Jesus told his disciples: Matthew 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:
6; But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The use of 'Gentiles' seems to baffle many preachers and lay people but is quite easy to understand when Jesus's 'lost sheep' are understood.
The lost sheep were not the Jews aka the two tribes of Judah aka South Israel. The two had split from the other ten tribes in about 930 BC when Solomon's son and successor Rehoboam dealt tactlessly with economic complaints of the northern tribes. Thy became the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah.
The lost sheep are the ten tribes of North Israel aka Samaria who were conquered then deported away by the Assyrians in 720 BC. They were sent up to the Caspian area before dispersing north, east, south and west. Samaria was then filled with pagans. Ultimately the lost sheep settled in Europe, Scandinavia and England.
Jesus said to keep away from the Jews, the pagans of Samaria and elsewhere but to follow their trails and speak to the Israelites - GOD's Chosen People - to let them know he had been born as prophesied.
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:
6; But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The use of 'Gentiles' seems to baffle many preachers and lay people but is quite easy to understand when Jesus's 'lost sheep' are understood.
The lost sheep were not the Jews aka the two tribes of Judah aka South Israel. The two had split from the other ten tribes in about 930 BC when Solomon's son and successor Rehoboam dealt tactlessly with economic complaints of the northern tribes. Thy became the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah.
The lost sheep are the ten tribes of North Israel aka Samaria who were conquered then deported away by the Assyrians in 720 BC. They were sent up to the Caspian area before dispersing north, east, south and west. Samaria was then filled with pagans. Ultimately the lost sheep settled in Europe, Scandinavia and England.
Jesus said to keep away from the Jews, the pagans of Samaria and elsewhere but to follow their trails and speak to the Israelites - GOD's Chosen People - to let them know he had been born as prophesied.
