One Year® Bible Online Forum

... a bone or wrench for me?



Mathew 10:5-6
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.


Mathew 15:
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

27"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


Ok … I may have missed it before, but it sure has my attention now!

At what point are the apostles actually told to preach to the gentiles, and by whom?

I'm aware there are some who believe that the Book of Mathew was meant to be a message exclusively for Jew's … Is this part of the reasoning? ... (Debatable nonetheless, “grafted in” is grafted in. … becoming a partaker as well, ?)


Would anyone here care to expound on this? ... If so, I would greatly appreciate it. ....

Thank you, and LORD Bless you all.

I have always been under the assumption that when Jesus gave the Great Commission before His Ascension that the command to actively proclaim the Good News to the entire world was given. Of, course, that was fulfilled in stages in Acts and is even being fulfilled in our day

Matthew 28:
The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Also check out Acts 1 for another recounting:

The Ascension

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The fact that Jesus did heal Gentiles is interesting, but He never preached the Kingdom to them actively. Jesus was fulfilling Torah and until His crucifixion & resurrection, the promise could not go out to the Gentiles as a whole is the way I understand the progression of the Kingdom (in a nutshell).

It seems the gentiles that were mentioned in the Gospels and the first parts of Acts were the ones that were referred to as God-fearers"
(Acts 17:17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. )

I think being called a dog in that passage above, as the Gentiles were commonly called in derision, was a really bold statement by Jesus.

Cool discussion. Maybe you or others have more input on this.

Peace
Jeff

P.S. It seems that even when things did start happening with the Gentiles in Acts it was still a shocker to them. Some incidents with Peter and Philip come to mind and of course the council in Acts 15 was needed to settle how to deal with the new Gentile believers in Messiah and their relationship with the Jewish ones.

re-Peace

Thank you so much … Once again, you have pleasantly surprised me!



“I think being called a dog...” …

*woof woof* then … {That's not the part that bothered me so much} … As I'd be the first to admit that it truly is “HIS Amazing Grace” that did indeed save a wretch like me! ….

Psalm 84
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

It was verse 24 that had thrown me for a loop. … I was not aware that HE had made such a statement, and for a lack of complete continuity (?)… I didn't realize, or at least I had always been under the impression that they were initially sent out to preach to “whomever would listen.”

This is a good example of what can happen if we only go by what others tell us … and not actively read or listen to the full gospel, and/or only randomly or selectively choose only certain parts.
...Not to mention the fact, that even if we do read all of the “content”, but just for the sake of “reading” it ... we will be more apt to overlook certain proper “context” in light of a predisposed understanding.

Now that I know what is scriptural, and is simply part of HIS Plan … rather than fear of believing something that is false …I am fine with the Truth, as well as comforted.

“Jesus was fulfilling Torah” …

… So, knowing this, it does make sense and reiterates “To the Jew first … To the Jew first ... To the Jew first ... Then!!!! >>> To the Gentile as well!
Above all … this is evidence of the Truth; being that it is consistent! … (The writing is on the wall!!) … Less excuses, more evidence!!


“The fact that Jesus did heal Gentiles is interesting,” …

Yes!! .. .It is very interesting indeed, even more so to me now that I am aware of the above scripture. ...

Possibly reiterating HIS Mercy?


Wow ...what had initially presented itself to me in a sense of dismay … I now rejoice in The TRUTH Expounded!

Awesome. ..Thank you again, for taking the time!

PRAISE HIM!

I am so glad you brought this up. I too was dismay when I read it and a bit confused. So many years reading the Bible and totally missed this statement. But your explanation did bring other scriptures to mind, including ..For God so loved the world...whom so ever...etc.
Also in Acts 17:30 (NASV) ....declaring to men that all everywhere should repent. again a sigh of relief!