Since you mentioned the gospel of Luke, let’s read Luke 7:1-10. “Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ‘for HE LOVES OUR NATION, AND HAS BUILT A SYNGOGUE.’ Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, ‘Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I AM NOT WORTHY that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, ‘I say to you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SUCH GREAT FAITH, NOT EVEN IN ISRAEL!’ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.”

It is clear from this marvelous account, that there were Gentiles who were blessed by the Lord Jesus; in other words, they were NOT “utterly disregarded.” Here was a Gentile soldier (a centurion who commanded 100 under him), who loved his sick servant and having heard of Jesus and the miracles He performed, asked elders of the Jews to entreat Jesus to heal his servant. It is obvious he truly BELIEVED in Jesus Christ and His power to heal. It is also obvious that he was a HUMBLE man, for though the elders told Jesus that “he was worthy” of this healing (because he had built them a synagogue), he later told Jesus “I am not worthy” to have You in my house. The Lord Jesus was impressed with his humility and HOW GREAT HIS FAITH WAS, for unlike others who were healed he told the Lord Jesus that He need only “speak a word and my servant will be healed.” This caused the Lord Jesus to compare his faith with those in Israel and declare “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”

We learn here that even though Jesus’ main mission was to His chosen people in Israel, He would not refuse a Gentile who came to Him with “great faith” and in “true humility.” In Matthew 15:21-28 we have another account of a Gentile who came to Jesus with “great faith” and in “true humility,” seeking the healing mercies of the Jesus. The Lord Jesus was ministering in Tyre and Sidon (the Gentile region of Phoenicia) and a “woman of Canaan” came to Him and cried out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed” (verse 22). He told her “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (verse 24).  Did this deter her? Not at all, for she then said, “Lord, help me” (verse 25). Jesus replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (verse 26). The “children” here refers to “the Jews” and the “dogs” to the “Gentiles.” Surely most people would have retreated, but in true humility she responds, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (verse 27). Like the Gentile centurion, she speaks as one “who is unworthy” (admitting she is a dog!), but in faith she begs the Lord Jesus to bless her anyway. The Lord Jesus then said, “‘O woman, GREAT IS YOUR FAITH! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (verse 28).

Eventually the Jewish nation rejected the Lord Jesus and had Him crucified (John 1:11 with Matthew 27:1-26). After His resurrection He commissioned His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The Jews, as a nation, have been temporarily set aside and the Gentiles are now the main objects of God’s blessing of salvation. But when the last Gentile is saved and the church is completed, the church will be raptured to heaven and God will resume His dealings with the Jews and Christ will return to earth to save them (see Acts 15:6-17 and Romans 11:1-32).  (DO)  (569.5)