2 Peter 3:16b — The Quintessential Jew

His letters contain some things that are hard to understand …

Summary: Understanding the context of the times helps us understand why Paul was the perfect man to explain the New Covenant to the world. 

To say that Paul’s letters can be “hard to understand” is an understatement. Paul is like the ancient version of a supercomputer. His amazing brain cranks out detailed analyses of complex theological problems. When our Lord picked Paul (formerly Saul) to represent Him, he was apparently looking for someone who could explain the transition from the Old Covenant to the New.

This is not an easy task!

As far back as Jeremiah, we find God’s Word pointing to the New Covenant that would come (Jeremiah 31:31). When Jesus arrived, the Jews of his day stubbornly clung to the Old Covenant. They crucified Jesus for being a threat to their power (John 11: 49-50).

Because Jesus is God (John 10:30), he overcame death and implemented his New Covenant despite the Jews. Since the New Covenant is such a radical departure from the Old (John 6: 54), it needed explaining. There was no one more qualified or more capable of explaining this than Paul.

Paul is unique not only because of his training, education, and position under the Old Covenant but also because of his passion for serving God. Under the Old Covenant, he was completely aligned with the Jewish leadership’s desire to eradicate the upstart religion known as “The Way” (Acts 22: 4-5).

After being confronted by the Living God, Paul wisely rethought his position and agreed to become a disciple of Jesus. It was rethinking his position that resulted in Paul’s complex letters.

At the time, Paul was one of the most educated people on the planet. He knows the Scriptures, and he understands the political structure of the Jewish leadership. He is, for all practical purposes, the quintessential Jew.

Having been forced by the brick wall of reality to acknowledge he was wrong to persecute Christians, Paul looks back over everything he thought he knew with new eyes. The Scriptures were still true, but what he had been taught about the Scriptures did not always hold water.

Now, with new eyes, Paul saw something that none of his contemporaries had seen. The Scriptures point to a Messiah, but not the Messiah that the Jews had convinced themselves would come. The real Messiah was God in the flesh. The real God is humble and loving. The real path to eternal life is not in what we do but in who we know.

To explain all of this, Paul has to filter everything through his computer-like brain. He makes certain that every thought is true to Scripture and faithful to what Jesus has revealed to him. Then he explains.

His audience is ostensibly a church or a person, but in fact, it is the world. It is a world that includes all of Judaism and the Gentile world. It also includes all future generations.

Jesus chose well. Paul was the perfect man for the job.

Application: Because something is hard to understand does not mean it is wrong. Paul’s writings are Scripture because Jesus wants them to be. 

Food for Thought: What is your favorite New Testament conundrum that makes you scratch your head?