Q: In Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus tells His apostles to avoid the Gentiles and the cities of the Samaritans. In Matthew 15:24, Jesus says explicitly, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And in Acts 16:6, Paul and his traveling companions are forbidden to preach the word in (the Roman province of) Asia. Isnt this uncharitable, and contradictory as well?
A: A close examination of the backgrounds of the texts in question will show otherwise. Lets get Acts 16:6 out of the way first. It doesnt belong in the list at all; theres no Jews-vs-Gentile issue there; its a simple matter of what Pauls itinerary was going to be. He was already proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles (and Jews -- pretty much anyone willing to listen!) by this point -- see the scene in Acts 13:47-48, for example.
The resolution is not complicated: a carpenter or mason, when constructing a house, has the option of using one construction-method when the foundation is made, and another construction-method when the walls are being made. There's a /difference/ between the stages of construction, but the difference of action is elicited by a difference in situation. Or, for a different comparison: a rocketship may have a Stage One rocket at lift-off, and a Stage Two and/or Stage Three rocket for the next part of the voyage. Something similar is going on here.
During Jesus ministry, the main scope of Jesus ministry was limited geographically to Israel, and its beneficiaries were almost exclusively Jewish. So, here in Matthew 10 -- i.e., during Jesus ministry, before His death and resurrection -- He is sent, and sends His disciples, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His ministry-time is sort of a sequel to the covenant of the Law.
After His death and resurrection, though, the groundwork for the new covenant was finished and forgiveness through Jesus Christ was available for anybody, Jew or Gentile. The era of the Christian church was underway -- itself a sequel, so to speak, to Jesus' earthly ministry. So at that point, Jesus instructed His disciples to share the good news with people of all nations, which of course included Samaritans and Gentiles.
There's no contradiction here, just a selection of passages from different points in time. One could similarly point out that the Bible says at one point that Joshua stood east of the Jordan River, and that the Bible says that later, Joshua stood west of the river, and call that a contradiction too.
To discuss the question of how charitable and fair this arrangement was would require a pretty long post about dispensations and overlapping covenants and so forth, and I think it would, sooner or later, perch on the question, "What's God Gonna Do With Those Who Have Not Heard the Good News?" -- an important question, which should probably be addressed separately. I hope this reply is adequate for now.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: A close examination of the backgrounds of the texts in question will show otherwise. Lets get Acts 16:6 out of the way first. It doesnt belong in the list at all; theres no Jews-vs-Gentile issue there; its a simple matter of what Pauls itinerary was going to be. He was already proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles (and Jews -- pretty much anyone willing to listen!) by this point -- see the scene in Acts 13:47-48, for example.
The resolution is not complicated: a carpenter or mason, when constructing a house, has the option of using one construction-method when the foundation is made, and another construction-method when the walls are being made. There's a /difference/ between the stages of construction, but the difference of action is elicited by a difference in situation. Or, for a different comparison: a rocketship may have a Stage One rocket at lift-off, and a Stage Two and/or Stage Three rocket for the next part of the voyage. Something similar is going on here.
During Jesus ministry, the main scope of Jesus ministry was limited geographically to Israel, and its beneficiaries were almost exclusively Jewish. So, here in Matthew 10 -- i.e., during Jesus ministry, before His death and resurrection -- He is sent, and sends His disciples, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His ministry-time is sort of a sequel to the covenant of the Law.
After His death and resurrection, though, the groundwork for the new covenant was finished and forgiveness through Jesus Christ was available for anybody, Jew or Gentile. The era of the Christian church was underway -- itself a sequel, so to speak, to Jesus' earthly ministry. So at that point, Jesus instructed His disciples to share the good news with people of all nations, which of course included Samaritans and Gentiles.
There's no contradiction here, just a selection of passages from different points in time. One could similarly point out that the Bible says at one point that Joshua stood east of the Jordan River, and that the Bible says that later, Joshua stood west of the river, and call that a contradiction too.
To discuss the question of how charitable and fair this arrangement was would require a pretty long post about dispensations and overlapping covenants and so forth, and I think it would, sooner or later, perch on the question, "What's God Gonna Do With Those Who Have Not Heard the Good News?" -- an important question, which should probably be addressed separately. I hope this reply is adequate for now.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
