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Response
Jesus is the Messiah whom the Jews had been expecting for centuries (see Luke 2:25;see Luke 3:15). He was born into a Jewish family and raised according to Jewish law in a Jewish town (see Luke 2:27;Galatians 4:4). Jesus chose Jewish disciples, taught in Jewish synagogues and the Jewish temple, and primarily traveled in Jewish regions. His purpose, as foretold by the Jewish prophets, was for the Jewish people. Nevertheless, this does not imply that Jesus’ ministry was exclusively for the Jews.
In Matthew 15, there is an event that initially appears to support the notion that Jesus came solely for the Jews. While traveling through Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile area, “a Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly’” «And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. », (Matthew 15:22). This Gentile woman acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah (“Son of David”), yet “Jesus did not answer a word” (verse 23). Despite the woman persisting in her pleas, Jesus eventually replied, but His words seemed discouraging: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (verse 24). Nevertheless, the woman persisted, and Jesus eventually granted her request, commending her “great faith” (verse 28).
The fact that Jesus assisted the Canaanite woman, even though His mission was to the Jews, is a significant aspect of the Gospel account. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus provided other indications that HisPower and compassion extended to all people. He healed a Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10). He journeyed through the Gentile region of the Gerasenes «And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. », (Mark 5:1). He ministered in a Samaritan city (John 4).
Jesus paid the price for all sin, making salvation available to the entire world «and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. », (1 John 2:2). Jesus Christ is God Himself «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. », (John 1:1). Jesus died on the cross as the payment for all our sins, and He rose from death in resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus declared Himself as the Good Shepherd, and He foretold that His flock would greatly expand: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” «And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. », (John 10:16).
It took some time for the early church to realize that salvation was accessible to the Gentiles. The Jewish Christians who escaped the persecution in Jerusalem traveled to the Gentile regions of Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were “spreading the word only among Jews” «Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Steph
Paul traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word not to anyone but to the Jews exclusively. , (Acts 11:19). Peter was hesitant to bring the gospel to a Gentile household, but God made it clear that Cornelius was also one of the chosen (Acts 10).
“Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too” «Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: », (Romans 3:29). Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, but He had come to offer salvation to everyone. The Messiah was to be a “light for the Gentiles” «I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; », (Isaiah 42:6). So call on Jesus, because “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” «And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. », (Acts 2:21).
