What did Jesus Christ mean when He said that He was sent only to the ‘lost’ sheep of Israel in Matthew 15:22-24?
Listen: 122.1
To answer your question, let’s begin by reading Matthew 15:22-28, “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
The Lord’s response to this lady’s cry for help might surprise people. This lady came from Canaan, which is now called Palestine. This lady was not a Jew, but she appealed to the Lord through His Jewish heritage, calling Him, “thou Son of David.” The disciples had no pity on this lady, asking the Lord to send her away. He explained to her that He was “not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Let’s look at a few other verses that confirm this truth. In Matthew 1:20-21 we read, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” As the angel, Gabriel spoke to Joseph about the baby that Mary was carrying, he pointed out that Jesus would, “save his people from their sins.” “His people” is in reference to the nation of His birth. He came to save the Jews from their sins.
Now let’s read Matthew 10:5-6, “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The Lord sent out the disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; they were forbidden to go to the Gentiles, or the Samaritans. They were only to go to the Jews with the message from Christ. What did the Jews do? They rejected the Lord as we read in John 1:11, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” The final and ultimate rejection of the Lord was, of course, the cross, where they sought to kill Him so they would not have to hear from Him again.
After the cross, the Lord’s command to His disciples changed. In Matthew 28:19 the Lord says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Because of the rejection of the nation of Israel, the Lord sends His offer of salvation to the world. After all, the Lord died for all men. 2 Corinthians 5:15 tells us, “…he died for all…” Consider the words of Paul and Barnabas to the Jews in Acts 13:46, “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Let’s go back and read Matthew 15:26-28, “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” This lady realized she had no title to the Lord’s benefits. She took her place as an underserving dog, and asked the Lord for His mercy. He responded to her faith and healed her daughter. Have you taken your place as someone who does not deserve the mercy and grace of the Lord? All we deserve is death because of our sins. However, when we reach out to the Lord in faith, He will respond and save all those who come to Him. The Lord Jesus said in John 6:37, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (122.1)