Post by ambassador on Aug 22, 2009 0:45:07 GMT -5
“Rightly Dividing” the Scriptures: Did Jesus Christ Minister to Gentiles?
Did you know that Jesus Christ DID NOT minister to Gentiles? According the Bible, Christ COMMANDED His twelve apostles “go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-7). Why did Jesus preach almost exclusively to the Jews? Why did Jesus strongly forbid His apostles to minister to Gentiles? We find the answer in the Book of Romans.
Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry is aptly summed up in one verse, Romans 15:8: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [the Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [covenants] made unto the fathers [Old Testament patriarchs].” In the Old Testament, the LORD God made several covenants with Israel’s patriarchs. Abraham was old and childless, but God promised to send him a son, Isaac, and through Isaac the whole Nation of Israel would begin (Genesis 17:1-21 suffices, but if you need other Scripture, also refer to Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:13-18; and Genesis 15:6-8, 13-18).
The three stipulations of the Abrahamic Covenant were: (1) the institution of the Nation of Israel through Isaac, (2) a geographic area, the Land of Canaan, or what we know as the Promised Land, and (3) God would be Israel’s Redeemer and King.
Through this little nation, God would reach the lost Gentile world (Zechariah 8:20-23). In the Old Testament, the promise of the coming Messiah and King, Jesus of Nazareth, was repeated to Moses (Exodus 19:5-6) and to David (2 Samuel 7:16). Other Old Testament books also make reference to the Kingdom of Israel (see Isaiah 9:6-7, Zechariah 9:9-10, and Psalm 2:6-8).
In approximately 4 B.C., God the Son takes on human flesh, being born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Thirty years later, Israel’s King and Messiah, Jesus, presents Himself to the nation after John the Baptist preached (paraphrase) “Our King is here, repent and be baptized” (see Matthew 3:1-6). John the Baptist is eventually martyred and beheaded. For three years, Jesus Christ walks up and down with the confines of Israel’s borders, performing miracles to prove He is the Son of God and the Messiah promised to Israel in the Old Testament. But, remember, Jesus is on covenant ground—He cannot minister to Gentiles because they were not descendants of Abraham (see Ephesians 2:11-13)!
Now, the Scriptures give us two exceptions of Jesus dealing with Gentiles: there was the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28) and one Roman centurion (Luke 7:1-15) on whom the Lord had compassion. In the case of the Canaanite woman’s daughter, Jesus is reluctant to help the woman: she is a non-Jew, a Gentile, and has no business asking Him for anything. He scolds her: “it is not meet [it is not proper] to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs” (Matthew 15:26); in other words, “I cannot give the children of Israel’s blessings to you because you are not a Jew!” However, because of the woman’s persistence and strong faith in Him, Jesus condescends, and heals her possessed daughter!
Jesus performed innumerable miracles in Israel for three years; far too many miracles for the Bible to contain, and far too many books that could be written about them for the world to contain (John 20:30 and John 21:25). Despite the abundance of miracles, the Jews had a heart of unbelief, and they rejected their King! Israel’s religious leaders conspired with the Roman government, and demanded Jesus’s crucifixion! On Calvary, the King of Israel dies, the Kingdom believers of His earthly ministry are confused and do not understand what has happened! Now that the King is dead, how will the Kingdom be brought in?
Three days later, the King of Israel, Jesus Christ, triumphs over death. He is literally and bodily resurrected, and appears to His disciples. They are surprised to see Him, as they did not know that He was going to die, nor that He would resurrect (Luke 18:30-34; John 20:9)! For forty days, before ascending into Heaven, Jesus begins to speak again about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:4, 6-8). The Apostle Peter asks Jesus in Acts 1:6, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?” Jesus replies with, “it is not for you to know the times or the seasons” (Acts 1:7). Jesus then ascends into Heaven, promising to send the Holy Spirit ten days later.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter is begging Israel to repent, change their mind, and embrace Jesus as Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:22-38). These Jews must repent, and then get water baptized in order to be saved: Peter tells them that although they killed their King, He is alive, and He will return to set up that Kingdom! Although 3,000 Jews were saved that day (Acts 2:41), the Nation of Israel for the most part refused to acknowledge Jesus as Christ and King!
In Acts 7, Stephen is preaching to Israel again, which is about seven years since the Lord’s ascension and the Day of Pentecost. But, it is the same message as Peter’s Pentecost sermon, which I paraphrase from Acts 7:51-56: “Jesus is Christ, your promised King, whom you killed, but He is now alive, and will bring judgment on those who do not embrace Him as Messiah!” In unbelief, the Jews stone Stephen to death.
So, Israel has now rejected and killed God the Father (who sent John the Baptist), rejected and killed God the Son (Jesus Christ), and rejected and killed God the Holy Spirit (with whom Stephen was filled). The Kingdom was pushed far out into the future as God converted a rebellious little Jew, Saul of Tarsus: the Age of Grace has now been going for two millennia. Currently, Israel is set aside (temporarily) because God could not use them to minister to the Gentile world. Paul the Apostle would now go to the Gentiles, without the Nation of Israel!
Did you know that Jesus Christ DID NOT minister to Gentiles? According the Bible, Christ COMMANDED His twelve apostles “go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-7). Why did Jesus preach almost exclusively to the Jews? Why did Jesus strongly forbid His apostles to minister to Gentiles? We find the answer in the Book of Romans.
Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry is aptly summed up in one verse, Romans 15:8: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [the Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [covenants] made unto the fathers [Old Testament patriarchs].” In the Old Testament, the LORD God made several covenants with Israel’s patriarchs. Abraham was old and childless, but God promised to send him a son, Isaac, and through Isaac the whole Nation of Israel would begin (Genesis 17:1-21 suffices, but if you need other Scripture, also refer to Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:13-18; and Genesis 15:6-8, 13-18).
The three stipulations of the Abrahamic Covenant were: (1) the institution of the Nation of Israel through Isaac, (2) a geographic area, the Land of Canaan, or what we know as the Promised Land, and (3) God would be Israel’s Redeemer and King.
Through this little nation, God would reach the lost Gentile world (Zechariah 8:20-23). In the Old Testament, the promise of the coming Messiah and King, Jesus of Nazareth, was repeated to Moses (Exodus 19:5-6) and to David (2 Samuel 7:16). Other Old Testament books also make reference to the Kingdom of Israel (see Isaiah 9:6-7, Zechariah 9:9-10, and Psalm 2:6-8).
In approximately 4 B.C., God the Son takes on human flesh, being born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Thirty years later, Israel’s King and Messiah, Jesus, presents Himself to the nation after John the Baptist preached (paraphrase) “Our King is here, repent and be baptized” (see Matthew 3:1-6). John the Baptist is eventually martyred and beheaded. For three years, Jesus Christ walks up and down with the confines of Israel’s borders, performing miracles to prove He is the Son of God and the Messiah promised to Israel in the Old Testament. But, remember, Jesus is on covenant ground—He cannot minister to Gentiles because they were not descendants of Abraham (see Ephesians 2:11-13)!
Now, the Scriptures give us two exceptions of Jesus dealing with Gentiles: there was the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28) and one Roman centurion (Luke 7:1-15) on whom the Lord had compassion. In the case of the Canaanite woman’s daughter, Jesus is reluctant to help the woman: she is a non-Jew, a Gentile, and has no business asking Him for anything. He scolds her: “it is not meet [it is not proper] to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs” (Matthew 15:26); in other words, “I cannot give the children of Israel’s blessings to you because you are not a Jew!” However, because of the woman’s persistence and strong faith in Him, Jesus condescends, and heals her possessed daughter!
Jesus performed innumerable miracles in Israel for three years; far too many miracles for the Bible to contain, and far too many books that could be written about them for the world to contain (John 20:30 and John 21:25). Despite the abundance of miracles, the Jews had a heart of unbelief, and they rejected their King! Israel’s religious leaders conspired with the Roman government, and demanded Jesus’s crucifixion! On Calvary, the King of Israel dies, the Kingdom believers of His earthly ministry are confused and do not understand what has happened! Now that the King is dead, how will the Kingdom be brought in?
Three days later, the King of Israel, Jesus Christ, triumphs over death. He is literally and bodily resurrected, and appears to His disciples. They are surprised to see Him, as they did not know that He was going to die, nor that He would resurrect (Luke 18:30-34; John 20:9)! For forty days, before ascending into Heaven, Jesus begins to speak again about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:4, 6-8). The Apostle Peter asks Jesus in Acts 1:6, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?” Jesus replies with, “it is not for you to know the times or the seasons” (Acts 1:7). Jesus then ascends into Heaven, promising to send the Holy Spirit ten days later.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter is begging Israel to repent, change their mind, and embrace Jesus as Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:22-38). These Jews must repent, and then get water baptized in order to be saved: Peter tells them that although they killed their King, He is alive, and He will return to set up that Kingdom! Although 3,000 Jews were saved that day (Acts 2:41), the Nation of Israel for the most part refused to acknowledge Jesus as Christ and King!
In Acts 7, Stephen is preaching to Israel again, which is about seven years since the Lord’s ascension and the Day of Pentecost. But, it is the same message as Peter’s Pentecost sermon, which I paraphrase from Acts 7:51-56: “Jesus is Christ, your promised King, whom you killed, but He is now alive, and will bring judgment on those who do not embrace Him as Messiah!” In unbelief, the Jews stone Stephen to death.
So, Israel has now rejected and killed God the Father (who sent John the Baptist), rejected and killed God the Son (Jesus Christ), and rejected and killed God the Holy Spirit (with whom Stephen was filled). The Kingdom was pushed far out into the future as God converted a rebellious little Jew, Saul of Tarsus: the Age of Grace has now been going for two millennia. Currently, Israel is set aside (temporarily) because God could not use them to minister to the Gentile world. Paul the Apostle would now go to the Gentiles, without the Nation of Israel!