Matthew 10:5-6
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus' command to not enter Samaritan cities wasn't a permanent rejection, but a strategic focus on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for this specific mission. It highlights how God often works in stages, prioritizing certain people and places at particular times, even when His ultimate plan includes everyone.
Jesus has just chosen his twelve closest followers, giving them authority to heal and cast out demons. Now, he sends them out on a specific mission, but with strict instructions to only minister to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," emphasizing that their initial outreach should exclude Gentiles and Samaritans due to the deep-seated animosity between Jews and these groups.
Jesus tells His disciples to go only to the people of Israel. Why this seemingly narrow focus at first?
Jesus calls the Israelites "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This imagery highlights their spiritual condition: scattered, vulnerable, and in desperate need of a shepherd. Despite being God's chosen people, they had strayed far from Him, entangled in traditions and burdened by sin. Jesus's immediate mission was to reach these "lost sheep" first, fulfilling His role as the Good Shepherd to His covenant people before extending the call to the wider world.
Why avoid the Gentiles and Samaritans for this specific mission? It seems counterintuitive to Jesus's later, global commission.
This directive wasn't a permanent exclusion, but a strategic one based on divine timing. The primary reason was to focus on Israel first. The Old Testament covenant was with Abraham and his descendants, and Jesus, as the Messiah, was fulfilling promises made to them. Preaching to Gentiles and Samaritans at this early stage could have created significant opposition and misunderstanding from the Jewish leaders and people, potentially hindering the acceptance of the Gospel among the Jews. Jesus was establishing His identity and ministry within His own people before expanding the mission.
The exclusion of Samaritans is explicit. What fueled this intense animosity between Jews and Samaritans?
The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was fraught with a deep, historical animosity. The Samaritans were a mixed people, descendants of foreigners brought in by Assyrian rulers after the northern tribes of Israel were exiled. They adopted a corrupted form of Judaism, worshipping God but also their own idols, and eventually built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, rivaling the one in Jerusalem. This religious and ethnic divide, compounded by specific acts of desecration and ongoing social friction, led the Jews to view Samaritans as outsiders, even 'strangers,' with whom they would have no dealings. Jesus's command reflected this existing societal reality, though He Himself later ministered to Samaritans (John 4), showing His ultimate mission transcended such divisions.
Understand the original words
ethnos · Greek Noun
All non-Jewish people; biblically, it refers to the nations of the world who were outside the covenant promises given to Israel prior to the gospel's expansion.
Samareitēs · Greek Noun
A people group living in the region between Galilee and Judea who were viewed with hostility by many Jews due to their mixed ethnic heritage and divergent religious practices.
probaton · Greek Noun
Refers to the people of God, often highlighting their vulnerability, straying from God's guidance, and their need for a Shepherd. In the context of Israel, it highlights their covenantal status but also their spiritual wandering.
apollumi · Greek Adjective/Participle
This specific instruction highlights Jesus' strategy of prioritizing outreach to Israel first, a plan that would later expand to include Gentiles after the initial foundation was laid.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many Israelites and repopulating the region with foreigners.
c. 5th century BC
Samaritan Temple Built on Mount Gerizim
The Samaritans build their own temple, creating a religious and political schism with the Jews who worship at Jerusalem.
c. 129 BC
Destruction of Samaritan Temple
John Hyrcanus, a Jewish leader, destroys the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim, intensifying the hatred between the two groups.
c. AD 20s
Jesus Preaches in Samaria
Jesus Himself travels through Samaria and preaches, experiencing a positive reception from the Samaritans, a notable exception to typical Jewish-Samaritan relations.
c. AD 27-30
This passage parallels Jesus sending out disciples, but it's the larger group of seventy, and their commission includes going to cities where Jesus himself would later go, showing a broader scope compared to the twelve's initial, restricted mission.
Acts 8:5-12This shows Philip, one of the twelve, later ministering in Samaria, demonstrating how the initial restriction in Matthew 10 gave way to the Gospel's expansion to Samaritans as Jesus' ministry and the apostles' understanding progressed.
John 4:4-26This account of Jesus ministering directly in a Samaritan city highlights that while the disciples were temporarily restricted, Jesus himself had already broken barriers and ministered to Samaritans, showing a divine plan unfolding.
Matthew 28:19This Great Commission given later shows the complete reversal of the initial restriction, commanding the disciples to go to *all* nations, including Gentiles, illustrating the intended long-term, global expansion of the Gospel.
Romans 1:16Paul's declaration that the Gospel is the power of God 'to the Jew first, and also to the Greek' encapsulates the principle behind this restricted mission, emphasizing God's strategic order in spreading salvation.
barnesMatthew 10:5: "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:"
Into the way of the Gentiles - That is, among the Gentiles, or nowhere but among the Jews. The full time for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles was not come. It was proper that it should be first preached to the Jews, the ancient covenant people of God, and the people among whom the Messiah was born. Afterward he gave them a charge t…
vincentMatthew 10:5: "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:"
Judas Iscariot (ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης)The article distinguishes him from others of the name of Judas (compare John 14:22). Iscariot is usually explained as a compound, meaning the man of Kerioth, with reference to his native town, which is given in Joshua (Joshua 15:25) as one of the uttermost cities of Judah toward the coast of Edom southwa…
Jesus' command to not enter Samaritan cities wasn't a permanent rejection, but a strategic focus on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for this specific mission. It highlights how God often works in stages, prioritizing certain people and places at particular times, even when His ultimate plan includes everyone.
Jesus has just chosen his twelve closest followers, giving them authority to heal and cast out demons. Now, he sends them out on a specific mission, but with strict instructions to only minister to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," emphasizing that their initial outreach should exclude Gentiles and Samaritans due to the deep-seated animosity between Jews and these groups.
Jesus has just chosen his twelve closest followers, giving them authority to heal and cast out demons. Now, he sends them out on a specific mission, but with strict instructions to only minister to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," emphasizing that their initial outreach should exclude Gentiles and Samaritans due to the deep-seated animosity between Jews and these groups.
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Refers to the state of being spiritually ruined or astray from God. It describes the condition of humanity separated from God, needing divine intervention for restoration.
Jesus Commissions the Twelve
Jesus sends out his twelve apostles on a limited mission, specifically instructing them to focus solely on the 'lost sheep of the house of Israel' and avoid Samaritans and Gentiles.
"These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." — Jesus' command to not enter Samaritan cities wasn't a permanent rejection, but a strategic focus on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for this specific mission. It highlights how God often wo…
