To The Jew First

Lord, make your Word a swift Word,

passing from the ear to the heart,

from the heart to the lip and conversation;

that, as the rain returns not empty,

so neither may your Word,

but accomplish that for which it is given. Amen.

I. The Lost Sheep of Israel (vv.5-6)

“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Understanding Jewish Priority

During the ministry of Jesus on earth, as well as the early years of the christian church, the people of Israel were given priority regarding the gospel. Listen to this familiar passage from Paul’s letter to the Roman church:

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

There is much confusion in our day of what to think about the Jewish people.

Some hate them; others are just short of obsessed with them.

Some think they are completely irrelevant to world affairs; others think they are vital.

Some believe they are caught up in an evil conspiracy; others think they are the greatest people group in the whole world.

Even in the Church, Christians are divided over the Jews.

Are they still God’s chosen people, or have they been replaced by the largely gentile church?

Will they be the focus of God’s attention like they were in ancient days or has God’s plan for them already been fulfilled?

This subject deserves an entire sermon, but we do not have that kind of time at present. An overview of the Bible’s account of Israel should suffice for now.

Understanding Israel’s place in God’s Redemptive Plan

All humanity was lost due to Adam’s sin.

The world became so full of evil that God destroyed the world with a flood, saving only Noah and his family.

After the flood, humans pursued evil again, built the idolatrous tower of Babel, and God divided them in judgement by causing them to speak in various languages so that they could no longer understand each other. All those with like languages gathered together and nations were born from this.

But God had a plan to bring all the nations together again one day under a new Adam; a new king.

God would choose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to father a great nation—Israel—through whom would come the one who would gather and bless all nations.

God promised this great nation a land of their own.

God gave this nation good king David to whom He promised his offspring would bring peace to all of the nations.

After a series of judgements, exiles, and restorations, the offspring finally came: Jesus

Jesus was born as a Jew, into the nation of Israel. He was their king, but most of his people actually rejected him and ended up swaying the Romans to crucify him.

But this was all according to the Father’s plan. Jesus was raised from the dead and he commissioned His Jewish apostles to proclaim the good news to the Jewish people first.

For the first several years of the church’s existence, the only Christians were either ethnic Jews or gentiles who had previously converted to the Jewish religion and were seen as proselytes. It wasn’t until Cornelius that the first non-Jewish person became a Christian. Some scholars estimate that 10 years went by between the start of the church and the first gentile convert.

God then raised up the apostle Paul, along with other men, to take the gospel to the rest of the nations.

Most of the Jewish people ended up rejecting Jesus as the messiah and were nearly destroyed in judgement in AD. 70 when Rome sieged Jerusalem.

Now, a partial hardening has come upon the Jewish people, until the time God has appointed to bring them into His holy church and save them.

Scaffolding analogy

II. The Kingdom and the Proof of Its Arrival (v.7-8a)

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”

A. The Kingdom Proclaimed

The apostles came to the Jews preaching that the kingdom of God had arrived. This was something the Jews were eagerly expecting. Their understanding of what that meant however, was not accurate. Although, I will say, not inaccurate in every way as some in our day would have us believe.

The Jews were expecting a victorious revolution again Rome which would take place in a short period of time.

Jesus certainly brought about a kingdom that would conquer nations, but not in a violent way, and certainly not in a short period of time.

Mustard seed parable

Leaven parable

The Jews wanted the Kingdom to be immediate, but God wanted it to be incremental.

The Jews wanted the Kingdom to destroy their gentile enemies, but God wanted the gentiles to be redeemed and brought into the kingdom.

The Jews wanted the kingdom to be primarily political, but God wanted the kingdom to be primarily spiritual. (Not to say it is irrelevant to politics.)

B. The Proclamation Validated

Hebrews 2:1–4 “1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Clearly the message is being talked about here and proof that this message was true was the signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The signs validated the message. This was necessary at the birth of the church, in the age of the apostles, but now we actually have a more sure word since we have a completed canon of Scripture.

III. The Apostle’s Unique Mission (vv.8b-13)

“You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”

A. The Apostles’ Mission was Unique

The apostles mission was unique and not a pattern for us to follow in modern missions.

This was a mission from Jews, to Jews.

What does not apply to us:

Prohibition on making money

Prohibition on supplies

Prohibition on extra clothing

Prohibition on owning a home or having personal lodging

What does apply to us:

Obedience to the command to teach the Christian Faith to others.

Fully trusting in God while being content with the provisions He has given us.

Being willing to be put in extremely hard circumstances for the sake of obedience to Christ.

Explain that “worthy” means those who are believing Jews and accept the apostle’s message.

IV. To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required (vv.14-15)

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

A. Those with Greater Light are held to Stricter Judgement

Sodom and Gomorrah were considered by the Jews to be some of the most wicked cities in history. All possible forms of sexual immorality and idolatry were celebrated there.

Yet, our Lord says that the Jews who do not repent and believe his message will be punished more severely than those wicked cities of old.

Why is that? Because to whom much is given, much is required. The Jews were given a far greater privilege and opportunity to hear, believe, and obey the law and gospel of God. Yet when the Son of God came, his own people rejected and eventually killed him.

What does “The Day of Judgement” mean? I believe it could mean one of two things:

Either the Final Judgement at the return of our Lord at the end of this age.

Or the horrific judgement of Jerusalem in AD.70.

It is possible that it could mean both, though my confidence more in the former than the latter.

B. This Applies to Today, Not Just Then

Lest we think we are in a better position than the Jews of old, we are not. Those who profess to be believers, hear the bible taught every week, hear songs about the gospel, and see the gospel displayed in baptism and communion, yet do not believe and obey the Gospel from their heart—they will face an even greater condemnation than the Jews in Christ’s day.

For 2,000 of church history has gone by. The world has tasted the healing fruit of Christianity and has been blessed beyond measure by it. We have abundant evidence of the truthfulness of Christ. There has never been more light than there is now in the Christian age. For someone to hear, see, and experience all of this, yet still reject him in their heart—there could not be a greater condemnation than what is reserved for those people.

Listen to this quote from J.C. Ryle in his commentary on this passage:

This is a doctrine fearfully overlooked, and one that deserves serious consideration. Men are sadly apt to forget, that it does not require great open sins to be sinned, in order to ruin a soul for ever. They have only to go on hearing without believing, listening without repenting, going to Church without going to Christ, and by and bye they will find themselves in hell! We shall all be judged according to our light. We shall have to give account of our use of religious privileges. To hear of the “great salvation,” and yet neglect it, is one of the worst sins man can commit. - J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 96–97.

Conclusion

Oh, that we would be quick to believe and obey all that the Lord has taught and commanded!

If you are hearing these words this morning and you have yet to profess faith in Jesus and dedicate your life to him, today is the day to do that! Do not wait. You do not know the day God has planned for you to die.