romans.” By comparison, Romans 3:31 and 7:12 express a similar truth, that of Torah being indispensable, so that we might understand right living and so that as this verse 4 says, possess hope!
Verses 5 and 6 make me think of music, because they speak of harmony, one of music’s most beautiful components. One of my favorite things in worship services is when my fellow believers and I sing together. On Sundays when I worship with Christians, I sit with a dear sister who is also an accomplished musician. She and I harmonize our voices beautifully. While that is quite satisfying to both of us, enhancing our worship of our Messiah, what Paul is speaking of here is both harmony of mind and harmony of voice. That is, it is desirable that all the Body of Yeshua be in harmony with one another, by thinking alike, having the mind of Messiah and by expressing that unity and purity with our mouths, speaking to each other and to the unbelieving world the truth of Elohim.
Verse 7 speaks of “drawing near” to our great and glorious God, which was the whole intent of the sacrificial system of the Tanakh, the Old Testament. The English word "sacrifice" as attached to the gifts brought to God at the Temple is inadequate. The original Greek was a combination of two words "sacer"(holy) and "facere"(to make). The Western thought was that by offering the animal, as the owner renounced his claim to it, this made the animal holy; this conferred "kedushah" (holiness). This English word, sacrifice, implies deprivation on the part of God's people as well as a tribute, tax or fee. But, this was not the Jewish mindset at all. The Hebrew word we translate as "sacrifice" is "korban", and the plural is "korbanot". The best translation is "a gift, brought to God as a vehicle for drawing near to Him."
The Temple and its functions were all about an unholy human drawing near to a holy God. We truly cannot fathom the gulf between the two. How to express worship to The Incomprehensible? God's requirements for facilitating this for His chosen people were that "the approach" (karev) should be through the rules and regulations laid out in Leviticus, through the korbanot "that which is brought close".
So, this “drawing near” is analogous to the first and greatest commandment, per Yeshua. We draw near because we “love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind”. Then, next in verse 7, we are enjoined to “bear one another up”. This corresponds to the second greatest commandment, to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. Bearing one another up is one of the ways we love our neighbor. Isn’t the unity and consistency of Scripture beautiful?
Well, it is becoming obvious we are not going to get to finish this wonderful book of Romans today. I was overly-optimistic, it seems.
Let’s move on, though, to verses 8 through 12, where Paul references more Old Testament scriptures.
8 Now I say, that Yeshua the Mashiyach ministered to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of Elohim in order to confirm the promise (molkana) made to the forefathers;
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify Elohim for His mercies upon them, as it is written: “I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your Name.”
10 And again He said: “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”
11 And again He said: “Glory to MarYAH, all you Gentiles; and glorify Him, all you nations.
12 And again Yesha’yahu said: “There will be a root of Jesse; and he that will rise up will be a ruler for the Gentiles; and in him will the Gentiles hope.
Of course, you may already realize that “the circumcision” referred to here is the Jewish people, those who were commanded by Yahweh from the time of Abraham to circumcise their male babies, at age of 8 days. (The Gentiles were sometimes called “the uncircumcision” in some translations.) Does it surprise you to learn that Yeshua was sent to the Jews and not to the Gentiles? It’s true.
Now, when Yeshua came to earth as a baby, He was born into a land that was ruled by Gentiles. His people were subjugated by Gentiles, and although they were given some liberty, they were not truly free. And, the circumcision hated this. So, Yeshua had a great deal of exposure to Gentiles. Judaism was not a walled-off society in those days, as it was in the days of, say, King David, when the people were ruled by an earthly king as a theocracy. Still, Yeshua did not refuse Gentiles who sought Him out. Examples include the woman who, in faith, requested healing for her daughter, stating that even the dogs (a common slur for Gentiles in that day) ate the crumbs that fell from the master’s table. Yeshua rewarded her faith. (Matthew 15:28). Others include: the Roman Centurion with a sick servant (Luke 7); the Samaritan leper grateful for his healing (Luke 17); the demoniac of the Gerasenes, whom Jesus traveled across the Kinneret to heal (Luke 8:26-39); and the sinful Samaritan woman at the well. All these were given deliverance, salvation, HOPE from Yeshua, as Isaiah (Yesha’yahu) prophesied. They were our spiritual forerunners, if you are, like me, Gentile.
OT Scriptures quoted by Paul in this section of verses are 2 Samuel 22:50, Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43. On this last reference, AGR has a footnote, #147 (vs. 10), and it says this:
“What unites the Gentiles with ‘His people,’ the righteous of Israel, is Torah observance. It was prophesied in Torah that Father YAH would be known throughout the earth and that the nations would see a great light (Isaiah 9:2) which is His Torah {both written and Living}. Gentiles can no more avoid the requirements of Torah than the native sons of Abraham, but both can be declared righteous through it, and both can be condemned for not doing it.”
This in no way conveys to me a works-based salvation, by the way. As I inserted parenthetically in the quote I just read - - Yeshua is the Living Torah, the Word of God. He lived Torah perfectly, and we should earnestly seek to emulate His example.
Psalm 117:1 is quoted in verse 11, and Isaiah 11:10 in verse 12. Paul was a master at intertwining the Scriptures with the gospel of Yeshua.
Let’s read verse 13, a beautiful benediction, which signals a slight change of emphasis, as Paul “shifts gears” so to speak.
Now, may the Elohim of hope fill you with all joy and peace so that by faith you may find abundant hope, through the power of the Ruach haKodesh.
Paul then begins to remind the Romans of his ministry emphasis. Let’s read verses 14 through 19.
14 Now I am persuaded, my Brothers, even I, concerning you; that you too are full of goodness and are made perfect with all knowledge, and are able also to admonish others.
15 Nevertheless, I have written rather boldly to you, my Brothers, to remind you of the grace, which is given to me by Elohim.
16 That I should be a minister of Yeshua the Mashiyach among the Gentiles and should labor to the Good News of Elohim, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable and be set-apart by the Ruach haKodesh.
17 I have therefore a boasting in Yeshua the Mashiyach towards Elohim.
18 For I do not presume to speak of anything done, which Mashiyach has not accomplished by my hands, for the obedience of the Gentiles in word and in deeds,
19 By the power of signs and wonders and by the power of the Ruach haKodesh; from Yerushalayim I have traveled to Illyricum and have fulfilled the Good News of the Mashiyach.
Do you think Paul intended to be a minister to the Gentiles? I doubt it. He was, before his conversion, a “Jew’s Jew”. I mean, he was extremely well-learned, well-trained, and highly favored as a rising young star in Jewish ecclesiastical circles. Many of us have experienced a similar “paradigm shift” in our lives, where what we had “planned” was not ultimately part of Elohim’s plan. Oh, the examples I could give you from my own life, and I’m sure you could name some too. Of course, we Gentiles thank our Lord that Paul did have that sudden shift in direction, to evangelize the Gentiles, that is, our ancestors. For all the crazy twists and turns “the church” has taken over the centuries, our Elohim has preserved a remnant of true and faithful believers in His Word, both written (the Scriptures) and Living (our Mashiach). We are part of the “one new man” spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 2:15, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles.
And about those sudden turns, those unexpected “bumps in the road”? They were a GRACE to you. May not have seemed like it at the time. But, they were and are. This was Paul’s testimony in verse 15, where he said that it was by God’s grace all this occurred. Grace is unmerited favor, favor we do not deserve. What a loving and compassionate God we serve! As my pastor said this past weekend, while preaching on prayer...we thank God for the prayers He didn’t answer! Most of us would have been who-knows-where had He given us our every desire expressed in prayer!
Before we leave this set of verses, some of you may be wondering where Illyricum was/is. It was a Roman province just to the east of Italy, along the coast, part of the Balkan Peninsula that included parts of modern-day Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. How about that? This area got a visit from the apostle Paul, yet we have no information concerning the seeds he planted there ... no letters, no recorded history, etc. Paul went there during his 3rd missionary journey, which, obviously then, occurred prior to the book of Romans being written. There is a reference in 2 Timothy 4:10 of Titus being sent there to Dalmatia. An area of Illyricum was called Dalmatia, which is where the dog breed Dalmatian arose.
Let’s read verses 20 through 22.
20 While I was careful not to go where the name of Mashiyach had already been preached, or else I should build upon another man’s foundation.
21 But, rather as it was written: “Those who were not told of him will see him; and those, who had not heard, will be obedient.”
22 And on this account, I have been many times prevented from coming to you.
The quote in verse 21 is from Isaiah 52:15. Paul felt strongly that it was important to evangelize as much of the world as possible. So, his modus operandi was that if an area had already been “planted” by another of the apostles, he was going to go instead to some other “uninitiated” area, such as Rome in this case. So, as AGR notes, the very fact Paul is evangelizing and discipling the Roman ecclesia all but eliminates any possibility of Peter being the first bishop of Rome, as the Catholics claim. If Peter had laid first claim to Rome and preached there, Paul would not have so, OR he would have considered himself guilty of violating the principle expressed here, from Isaiah 52, that of “building on Peter’s foundation”. AGR has written an awesome commentary on his TAW, with the title of “The Lost Biography of Peter”, which elaborates on this point. That commentary, a companion study volume to TAW, should be out in a few months. Would have already been out, but the Roths have been pre-occupied with an unexpected move of their ministry to Texas. Makes me sad, because at present they are my neighbors. But, I know Elohim is definitely “in it”.
As we let our eyes fall on the next few verses, we find Paul talking about going to Spain. While the Scriptures do not record his making it there, the early Church fathers, such as St. Jerome, and others, record that he did indeed get to Spain and stay there for a few years. So, Paul really “got around”, didn’t he? Papa was a rolling stone, as the song says. Just kidding, just kidding.
He also speaks in these next verses, 23 through 29, of collecting an offering for the ecclesia in Jerusalem. Verse 27 records his justification of this practice, collecting offerings from one well-off congregation, for the benefit of another.
27 They desired this {that is, helping the needy set-apart ones} because they were indebted to them: for if the Gentiles had participated with them in the Spirit, they are indebted to serve them also in things of the flesh.
To me, the modern application of this is to care for the old olive tree into which we Gentiles were grafted in, that is the Jewish world, believing in Mashiach or not. They are the fertile ground from which our faith sprung. So, I don’t know about you, but I have a special place in my heart for the Jewish people, and I pray for and support them in a myriad of ways .
Now, we are at verse 30.
Do you know how many words are used only once in the entire Bible? I don't; but, I wish I did. Maybe some of you, my viewers and fellow Bible geeks, can enlighten me on that point. I ran across one in preparing for today that, according to Strong's concordance1 , appears only once.
We find this word/phrase in Romans 15:30. Here's the verse, in two translations, first from TAW:
30 And I plead with you, my brothers, by out Master Yeshua the Mashiyach, and by the love of the Spirit, that you labor with me in prayer to Elohim for me;
And then, also, from the ESV - -
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, (ESV)
The Greek word for "strive together with" is sunagónizomai. It literally is used in Romans 15:30 and nowhere else in scripture.
Now, what does it signify? From HELPS-WORD studies:
4865 synagōnízomai (from 4862 /sýn, "identified with" and 75 /agōnízomai, "agonize, strive") – properly, fight (agonize) together; "to strive together with, to help (properly, 'sharing in a contest')" (A-S).
Paul uses this intense word in the context of spiritual warfare, specifically with the weapon of prayer. He is asking this healthy group of believers, the Roman church, to fight alongside him in prayer. He was apparently so burdened over this prayer need that he used an uncommon word to express his degree of concern and emphasis. Look at the larger context from The Message paraphrase. These are verses 30-33:
30-33 I have one request, dear friends: Pray for me. Pray strenuously with and for me—to God the Father, through the power of our Master Jesus, through the love of the Spirit—that I will be delivered from the lions’ den of unbelievers in Judea. Pray also that my relief offering to the Jerusalem believers will be accepted in the spirit in which it is given. Then, God willing, I’ll be on my way to you with a light and eager heart, looking forward to being refreshed by your company.
In an interesting juxtaposition, my pastor, who as I have mentioned already, preached on prayer this past weekend, asked for our ecclesia to pray for him, and gave us five specific prayer points. Likewise, you see, Paul knew that he had a tough road ahead. Let's review where he was and his upcoming itinerary.2
Paul wrote to the Roman church when he was living and ministering in Corinth, during his 3rd missionary journey, in the winter of 57-58.A.D. Leaving there, he journeyed through Asia Minor before ending this 3rd journey in Jerusalem. There, he preached to the Jews, but was beaten by them and imprisoned. Their goal was to have him put to death. He remained in prison for two years, and then (as a Roman citizen) asked that his case be heard by Caesar. He was subsequently put on a ship, bound for Rome. He made it to Rome, but not via the path he necessarily desired. And, he almost certainly was on at least house arrest for the time he was there. So, he was unable to preach to large groups and/or move around as he would have liked.
God is sovereign, but I have no doubt those fighting prayers of the Roman church were instrumental in sparing Paul's life during the two years he was in the Judean prison.
There are times in all our lives when we need our brothers and sisters in the faith to fight with us in prayer. Most of the time, most of us leave this powerful weapon to lie dusty on the shelf. We flounder around and try every other approach to a problem, only to find our solutions inadequate or ineffective. Sometimes, we are embarrassed to ask for prayer; our sinful pride gets in the way of our asking others to pray for and with us. Paul was so wise! He knew that the fervent prayers of God's people would matter, and not only matter, but do miraculous things in the spiritual realm.
Satan wants us to be shy about asking our fellow Christians to pray (to intercede) for us, because he recognizes the power of fighting prayers, even when we don't.
Let's believe the word of our God, People, and flabbergast the Devil!
Remember...The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. (That’s a paraphrase of James 5:16)
Let's get to it! Goodness knows....there's much to pray about these days...
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