Many believers divide what was written directly to them in the Bible and what was not, between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is for Israel, and the New Testament is for us: believers from the Gentiles. But what does the New Testament itself tell us? Where did Jesus send His disciples (the Twelve)?
Matthew 10
5 Jesus sent these twelve, and He commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Not to the Gentiles
Jesus sent the Twelve to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and He specifically stated that they were not to go to the Gentiles. Israel was promised that when the Messiah would come, through a believing and converted Israel, all nations would be blessed (Isaiah 2:2-4; 49:5-6; 60:1-3). The Twelve went to Israel because Israel had to be restored first; only then would the nations come into view and the Kingdom would be established worldwide through Israel (Daniel 2:44; 7:27).
The Canaanite Woman
In the Gospel of Matthew, we find a passage that clearly illustrates that Jesus was sent only to the Jewish people.
Matthew 15
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from the border regions came out and cried out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord! Son of David, my daughter is possessed with a demon.”
23 But he did not answer her a word. So his disciples came to him and asked him, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 And he answered and said, I am sent only unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Only to Israel
Jesus says here, during His ministry on earth, that He was sent only to Israel. He refused to respond to the request of a Canaanite woman, a woman from the Gentiles. Jesus, too, according to His own words, was sent specifically to Israel, just as we saw with the twelve disciples.
25 But she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
It may sound rather harsh to us how this woman from the nations is rejected by Jesus. The children’s bread (>Israel) would not be given to the dogs (>Gentiles). But with this, Jesus confirms His words from verse 24, that He was sent only to the house of Israel.
27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! It will happen as you wish.” And her daughter was made well from that hour.
Great Faith
The woman says that even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table. She thereby acknowledges the special position of the Jewish people and the calling of Jesus to the house of Israel. But she also demonstrated that she believed that just a few crumbs were enough to heal her daughter. And so it happens, for faith is always answered by the Lord.
First Israel, Then the Nations
Even in those days, a believer from the nations could come to the God of Israel, but was always added to the people as a proselyte. Think of Rahab (Joshua 2; 6:25), Ruth (1:17), the centurion (Matt. 8:5-13), etc. There is also mention of “Jews and proselytes” (Acts 2:10; 6:5).
If the Messiah were to come, Israel would first repent, and through a believing Israel, the Messianic kingdom would be established over all nations.
Spiritual Food
Bread is a picture of spiritual food, the Word of God (Matt. 4:4). The bread we find in the Gospels, such as in Matthew 15, is not for dogs. Dogs are a picture of non-Jews, Gentiles.
The spiritual food we find in Matthew is not given directly to us. We would not partake of it as bread meant for us. However, we can certainly learn from the words Jesus spoke to Israel (2 Tim. 3:16). We can discover God’s plan for Israel in events, such as the many miraculous signs we find in the Gospels.
Anyone who reads the Gospels without prejudice cannot help but conclude that Jesus was initially sent to the people of Israel, and the descriptions of His earthly journey found in the Gospels clearly demonstrate this (see, for example, Matt. 1:21; 2:6; 4:23; 15:28; Mark 7:6; Luke 7:16; 24:21).
Paul
That Jesus was sent to Israel in His earthly walk is also confirmed by the apostle Paul:
Romans 15
8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers.
In the Gospels, we find the description of Jesus’ earthly walk. At the time of the Canaanite woman’s story, the Lord Jesus was sent to the Jewish people. He is, however, Lord of all (Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:12), and although the Canaanite woman was not welcome at Israel’s table, Jesus gave her what she needed: crumbs of the blessings meant for Israel.