JESUS TAUGHT THAT HE WAS SENT
EXCLUSIVELY TO ISRAEL:
THIS EXCLUDED ALL OTHER NATIONS!
JESUS TAUGHT THAT HE
WAS SENT EXCLUSIVELY
TO ISRAEL:
THIS EXCLUDED ALL OTHER NATIONS!
JAN LILLEBY
The Lord’s own statements regarding His mission on earth cannot be disputed, Mat. 15:24, NASB net version:
21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."
23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us."
24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Editor’s emphasize)
This Bible passage has been and still is a spiritual ‘Hot Potato’ in Christendom.
Nobody wants to touch it, and much less trying to explain this very blunt statement from Jesus.
Does not the ‘Great Commission’ in Mat. 28 say that He sent the apostles out to preach in the whole wide world (in which Israel would rank only as a minority)?
And in Charismatic and Pentecostal camps, it seem to bring up too many questions to try to really explain His statement away – for it would actually mean that these denominations, known for their persistent claims that the sign gifts and healing miracles are meant for the believers in our time, - could no longer say that this would be true. And their fiercely quoting of Bible passages, like for instance Mark 16:15-20 where signs and miracles are pointed out, NASB,
«15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
17 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover *."
19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.] [And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ]”
And it doesn’t help the Bible readers that many, yes, most Bible translations are very shallow and in lack of better take on the Greek originals, using words as..go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.. – or as in Mat. 28: 19, NASB,
“19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”
For in Greek it is put much more weight on the context than in any other language. The real context here was that He sent them TO ISRAEL, exclusively.
Not to the Gentiles (nations, Greek ethnos).
The Greek word for ‘All the world’ - when also talking of the peoples there, is cosmos. This word is used of nation, landscape, places, the whole creation, the universe. Jesus spoke of the ‘Cosmos Israel’ – as we learn of the right context.
In this context seen with Jesus sending His apostles out to preach, it was just like the mission Jesus told of Himself: Sent to the lost sheep of the house OF ISRAEL.
Peter and the eleven were sent to continue this exclusive ministry to Israel and the Jews, just as it was with the Lord.
Before He went to the cross, Jesus pointed out to the disciples that they SHOULD NOT GO OUT ON THE ROAD TO THE GENTILES:
Mat. 10:5-8, NASB,
«5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.» (Editor’s emphasize)
This ‘Mission Policy’ of Jesus had not changed since Mat. 15 and the heathen woman up until Mat. 28 and the ‘Great Commission’.
In the latter, He certainly had not changed His mind…and so suddenly told them to go to the whole world, including Gentile nations.
I am a Norwegian, living in Norway. There is historical evidence that the Gospel telling of Jesus Christ came to us around 850 CE – almost a millennia since the apostles went out preaching. The Gospel have to be seen as a local process going on in Israel only, however getting out into the Provinces of the Empire later on, with Paul and his fellow ministers like told in Acts.
But weak and shallow Bible translations allows for great misunderstanding in Bible truths and how to apply these to our lives today.
We are in need of a better division of the Word of God, so that we can be sure what has been written, and to whom.
Paul in 57 CE, writing the epistle to the Romans, taught the same as Jesus had established in Mat. 15, of His mission, Rom. 15:8, NASB,
«8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,”
Jesus was portrayed by Paul correctly, still – 28 years later than His saying in Mat. 15:24 of Himself as sent ONLY to Israel (circumcised ones) …thus confirming the promises first given to the forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).
Yes – I know: Verses 9 to 12 speaks of the Gentiles. But this is in the understanding of them not in a free manner, but as PROSELYTES. Paul explains it very clearly in Rom. 11, as we find Gentiles in the times of Acts only allowed as proselytes, spiritually grafted into the good olive tree (the Messianic body of Jewish Jesus-believers).
The free Gospel of Grace by faith alone was not revealed by Christ, until 63-64 CE when Paul sat in jail and wrote the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians.
What I am pointing to here is: All kinds of Gospel mission worked by the apostles since Pentecost in Acts 2, in the year 28 CE until the ending of Acts 62 CE was exclusively to Israel and not the entire globe with all the nations. God was offering to Israel the Kingdom on earth, with Jesus as their anointed Messiah King, in Greek, Cristos, thus in English, Christ.
Peter had this commission laid upon him as well as the eleven with him. Unlike Paul who had been given – at that time (Acts 9:15) to go to Gentiles, Kings, and Israel, NASB,
«15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."
So consequently Paul mentioned this fact in Gal. 2:7-9, NASB,
“ 7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised
8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles ),
9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”
Paul went (as we can learn from Acts history!) not only to Israel, not only to kings (check out Agrippa II and Caesar Nero), but he went out to the Gentile nations…where he met both Jews and Gentiles, often in the synagogues in the Empire.
Peter had an ‘incident’ with speaking to Gentiles, seen in Acts 10 and 11, which happened around 9 years after Pentecost in Acts 2. His errand to the house of the Roman Captain Cornelius in Caesarea had the brethren in Jerusalem upset! Peter had gone into the house of a Gentile! And this is forbidden in the Law of Moses!
Acts 11:1-18, NASB, is a total clarification of the entire incident, of Peter ignoring the Law of Moses and thus having fellowship with an unclean Gentile,
«1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him,
3 saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."
4 But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying,
5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me,
6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.
7 "I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'
8 "But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'
9 "But a voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.'
10 "This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.
11 "And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
12 "The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man's house.
13 "And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;
14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'
15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
16 "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17 "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."
(Editor’s emphasize)
As we dwell on verse 18, and the conclusion made by the brethren in Jerusalem on Peter’s escapade in Caesarea, we find for the first time in Acts, that the Word of God, the Kingdom-gospel preached by the twelve, had finally been given ALSO to Gentile proselytes. This ALSO, was a word uttered 9 years after Pentecost in Acts 2. Which means that the apostles had only ministered to Israel inside its borders. Fully in accord with the Great Commission in Mat. 28 and Mark 16. The bad translations are to be blamed.
The apostles and their associates were astonished by what had happened in the house of Cornelius….it was obviously the very first time in New Testament history that Gentiles had gotten the Gospel.
But again, allow me to repeat it: Did not Jesus tell His flock to go ‘Into all the world, preaching to all creation’ – such as quoted from Mat. 28 and Mark 16?
NO, HE OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT! Jesus has been wrongly translated in regard to His sending out the twelve. He sent them to ISRAEL AND THE CIRCUMCISED…the Jews only. And now, that exemption made with the audience in the house of Cornelius (about 40 persons). This was however a ‘One Off’ – and Peter did not re-organize his ministry, but went only to Jews – the circumcised. Acts shows us this.
SIGN GIFTS OF HEALINGS AND MIRACLES
Paul’s teaching on the sign-gifts in 1 Cor. 12-14 tells us that these were ONLY GIVEN FOR ISRAEL’s sake, in that they should believe in the message preached by the twelve. And later on, the thirteenth apostle, Paul.
Because it was for Israel Jesus had sent both His twelve apostles, as well as the additional one, Paul. So consequently we have certain proof of sign-gifts given ONLY for them to go to Israel and proselytes.
Sign-gifts freely given among Gentile nations around the whole world cannot be found in the Bible at all!
Sign-gifts were exclusively given to Jews and proselytes in the specific timeline with the apostles. Acts is a written witness to this Biblical truth; truth which is opposed, twisted, and perverted by Charismatics and Pentecostal movements.
They shut their eyes for this truth, and oppose the Bible…saying that we have sign-gifts (tongues speaking, prophecy, healings, miracles) in the Church in our time as well. Pointing to the infamous ‘Azusa Street Revival’ 1906-1913 in Los Angeles, led by William Seymour and Charles Fox Parham. (See my articles on this).
Their slogan in the printed tracts was ‘Pentecost Has Come’ – and thus telling Christians that the Pentecost told in Acts 2 with tongues and signs had come again, after being absent for over 1800 years! Paul shows us in Eph. 2:14, 15 that the Law of Moses was abolished (however it was kept up during Acts) – and revealed to Paul in 63 CE as he sat in jail. Pentecost was one of the ordinances to keep, a feast day, commanded Israel in the Law. But how could these bewildered Christians in Azusa Street 1906-1913 claim that Pentecost had come back again, if the Bible tells us that Pentecost is abolished…being part of the Law? Col. 2:14-17 tells us straight to the point,
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-
17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
We know now that their saying was a total lie.
Not only Charismatics and Pentecostals are out of line here, but Adventist Movements are as well – keeping parts of the Law of Moses, including food ordinances and Sabbath.
Several denominations grew up from out of this lie. America in particular, has been unfortunately strewn with heretic groups of believers in this heresy of signs and miracles coming back. No, it never came back. What came was a series of frauds and manipulators who found a way of grabbing the believers hard earned money, by making false miracle-promises to them so they would give the pastors money to get the blessings of God in their lives!
As Israel fell away from God as a nation for Him, seen in Acts 28:25-28, the whole Kingdom-message including the following signs etcetera, was abolished and entirely suspended.
There has not been a single healing, miracle, sign, tongues speaking in Biblical genuine manner, since Paul had the revelation of the Mystery, as we learn in Ephesians 1-3 chapters. Eph. 3:1-5 is clarifying, NASB,
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles -
2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;
3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.
4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
In this new revelation told by Paul for us Gentiles, there is not a single shred of evidence for sign-gifts promised to us, the Body of Christ, the One New Man, as Paul called it.
There is a wide gap between the Kingdom-gospel preached in Acts and the free Grace Gospel taught in Ephesians and Colossians! These two types of gospels are entirely different. The Kingdom-gospel was for Israel as a nation for God with its proselytes.
But the free Grace Gospel, that of the ‘Unsearchable riches of Christ’ is for ALL PEOPLES IN THE WORLD. There exist no partition between a believing Jew and a believing Gentile. They are made into ‘One New Man, Eph. 2:14, 15.
So, my dear friends, whether Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Lutherans, Catholics or others…the Post-Acts body – the ‘One New Man’, has not been equipped with any sign-gifts whatsoever. No tongues speaking, no prophesying, no healings, no casting out demons, no nothing! We have been given the inheritance and promise of the heaven up above with Jesus Christ, and we are already …in the eyes of God…placed there, hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3); and according to Eph. 1:3 we are also thus blessed with all spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ in heaven. It cannot get better than that. It outruns all sign-gifts and healings and whatever we can imagine here on earth.
It’s a Biblical true fact, and we should try to be loyal to this. Cast away all lies you may have taken to heart, such as I mentioned above, and take Ephesians and Colossians and Paul, the apostle to us Gentiles, to heart instead!
Eph. 4:30, NASB,
« Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
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