How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Walking through the streets of your home town, or sitting at an outdoor mall as people walk by, what do you see? I imagine that Jesus sees people in exile. I imagine that Jesus sees people who are very far from where He planned for them to be and how He planned for them to live. The people of Israel were in exile for 400 years. Like so many of us who have found ourselves far from the tasks or places that God called us to, the people of Israel found themselves in exile because they disobeyed the commands of God.
Paul, in quoting “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news,” is actually referencing Isaiah 52:7.* Isaiah is referring to the feet of the one who brought the good news that the 400 years of exile for Israel was over.*
Can you imagine the excitement?! Can you imagine how well-received this messenger was in those moments of sharing the good news that Israel could return to the place that God had for them? I imagine that it must have been like a celebration!
Paul implies that this is the level of excitement that those who preach the Gospel bring!*
Why do people need to call? Because, as Paul shares in verse 13, all who call upon name of the Lord will be saved!*
Salvation depends upon someone being sent with a commission.* The word Paul uses for preach is akin to herald. It implies that the message comes through the one who delivers the message and not from the one who delivers it.
Could it be that those that Jesus sees who are far from where He wants them to be need you and me to bring His Good News to them? Could it be that the excitement that awaits the Good News that you have to bring is just as amazing as the end of 400 years of exile? Bringing the Gospel to those God calls you to continues the work of Jesus on this earth.*
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask Him what He is calling you to do. Perhaps God wants you to take a step of sharing the Good News. Maybe God wants you to take a step back toward Him from the place of exile by obeying what He is asking you to do.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 417). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 273–276). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 389–391). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 351–352). Zondervan Publishing House.