Q: What did Christ mean when He said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15:24)? How are we to reconcile John 3:16 with Matthew 15:24, that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"
A: Some have explained this seeming contradiction by saying that the Holy Spirit led John to write John 3:16 years after Paul had said, in Romans 10:12, there is no difference between Israel and the rest of the nations concerning God’s offer of salvation: "for whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10:13).
This is true, but to me the following explains it even more fully:
The OT abounds with prophecies that salvation would go to the ends of the earth through Israel. This is why our Lord confined His earthly ministry exclusively to the house of Israel. This is why Peter said to the people of Israel, "Unto you first..."
And yet it was no secret that salvation would go to all the world, but, it was to go through the covenant people. In fact, John 3:16 was spoken to "A RULER OF THE JEWS." This makes the words of our Lord doubly significant. It would not be at all amiss to paraphrase them thus: "For God so loved the world, Nicodemus — not only Israel, but the world — that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
Even several years after the death of Christ, Peter declared that it was not lawful for the Lord’s messengers to go to Gentiles (Acts 10:28). Many have thought that the great commissions of Matthew 28:19 and 20 and Mark 16:14-16 made it lawful. But the Lord gave the apostle Peter the ‘sheet’ vision and sent him to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:9, 18). Then by a vision He sent Paul. (Acts 22:21).
Cornelius was a Gentile different from the general run of Gentiles to whom Paul was sent. Cornelius was a devout man — he feared God, prayed always, and gave alms to God’s people (Acts 10:2, 22). Cornelius feared God and did what was right (Acts 10:35). To Cornelius, Peter preached Christ, saying, “but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”
Remember this was several years after Pentecost, when Peter was instructed to preach a "whoever" message to Jews gathered at Jerusalem, and to "all who are far off" (Acts 2:39). The words "far off" are found several times in the Bible, having two meanings, "far off from God" (Eph 2:13, 17) and "far off" from Jerusalem' (Dan 9:7). Paul was sent by Christ to the Gentiles "far off from God" and "far off from Jerusalem" (Acts 22:17-21; Rom 15:16-21).
A: Some have explained this seeming contradiction by saying that the Holy Spirit led John to write John 3:16 years after Paul had said, in Romans 10:12, there is no difference between Israel and the rest of the nations concerning God’s offer of salvation: "for whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10:13).
This is true, but to me the following explains it even more fully:
The OT abounds with prophecies that salvation would go to the ends of the earth through Israel. This is why our Lord confined His earthly ministry exclusively to the house of Israel. This is why Peter said to the people of Israel, "Unto you first..."
And yet it was no secret that salvation would go to all the world, but, it was to go through the covenant people. In fact, John 3:16 was spoken to "A RULER OF THE JEWS." This makes the words of our Lord doubly significant. It would not be at all amiss to paraphrase them thus: "For God so loved the world, Nicodemus — not only Israel, but the world — that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
Even several years after the death of Christ, Peter declared that it was not lawful for the Lord’s messengers to go to Gentiles (Acts 10:28). Many have thought that the great commissions of Matthew 28:19 and 20 and Mark 16:14-16 made it lawful. But the Lord gave the apostle Peter the ‘sheet’ vision and sent him to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:9, 18). Then by a vision He sent Paul. (Acts 22:21).
Cornelius was a Gentile different from the general run of Gentiles to whom Paul was sent. Cornelius was a devout man — he feared God, prayed always, and gave alms to God’s people (Acts 10:2, 22). Cornelius feared God and did what was right (Acts 10:35). To Cornelius, Peter preached Christ, saying, “but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”
Remember this was several years after Pentecost, when Peter was instructed to preach a "whoever" message to Jews gathered at Jerusalem, and to "all who are far off" (Acts 2:39). The words "far off" are found several times in the Bible, having two meanings, "far off from God" (Eph 2:13, 17) and "far off" from Jerusalem' (Dan 9:7). Paul was sent by Christ to the Gentiles "far off from God" and "far off from Jerusalem" (Acts 22:17-21; Rom 15:16-21).
Christ was born "King of the Jews" (Matt 2:2; Jn 1:49) and He died "King of the Jews" (Lk 23:3, 38). Christ was born to deliver Israel from sin, from the law, and from Caesar (Lk 1:67-77; Gal 4:4). He was raised from the dead to be Israel’s Saviour and Prince, and to give to Israel "the sure blessings of David" (Acts 5:31; 13:34). Christ was born to take David’s throne and to reign over the house of Israel for ever (Lk 1:27-33). He was raised from the dead for the same purpose (Acts 2:27-33). He will come to earth again, for the same purpose.
Christ said, when He was Jesus of Nazareth in the land of the Jews, "it is not good to take Israel’s bread and give it to Gentiles" (Mk 7:27). He specifically instructed His messengers, "go not into the way of the Gentiles" (Matt 10:5-8).
Christ was Minister of the Jews with a "confirmation" ministry; that is, fulfilling prophecy (Matt 5:17-18; Acts 13:29; Rom 15:8). He came "only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15:24).
There is no record that He pursued Gentiles. A Gentile had to become a Jew (a proselyte) in order to approach God. More than 12 years after Christ died He directed the apostle Paul to say to the Jews, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). The glorious message of John 3:16 would never have reached the Gentiles if God had waited for Israel to proclaim it. As a nation they had rejected God's Son. Later the truth of Romans 11:30, Romans 11:11 and Romans 11:15 was made known; that the Gentiles obtained Divine mercy, when and because of Israel’s unbelief; when and because of Israel’s FALL; when and because Israel was cast away.
After this came the mystery of Romans 11:25, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (the period we are living in now), during which time we "have shared in their spiritual things" (Rom 15:27). So now, though Israel, through whom the nations should have been blessed, gropes in darkness and staggers in unbelief, anybody, whether Jew or Gentile, may rejoice that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life!"
Then what? "Israel will be saved" (Rom 11:26-29; Jer 31:33-34; Heb 8:10, 12).
After the Church is raptured, Christ will come in the clouds and to the earth as the Son of man.
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