Why Did Jesus Come? (Romans 15:8-13)

We may wonder why Paul focuses on this area of theology because initially his comments here seem to have no connection with the issue of the strong and the weak that he has discussed in the previous section. Yet there is a connection as we can see from the word ‘for’ that begins verse 8. The matter of strong and weak was hindering harmony in the congregation. In verses 6 and 7 Paul had appealed for unity, and now he shows that this was one of the main aims that Jesus had when he came into the world.

We noticed that Paul had given three guiding principles for sorting out the issue if the strong and the weak (the fact that we shall give an account at the judgement seat, the importance of brotherly love and the example of Jesus). Now he gives a fourth reason, which is that they should know why Jesus came. So here is a reminder that we should have theological understanding because it usually helps us deal with problems that arise.

Jesus became a servant (vv. 8-9a)

Paul does not say that Jesus became a servant of the Jews although he does say that Jesus served the Jews. We could say that the Jews were the recipients of his service, but that this service was done in response to his Father’s call. What did his service involve?

The basic answer to that question is that he came to reveal or to display the faithfulness or the truthfulness of God. This unfolding of God’s reliability was seen in two ways: first, he confirmed the promises given to the patriarchs and, second, he made it possible for the Gentiles, who were outsiders, to glorify God for his mercy.

The patriarchs were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the forefathers of the Israelites. God had promised to them that through their line the Messiah would come into the world. At a basic level, we can note that Abraham was told that the Messiah would come from the line of Isaac and not that of Ishmael; that Isaac was told that the Messiah would come from the line of Jacob and not that of Esau; and that Jacob was told that the Messiah would come from the line of Judah and not from the lines of his other sons. So Paul is reminding his readers that those promises made to the patriarchs had been fulfilled.

Yet the Old Testament said that there was more to God’s plan that what he would do for Israel in sending the Messiah. In addition, mercy would be extended to the Gentiles and many of them would thereby praise God for sending Jesus. Of course, the basic unwritten point here is that Jesus became a Jew in order to obey God’s law perfectly and so offer himself as a payment for the sins of both Jews and Gentiles. The fact that he did so made it possible for God to show mercy. It is only because of the cross of Jesus that God can forgive sinners for their rebellion and then show other aspects of mercy to them as well such as welcoming them into his family.

Where does it say that (vv. 9b-12)?

We can imagine that some of Paul’s Jewish readers would have said to themselves, ‘I wonder where the Bible says that is the case.’ Even if they did not, Paul often cited Old Testament passages on which he was basing his teaching. Here he quotes from each of the divisions of the Old Testament, known as the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. Or if we wish to describe them in another way, he recites from the historical books, from the prophetic writings, and from the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. I suppose we could say that by this method Paul was showing that his teaching was the message of the entire Old Testament.

The first quotation is from Psalm 18:49 (‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name’). In that psalm, David describes the victories that God had given him over surrounding Gentile peoples. David then mentions his intentions after his victory, which was not to crush the defeated peoples, but to sing among them about God. They would hear him sing about the Lord and hopefully join in his songs. Paul takes David’s desire as a picture of what the Messiah would do after winning his battle, and that the desire of Jesus was for Gentiles to sing God’s praise. We can see how the Saviour stressed this in the Great Commission.

The second quotation is from Deuteronomy 32:43 (‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’), part of the song that Moses taught the Israelites to sing shortly before his death. This song is about reminding the Israelites about being faithful to God and adhering to his ways. In addition to exhorting the Israelites, Moses addresses the Gentiles to rejoice with the Israelites in praising God. That seemed very unlikely at the time, yet Paul says to his readers that they are part of God’s fulfilment of what he said through Moses.

The third quotation is from Psalm 117 (‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him’). This psalm expresses the message of the Old Testament as well as the longing of God’s true people in Old Testament times, which was that the Gentile nations would praise the covenant God. If we turn to the Old Testament version, we will see that the name of God that is used is Yahweh, the covenant name. The compilers of the psalm believed that the covenant blessing would yet extend to all the nations of the world. The short psalm seems to be based on the two points made here by Paul when he wrote that the Messiah came to confirm God’s covenant love to Israel and extend his mercy to the Gentiles.

The fourth quotation is based on Isaiah 11 (‘The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope’). The prophecy in that chapter says that the Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit and bring in a kingdom of peace into which the nations will come. Here is a summary of the mission of Jesus – although of the royal line, he will arise (which implies prior lowliness) to a place of total world domination (exalted to God’s throne). And when that happens, it will be a great day for the nations because they will be able to hope in Jesus.

The Benediction (v. 13)

A lot can be said in a few words. Paul here is not expressing merely a wish, nor is he only saying a prayer. A benediction is more than a wish because a wish can be meaningless. It is more than a prayer because sometimes a suitable petition can be refused by God because he knows another answer would be better. A benediction is a statement based on certainties that the person knows God has promised to provide if his people are dedicated to him. So here we have a description of what the Christian life can be like.

It will help us appreciate the possibilities if we look at the two verbs in the benediction. One is the word ‘fill’ and the other is the word ‘abound’ – both these words indicate that Paul has the idea of plenty in mind. So he is not suggesting that Christians should be content with a little of what he is describing. There may be other things in life, such as possession, of which they have little. In contrast, they can have a lot of what he mentions here.

We can begin by observing the way he describes God – he is the God of hope. The definite article stresses that he is the only divine being that can be described in this way, a reminder by Paul to his readers not to pay any attention to the claims of the Romans that their gods could do great things for them. Moreover, the word ‘hope’ is a term that deals with the future, with something that is coming because it is guaranteed. Paul here says that God is looking forward to a great future experience. Of course, he can do this because he has sovereignly planned it. Yet Paul’s emphasis is that God’s plan for the future has wonderful consequences for his people now.

One consequence is that Christians can have a great amount of joy and peace because they are believers in Jesus. Why can they have those blessings? Clearly, because they have been forgiven and have been brought into the family of God. These are the two greatest blessings a sinner could receive.

The other consequence is that Christians will have great expectations about the future when this world is over. This outlook is brought about in their souls by the power of the Spirit, who obviously wants them to have it. And we can say that we should have it because it is a divinely conveyed blessing.

Several applications

First, we should observe the humility of Jesus. Although he was the eternal Son of God he was willing to become a servant in order for his Father’s promises to be fulfilled and for sinners to be saved. His humility took him to the cross of Calvary, as Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:6-8. And it is not surprising to read in Isaiah that God tells us to behold his Servant.

Second, we should note the importance of reading the Old Testament to see what it says about the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. He may not be mentioned directly in some passages, yet it should not be hard to find a link between the passage and the effects of his saving work on sinners who believe in him. We can see that is the case in some of the references that Paul uses in this passage.

Third, we can see that theme to praise God for above all others is his mercy. Some might say that we should praise him for his love, but then we have to ask what his love is like. As far as we are concerned, it is merciful love. God does not love sinners with the same kind of love that he has towards the unfallen angels – they don’t need his mercy. Jesus came so that the Gentiles could sing about the mercy of God. Everyone needs mercy, but mercy can only be found through believing in Jesus. And when people discover this mercy they want to sing about it.

Fourth, if we have believed in Jesus, we can expect great experiences from God in our hearts as he gives to us out of his overflowing grace. The happiest and the most peaceful persons in any location, under normal circumstances, should be Christians. They should stand out from the crowd.

Fifth, we have high expectations about the future. Robert Haldane, in his commentary on Romans, says about this passage that Christians have high hopes. The church has a wonderful destination and Paul has written about some of its features in this letter.