Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Matthew

[Salam]

why is it that in the synoptic gospels (Matt. 10:5 and others), the disciples are told not to go to the Gentile areas yet in John 4 there's a reaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman?

[jimwalton]

You’re speaking of Matthew 10.5 and John 4.

To start out, just for clarification, The Samaritans were not considered “Gentiles.” After the northern 10 tribes of Israel were conquered by the Assyrians and most of them deported (and subsequently lost to history), the Assyrians moved other foreign populations into central Israel to intermarry the Jews remaining there. It resulted in a population called “ Samaritans” that the Jews of the southern two tribes considered to be “contaminated,” so to speak, with paganism. The Samaritans also developed a mongrel form of religion that retained some aspects of Judaism while altering others. The “pure” Jews from the southern kingdom despised these “half breeds,” and there was much animosity between the two population groups that lasted for centuries.

All that was just for background since in Matt. 10.5 Jesus also tells them not to enter any town of the Samaritans. Here’s what’s going on: this prohibition was for this special tour alone. The disciples were to give Jews the first opportunity to respond to their Messiah. Later Jesus will command them to go and disciple all the Gentiles (Matt. 28.19-20).

Matthew’s Gospel, in particular, has no anti-Gentile slant. From the visit of the magi in chapter 2, the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in 4.15, and throughout the whole book to the very end (28.19-20), the Gospel of Matthew is geared to showing that the Gentiles were included in the gospel message. The Gospel is filled with accounts of the inclusion of Gentiles (4.24-25, including Syria and Decapolis; 8.5-13 and the centurion; 8.28-34 in the Gadarenes; 12.21: “the nations; 15.21-28, the Canaanite woman; etc.).

Just because Jesus’s focus is on the Jewish population (Mt. 15.24) doesn’t mean he ignores Gentile people. Although that is His focus, he never turns people away.

• The centurion of Mt. 8.5-13
• The Samaritan woman of Jn 4 (not a Gentile, but not Jewish either)
• The Canaanite woman of Mt. 15.21-28; Mk. 7.24-30

But here at the beginning the ministry focus for this trip is to the Jews. Just as we read in Paul later (Acts 13.46), it is when the Jews reject Christ that ministry is opened wide to the Gentiles and focuses more specifically on Gentile populations.