Paul was afraid of the spiritual situation of the Jews, but was at the same time filled with thankfulness and praise for the early believers of the Jews in Jerusalem. He magnified the Holy One for the increasing number of believers of the other peoples, and his feelings of anxiety were calmed down because of the abundant love of God. He confessed his mercy, but did not deny his punishment. Paul recognized the love of the Almighty, believed his misunderstood ways, and finally testified, saying: “God is beyond our understandings. We trust him, and place our thoughts under his will and revelation” (Isaiah 40:13; 45:15; 55:8-9; Romans 11:33).
Blessed is he who worships his Lord faithfully, praises him, and thanks him, because he recognizes the Holy One in his love. The Spirit of truth leads him to the depths of divinity, and to the realization of the riches of his spirit in his practical gifts. In the second part of his epistle, Paul reaches the end and design of his subject. He confesses the hardening of the people of Jacob, and recognizes that the reason behind it was their unbelief and their opposition to the will of God; Paul does not deny this truth.
At the same time he encourages the believers of Jewish origin, and some gentlemen in Rome, that God will accept them once again because of his limitless grace. However, the Lord incited the Jews through the new believers of the Gentiles, showing them their love, humility, purity, and their service in Anatolia, and guiding them to practical service with cooperation and faithfulness.
But the historical fact developed in opposition to what Paul had hoped for. Paul himself was the first victim of the spite of the Jews. He was beheaded in Rome as a result of their false claim.
Paul noticed this hardening towards himself and his gospel, and repeated the spiritual truth to the Jews, as the prophet Isaiah had declared it. He wrote: "’Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!’ And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves” (Acts 28:26-29).
Paul remained in the Roman prisons for many years because of the judgment of the Jewish council against him (Acts 23:1 -28:16). As a result of their obstinacy and spite, he had to travel to Rome where the Caesar personally adjudged him (Acts 27:1 - 28:16). His imprisonment, though, was not hard, for the Romans permitted him to preach the gospel to all those who wanted to listen to him.
A few number of the Jews in Rome believed, while the majority of their elders and rabbis did not accept his teaching, but regarded Christianity as a Jewish sect (Acts 28:22). They had a great influence on the judges, even after he was beheaded.
The spite of the Jews against the apostle of the Gentiles reached its end, but the epistles of Paul were spread without any obstruction. Even today, they draw innumerable numbers of Jews and Gentiles to believe in Christ. It is evident that Paul, who lives in Christ, walks in the triumph in Christ to the end of the world.