To The House of Israel

Jesus came to His own, and His own received Him not.  I wonder how many realize that when Jesus came to earth, He came to the lost sheep of Israel.   You might be surprised to hear this, if you hadn’t read or heard it before.

This is what Jesus said to a Canaanite woman when she came seeking a deliverance for her daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil in Matthew 15:24, “But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”

If you are not a Jew and you read this, you may think that Jesus didn’t love all people groups, He only loved the Jews, but even though it may sound like it, it is not true, read verses 25-26, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’”

If you are a believer and you haven’t spent much time in the Word, hearing or reading it, and you read that Jesus related to a lady as a dog, it might shock you, I think it did me years ago, but when Jesus said this he wasn’t rejecting or degrading this lady, this was a common name the Jews used at the time for gentiles because they didn’t think that pagan people were worthy to receive God’s blessings.  As you read on, you will notice that the woman wasn’t shocked at all by what Jesus said, she was used to hearing it.  

Read what it says in verse 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.’”  Jesus could have done what His disciples said and sent her away but He didn’t, Jesus took time to hear her out then He acted on her faith and delivered her daughter and set her free.

I think it would be helpful for you to read verses 24-28 again and allow the Lord to speak to your heart about them, “But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ 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.”

Jesus loved this lady and she didn’t walk away disappointed, I think she walked away rejoicing.  Some might think that Jesus’ words contradicted the truth of God’s message, that the good news was for all people, but that would not be the truth for John 3:16 says this, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The Word also says this in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  You can also read Psalms 22:27, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.”  Read also Isaiah 56:6-7, “Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

This was said when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Now check this out in Romans 15:9-12, “and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.’ And again he says: ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!’ And again: ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!

Laud Him, all you peoples!’ And again, Isaiah says: ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.’”

God’s message was for the Jew first and then they would take it to the Gentiles.  In this situation, Jesus may have used this to test this Canaanite woman’s faith or to teach that faith was available to all people.  At the time, Jesus was in Gentile territory and He ministered to Gentiles on many other occasions also.  Jesus was just telling the woman that the Jews were to have the first opportunity to accept Him as their Messiah then, like I said earlier, they would have the opportunity to take the good news to the Gentiles, which they did, praise the Lord!!  

I hope this has been a help and an encouragement to everyone who reads it, we Gentiles were not left out of God’s plan, thank the Lord.  Something to think about!  God bless and have a super day.