To Whom Was Jesus Sent?
by
Philip du Nard
Lest there be any misunderstanding, let me say from the outset that I believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. And the good news of salvation in Christ was not to be limited to Jews or Israelites. St. Paul writes in Galatians 3:8, “And the scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
But because this is so, there is a tendency to use this truth as a sort of filter or lens by which utterances of our Lord set forth in the Gospels that seem to contradict this are dismissed as either no longer relevant or that Christ didn’t mean what it sounds like He meant. I believe this stems from a failure to distinguish between a national or kingdom aspect to the gospel and a personal aspect. With respect to his kinsmen, the Israelites, even St. Paul says of them in Romans 9:4 that it is to them “to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises...” He further states in Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”
In other words, even as Paul is striving to preach the gospel to all the world, he is here affirming that just as there are certain things expected from pastors that are not required of other believers, that there is a certain national relationship to God, certain national glory and honor, certain covenants, certain responsibilities under the law, a certain national service, and certain promises that pertain to the Israel people as a people that do not pertain to other nations. and which they are expected to acknowledge and conform to. And when they do, other nations are blessed and drawn to the Lord. See Romans 11:12. And when, in what they suppose to be a virtuous expression of humility, they despise their birthright and reject this special relationship and responsibility and say they are no different from other nations and races then chaos on the world scene develops.
Of course, I am not referring to the people of which Christ said, “which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Rev. 2:9; 3:9. It is a grievous thing that Christian preachers and teachers cannot discern the difference between this group and the Israel people that were to develop into many nations and to whom the covenant promises pertain.
With these thoughts in mind, let us review some key passages in the Gospel of Matthew. Starting in chapter 1, verse 21, we find the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream informing him that Mary would bring forth a son who was to be named Jesus, “For he shall save his people from their sins.” Now who might His people be? This is clearly a reference to the Israel people. But, you object, He died for everyone. Yes, but the focus here is undeniably on the Israel people.
In chapter 4:17, at the start of Christ’s earthly ministry, we find it written that, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He is speaking to a people who were expected to have some basic understanding of what the kingdom of heaven was and what their responsibilities pertaining to it were. If He were to preach this message to a non-Israelite or heathen people, they might understandably ask, “What is the kingdom of heaven? And what is all this talk of repentance?”
In Matthew 8, we have the story of the Roman centurion whose servant was grievously sick of the palsy and tormented and the centurion sought healing for him from the Lord Jesus Christ. The manner in which he did impressed the Lord so that He was moved to say, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is an indication that the kingdom of heaven, at least in its initial stages, would have a geographic location on earth such that people would have to physically travel to reach it. People of faith like the centurion who were not of Israel stock would be admitted but “the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness.” This is a reference to the Israel people. In Exodus 19:6, God told the children of Israel through Moses that they would be unto Him “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation.” So we know who the children of the kingdom are according to the Scriptures. There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth when Israelites, who of all people should have known better, would come to realize what they had forfeited by rejecting the Word of God and, despite their ancestry, find themselves deported. But if this were to be the fate of all or most of them at the time of the fulfillment of these scriptures, we might have a hard time reconciling this with the promise that Jesus would save his people from their sins.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends His disciples forth and tells them, “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. And as ye go, preach, saying, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
Well, no, he didn’t say that last part. But you would never know it from how Christian preachers and teachers apply this scripture. Rather, He told them to preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was a similar but different message. And in spite of the fact that he had acknowledged the faith of the Roman centurion and in spite of the fact that in the Gospel of John we find Him early in His ministry going out of His way to have an encounter with a Samaritan woman and revealing Himself to her as the Messiah, His instructions to His disciples at this juncture is to not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. The reason for this is that the Israelites were and are the children of the kingdom and the kingdom message is what was being emphasized here.
But, you say, don’t you know the Great Commission or what happened in the book of Acts? Of course I do. But let us continue with some more scripture. In Matthew 15:21-31, we read the story of a “woman of Canaan” whose daughter was “grievously vexed with a devil” and who asked the Lord for mercy on her behalf. Jesus did not at first answer her but when pressed said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” v24. This is in keeping with His instructions to His disciples to limit their ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. But the woman was persistent and Jesus acknowledged her great faith and granted her request.
Nevertheless, when we review the instructions of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 10, He tells them if they are persecuted in one city, to go to another because, He tells them, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, until the Son of man be come.”v.23. In this context, it would appear that conversion of people like the Roman centurion or others would be incidental to the main, age-long mission of reaching lost Israel as the disciples would have their hands full with that. If we view the Great Commission in this light, it becomes clear why Jesus would tell His disciples to “teach all nations...” That is where ethnic Israel was to be found.
by
Philip du Nard
Lest there be any misunderstanding, let me say from the outset that I believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. And the good news of salvation in Christ was not to be limited to Jews or Israelites. St. Paul writes in Galatians 3:8, “And the scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
But because this is so, there is a tendency to use this truth as a sort of filter or lens by which utterances of our Lord set forth in the Gospels that seem to contradict this are dismissed as either no longer relevant or that Christ didn’t mean what it sounds like He meant. I believe this stems from a failure to distinguish between a national or kingdom aspect to the gospel and a personal aspect. With respect to his kinsmen, the Israelites, even St. Paul says of them in Romans 9:4 that it is to them “to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises...” He further states in Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”
In other words, even as Paul is striving to preach the gospel to all the world, he is here affirming that just as there are certain things expected from pastors that are not required of other believers, that there is a certain national relationship to God, certain national glory and honor, certain covenants, certain responsibilities under the law, a certain national service, and certain promises that pertain to the Israel people as a people that do not pertain to other nations. and which they are expected to acknowledge and conform to. And when they do, other nations are blessed and drawn to the Lord. See Romans 11:12. And when, in what they suppose to be a virtuous expression of humility, they despise their birthright and reject this special relationship and responsibility and say they are no different from other nations and races then chaos on the world scene develops.
Of course, I am not referring to the people of which Christ said, “which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Rev. 2:9; 3:9. It is a grievous thing that Christian preachers and teachers cannot discern the difference between this group and the Israel people that were to develop into many nations and to whom the covenant promises pertain.
With these thoughts in mind, let us review some key passages in the Gospel of Matthew. Starting in chapter 1, verse 21, we find the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream informing him that Mary would bring forth a son who was to be named Jesus, “For he shall save his people from their sins.” Now who might His people be? This is clearly a reference to the Israel people. But, you object, He died for everyone. Yes, but the focus here is undeniably on the Israel people.
In chapter 4:17, at the start of Christ’s earthly ministry, we find it written that, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He is speaking to a people who were expected to have some basic understanding of what the kingdom of heaven was and what their responsibilities pertaining to it were. If He were to preach this message to a non-Israelite or heathen people, they might understandably ask, “What is the kingdom of heaven? And what is all this talk of repentance?”
In Matthew 8, we have the story of the Roman centurion whose servant was grievously sick of the palsy and tormented and the centurion sought healing for him from the Lord Jesus Christ. The manner in which he did impressed the Lord so that He was moved to say, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is an indication that the kingdom of heaven, at least in its initial stages, would have a geographic location on earth such that people would have to physically travel to reach it. People of faith like the centurion who were not of Israel stock would be admitted but “the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness.” This is a reference to the Israel people. In Exodus 19:6, God told the children of Israel through Moses that they would be unto Him “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation.” So we know who the children of the kingdom are according to the Scriptures. There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth when Israelites, who of all people should have known better, would come to realize what they had forfeited by rejecting the Word of God and, despite their ancestry, find themselves deported. But if this were to be the fate of all or most of them at the time of the fulfillment of these scriptures, we might have a hard time reconciling this with the promise that Jesus would save his people from their sins.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends His disciples forth and tells them, “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. And as ye go, preach, saying, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
Well, no, he didn’t say that last part. But you would never know it from how Christian preachers and teachers apply this scripture. Rather, He told them to preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was a similar but different message. And in spite of the fact that he had acknowledged the faith of the Roman centurion and in spite of the fact that in the Gospel of John we find Him early in His ministry going out of His way to have an encounter with a Samaritan woman and revealing Himself to her as the Messiah, His instructions to His disciples at this juncture is to not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. The reason for this is that the Israelites were and are the children of the kingdom and the kingdom message is what was being emphasized here.
But, you say, don’t you know the Great Commission or what happened in the book of Acts? Of course I do. But let us continue with some more scripture. In Matthew 15:21-31, we read the story of a “woman of Canaan” whose daughter was “grievously vexed with a devil” and who asked the Lord for mercy on her behalf. Jesus did not at first answer her but when pressed said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” v24. This is in keeping with His instructions to His disciples to limit their ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. But the woman was persistent and Jesus acknowledged her great faith and granted her request.
Nevertheless, when we review the instructions of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 10, He tells them if they are persecuted in one city, to go to another because, He tells them, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, until the Son of man be come.”v.23. In this context, it would appear that conversion of people like the Roman centurion or others would be incidental to the main, age-long mission of reaching lost Israel as the disciples would have their hands full with that. If we view the Great Commission in this light, it becomes clear why Jesus would tell His disciples to “teach all nations...” That is where ethnic Israel was to be found.