Why Did Christ Forbid Preaching To Gentiles?

Why did Jesus command his evangelistic apostles to not go to the Gentiles during his three and a half year ministry and to only to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? For many believers, and even for many bible teachers, they will stumble to answer this question. It can be a hard question for many to explain why, to discern God's purpose in this restriction. Before we answer that question, let us put before the readers the leading texts that deal with that question.

"21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour."  (Matt. 15: 21-28 nkjv)

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 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, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." (Matt. 10: 5-8 nkjv)

Next, let us notice a couple commentaries. Barnes Commentary on Matthew 10: 5 says:

"Into the way of the Gentiles - That is, among the Gentiles, or nowhere but among the Jews. The full time for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles was not come. It was proper that it should be first preached to the Jews, the ancient covenant people of God, and the people among whom the Messiah was born. Afterward he gave them a charge to go into all the world, Matthew 28:19."

Notice that Barnes does not explain why the evangelists were forbidden to go to the Gentiles. All he says is that "the full time for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles was not come." But why was it not come? Why must the Gentiles wait until the Jewish people had been preached to first? 

John Gill wrote in his commentary:

"they were not, as yet, to go among them, and preach the Gospel to them; the calling of the Gentiles was not a matter, as yet, so clearly revealed and known, nor was the time of their calling come: besides it was the will of God, that the Gospel should be first preached to the Jews, to take off all excuse from them, and that their obstinacy and perverseness in rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, might manifestly appear; and since Christ himself was the minister of the circumcision, he would have his apostles, for the present, whilst he was on earth, act agreeably to the character he bore, that there might be an entire harmony in their conduct."

About "the calling of the Gentiles" not being "a matter as yet so clearly revealed and known" I will have more to say later when we address the question as to whether the new testament church was a subject of old testament prophecy. I do agree with Gill in affirming this. However, Gill was often inconsistent on this point. Further, Gill does not tell us why the calling of the Gentiles (and by extension the creation of the new covenant 'church') was not very clearly revealed in the old testament. Further, there was no doubt more than one reason or purpose behind God's limiting the announcement of the good news of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel than the ones mentioned by Gill in the above commentary. Yes, a secondary purpose was "to take off all excuse from them," and in order that "their obstinacy and perverseness in rejecting Jesus as the Messiah might manifestly appear," but the greater reason he does not mention. 

Some say that it is because Christ did not want to incite prejudice from the Jews by going to the Gentiles (Broadus). Some say it was because the apostles needed to be trained first by going only to Israel before they were equipped to go to the Gentiles (Carson). Though there might be some truth in these answers, they do not give us the main reason or purpose. Before we delve deeper into these questions, let us note some other scriptures that speak of the superiority of the Jews in regard to the good news of the kingdom of God. "Why Did Christ Forbid Preaching To Gentiles?" Or, a similar question "why to the Jew first?"

To The Jew First?

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." (Rom. 1: 16 nkjv)

"but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom. 2: 8-10 nkjv)

“You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” (Acts 3: 25-26 nkjv)

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." (Acts 13: 45-46 nkjv)

So, why was it "necessary" that the word of God, or the gospel of the kingdom be first preached to the Jews when Christ appeared and began his ministry?

The Offer of the Kingdom to Israel

J. Dwight Pentecost in his famous book "Things To Come" (See here) wrote (emphasis mine):

"It is a well established fact that the Jews at the time of Christ were anticipating a literal fulfillment of the Old Testament theocratic kingdom promises. It has been stated: 

It has been universally admitted by writers of prominence (e.g. Neander, Hagenbach, Schaff, Kurtz, etc.) whatever their respective views concerning the Kingdom itself, that the Jews, including the pious, held to a personal coming of the Messiah, the literal restoration of the Davidic throne and kingdom, the personal reign of Messiah on David’s throne, the resultant exaltation of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, and the fulfilment of the Millennial descriptions of that reign. It is also acknowledged that the utterances of Luke 1:71; Acts 1:6; Luke 2:26, 30, etc., include the above belief, and that down, at least to the day of Pentecost, the Jews, the disciples, and even the apostles held to such a view.…they regarded the prophecies and covenanted promises as literal (i.e. in their naked grammatical sense); and, believing in the fulfilment, looked for such a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom under the Messiah, with an increased power and glory befitting the majesty of the predicted King; and also that the pious of former ages would be raised up from the dead to enjoy the same." (Chapter xxvi - "The Kingdom Program In The New Testament")

This is a truth that must be recognized if we are to answer our question. All prophecies have been literally fulfilled. We will demonstrate this when we published our planned series on how to interpret the prophecies of the Bible. 

Pentecost, under the sub-heading "THE THEOCRATIC KINGDOM OFFERED AT THE FIRST ADVENT OF CHRIST" writes:

There are different views currently held as to the kingdom that was announced at the first advent of Christ. The liberal view is that Jesus adopted the social and political aspirations of the people of His day and announced a kingdom in close conformity to that expected by Israel on the basis of the Old Testament prophecies. However, during the course of His life it became apparent that Israel would not receive His offered kingdom and therefore He abandoned that expectation because of the opposition and subsequent discouragement. The spiritualized view is that Jesus adopted the spiritual elements of the Old Testament prophets, abandoning all the political and national aspects, and offered a spiritual kingdom to all who would believe. The literal view, supported by the study of the New Testament, is that the kingdom announced and offered by the Lord Jesus was the same theocratic kingdom foretold through the Old Testament prophets."

The kingdom of God was to be spiritual, yes, but it was also literal and involved a new age in a new heavens and earth, and a theocracy.

Pentecost writes further:

"A. The Old Testament theocracy was offered. The kingdom offered to Israel was the same theocracy anticipated in the Old Testament. Bright says: But for all his repeated mention of the Kingdom of God, Jesus never once paused to define it. Nor did any hearer ever interrupt him to ask, “Master, what do these words, ‘Kingdom of God’, which you use so often, mean?” On the contrary, Jesus used the term as if assured it would be understood, and indeed it was. The Kingdom of God lay within the vocabulary of every Jew. It was something they understood and longed for desperately."

The same observation is stated again: 

"The New Testament begins the announcement of the kingdom in terms expressive of its being previously well known…The preaching of the kingdom, its simple announcement, without the least attempt to explain its meaning or nature, the very language in which it was conveyed to the Jews—all presupposed that it was a subject familiar to all. John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Seventy, all proclaimed the kingdom in a way, without definition or explanation, that indicated that their hearers were acquainted with its meaning."

No Jew in the time of Christ, and no apostle, defined the kingdom as being the church, or a spiritual reign in the hearts of believers merely. Later on we will look at some of these prophecies and see that it included what is physical, earthly, and related to the new Jerusalem and the new heavens and earth and Christ rule on earth along with the nation of Israel and the new testament church.

Pentecost continues:

"By the term “at hand” the announcement is being made that the kingdom is to be expected imminently. It is not a guarantee that the kingdom will be instituted immediately, but rather that all impending events have been removed so that it is now imminent."

This is a very important fact to understand. Had the nation of Israel accepted Christ their king, then the kingdom would have then been realized. But, since they rejected it, it was postponed and will not be realized until Christ returns again. That the words "at hand" may mean just what Pentecost says, consider the words of Peter who said "the end of all things is at hand." (I Peter 4: 7 kjv) The same word in the Greek for "at hand" is used in verse five but is translated by the word "ready," saying "They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." Further, Paul says "the Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4: 5). In all these instances the meaning is that the Lord or the kingdom is near. 

Pentecost continues under "The theocratic message limited to Israel. The kingdom that was announced was announced only to Israel" saying: 

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 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, The kingdom of heaven is at hand [Matt 10:5-7]. I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel [Matt. 15:24]."

Affirmed Pentecost:

"There could be no universal blessings of the Abrahamic covenant applied to the Gentiles until Israel had experienced the realization of the theocratic kingdom, in which kingdom and in whose King the nations would be blessed."

Pentecost continues under "The theocratic message confirmed" saying: 

"The authenticity of the kingdom offer was substantiated by signs and miracles. When John the Baptist asked Christ, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matt. 11:3), doubtless because John felt the Messiah could not be received if the forerunner had been rejected, the Lord replied: Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me [Matt. 11:4-6]. The signs given by Christ were evidences of the power that would reside in the theocratic king and manifestations of the blessings that would exist in the kingdom. Peters well states:

[The miracles of Christ] are so related to the kingdom that they cannot be separated from it without mutual defacement. Thus it is represented by Jesus Himself (Matt. 12:28), “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto (or as some, upon) you”. Here we have, 1. The relationship existing between the kingdom and miracles; that without the latter the former cannot be revealed. 2. That miracles are a manifestation of possessed power, which Jesus will exert when He establishes His kingdom. 3. That the miraculous casting out of devils, or Satan, is an event connected with the kingdom, and its accomplishment through Jesus is thus verified as predicted, e.g., Rev. 20:1- 6. 4. That the miraculous casting out of devils by Jesus is a premonition, anticipating, foreshowing, or foreshadowing…like the transfiguration, of the kingdom itself. The miracles then are assurances vouchsafed that the kingdom will come as it is predicted. The miracles of Jesus are so varied and significant in the light of the kingdom that it can be readily perceived how they give us the needed confidence in its several requirements and aspects. The resurrection of dead ones is connected with the kingdom; that the keys of death hang at Christ’s girdle is shown in the miracles of [raising the dead].…Sickness and death are banished from the inheritors of the kingdom; the numerous miracles of healing various sicknesses and of restoring the dying, establish the power existing that can perform it. The utmost perfection of body is to be enjoyed in the kingdom; this is foreshadowed by the removal of blindness, lameness, deafness, and dumbness. Hunger, thirst, famine, etc., give place to plenty in the kingdom; the miracles of feeding thousands attest to the predicted power that will accomplish it. The natural world is to be completely under the Messiah’s control in that kingdom; the miracles of the draught of fishes, the tempest stilled, the ship at its destination, the walking on the sea, the fish bringing the tribute money, the barren fig tree destroyed, and the much-ridiculed one of water changed into wine, indicate that He who sets up this kingdom has indeed power over nature. The spiritual, unseen, invisible world is to be, as foretold, in contact and communication with this kingdom; and this Jesus verifies by the miracles of the transfiguration, the demoniac cured, the legion of devils cast out, passing unseen through the multitude, and by those of His own death, resurrection and ascension. Indeed there is scarcely a feature of this kingdom foretold which is to be formed by the special work of the Divine, that is not also confirmed to us by some glimpses of the Power that shall bring them forth. The kingdom—the end—is designed to remove the curse from man and nature, and to impart the most extraordinary blessings to renewed man and nature, but all this is to be done through One who, it is said, shall exert supernatural power to perform it. It is reasonable therefore to expect that as part of the developing of the plan itself, that when He first comes, through whom man and nature are to be regenerated, a manifestation of power—more abundant and superior to everything preceding—over man and nature should be exhibited, to confirm our faith in Him and His kingdom."

In view of this Pentecost well concludes:

"Every miracle which the Lord performed, then, may be understood to be not only a demonstration of the theocratic power of the Messiah, but also that which depicts the conditions which will exist in the theocratic kingdom when it is established."

The kingdom does not now exist since those conditions do not now exist in Israel or in the world. When the kingdom does come, when Christ comes again, these will be the conditions.

In the next chapter we will continue in this line of thought.