A few times in reading passages from Matthew this week I noted Jesus making something of Gentiles with faith as He moved in ministry doing what He saw the Father doing and hearing from His father.
[Matthew 8:5-12 NASB95] 5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does [it.]” 10 Now when Jesus heard [this,] He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline [at the table] with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I had never thought so much about what a strong commentary this incident is on the gospel being opened to the Gentiles before. It is interesting that Jesus took the opportunity of the faith of a Gentile, Roman Centurion, to welcome those from all over to the table of Abraham and the kingdom, and to confront and warn the Jew. I wonder if Paul, who would later call himself the apostle to the Gentiles, was watching somewhere.
I have also always loved the phrase in this passage “just say the word” . LORD give me such trust in the power of your word and an ear to hear you speaking in all the situations I am faced with or find myself faced with as I follow You.
Here is another example:
[Matthew 15:21-28 NASB95] 21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and [began] to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and [began] to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.
In this incident it, at first, appears Jesus will reject her plea, with some remarks that, in our day, would get Him labeled a patent racist (although there is nothing in His remarks that were specifically aimed at her, but dealing with the hearts and the attitudes of those who wanted Him to dismiss her).
In both these incidents, the Gentiles came believing in what they heard regarding Him. Seeing Him as Lord, and understanding their position before Him. The centurion calls Him “Lord”, also says he sees himself as not worthy for Him to come to his house, and says he understands His authority. He has heard and understood much revealed by the Spirit and resulting in faith, I think we may safely assume. As for the Syrophoenician Canaanite, she too is hopeless and desperate, and comes obviously having heard of Him and believing and seeking Him as one with authority. She also calls Him “Son of David” and calls Him “Lord ” three different times as she petitions His help. And she sees herself in some way by comparison as a “dog at the…masters table” and happy to be near Him for “the crumbs” Again, I would suggest we may assume she had heard and understood much regarding Him revealed by the Spirit resulting in faith.
There is, I believe, a humility associated with true faith coming from the word of God in the Spirit. It is one of the hallmarks of the hearing that initiates faith. It is not initiated by our hard believing, or our great need alone, or in us alone. It is initiated by hearing of and from Him and knowing/believing He alone is our help and solution as the outworking of that hearing.
Jesus said of both of these Gentiles they had great faith:
I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.
“O woman, your faith is great;
These words and incidents had to shake and stir up the thinking and attitudes of Jews, including the disciples, who heard them and witnessed the healing and deliverance.
The centurion is in Matthew 8, the woman in Matthew 15. In between the two incidents, in Matthew 13 Jesus teaches in parables regarding receiving the word (the sower), judgement and fruit (the tares), and several on the value of the kingdom (the treasure in a field, the pearl of great price), and a few others.
In that context the disciples ask for explanations of some parables, and why He teaches in parables.
[Matthew 13:10-17 NASB95] 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 “For whoever has, to him [more] shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see [it,] and to hear what you hear, and did not hear [it.]
Interesting to note that He says in the end here, quoting Isaiah, that they would HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ Exactly what happened with these Gentiles. Those who were not the children of promise in these incidents had ears to hear and eyes to see, hearts to understand, resulting in faith and the outworking of that was healing and deliverance. Note also that He continues then saying that prophets and righteous men desired to hear what you hear, and did not hear [it.] . He may be speaking of those who longed to see and hear from old. But, He may also be speaking of how trusting in religious position, righteousness and understanding of our own, or supposed standing by heritage-race or anything beyond trusting in Him and His word, will make you spiritually blind and deaf.
I tend to think Jesus was teaching by example how the truth, and His love, would be open to the Gentile; but was also provoking the Jews, and particularly the religious of His day, to jealousy and to see and understand the kingdom of God in a new way.
[Matthew 13:52 NASB95] 2 And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
There are several ways to interpret what He may have meant by disciples being like heads of household who have a treasure of “things old and new” to bring out of their household. But it is certainly possible it may be a reference to people/treasure of an old covenant and those of a new covenant, Jew and Gentile, being brought into one household, out of faith.
Without exposition here. Consider Paul to the Romans
[Romans 10:1-13, 17-21 NASB95] 1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them (Jews) is for [their] salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” … 17 So faith [comes] from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.” 19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.” 20 And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME, I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.” 21 But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
[Romans 11:28-32 NASB95] 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they (Jews) are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of [God’s] choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
And to Ephesus he speaks of the purpose of God to make of Jew and Gentile one new man in Christ Jesus.
[Ephesians 2:11-18 NASB95] 11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” [which is] performed in the flesh by human hands– 12 [remember] that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both [groups into] one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
I pray: Oh LORD our God. By the Holy Spirit Give us eyes to see (Your kingdom), ears to hear (Your word), and a heart to understand/believe (You) resulting in true faith and its outworking which is obedience initiated by/from your love, not under compulsion or fear. Bless you for granting us to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in Jesus.