Jesus and the Gentiles | Practical Theology

“There is no longer a divide between Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in Christ; the wall of separation has been torn down.”

What does it mean when Jesus said to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19)? Today, we think of nations as geographical and political entities. Does making disciples of all nations mean traveling to another country to share the gospel? In Jesus’ day, the Greek term for nations referred primarily to ethnic or people groups.

You’ll find the same term in Matthew 24:9, where Jesus warned His disciples that they would be “hated by all nations” because of Him. In verse 14, Jesus told His disciples that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached “in the whole world” before the end would come. This term often referred to the Roman Empire.

In both passages, Jesus describes an expanding mission. When He first sent out the twelve, He limited their activity to “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). This narrow focus did not mean Jesus had no interest in non-Jews. We know that part of His ministry was carried out in regions where non-Jews lived, like Tyre and Sidon, Caesarea Philippi, and Samaria (Matt. 15:21; Mark 8:27; John 4). Jesus praised the faith of a Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:28). God’s interest in the Gentiles was mentioned in the Old Testament. Isaiah 49:6 promised that Israel’s Messiah would be a “light to the Gentiles.”

These examples foreshadowed one of the great surprises of the New Testament: the temporary hardening of Israel so the Gentiles could be included in the promises of God. Paul would later call this a “mystery,” a hidden truth now revealed (Rom. 11:25). God did not replace Israel with Gentiles. Instead, the apostle compared their inclusion to the grafting of a wild branch into a native tree, saying those who had been grafted in should not consider themselves superior (Rom. 11:17–18).

There is no longer a divide between Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in Christ; the wall of separation has been torn down (Gal 3:28; Eph. 2:14). There are no outsiders. The glue that knits together these once divided people groups is the saving work of Jesus.

BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.