Did Jesus discourage converting Samaritans and Pagans?

Status
Not open for further replies.
BlueKumul

BlueKumul

Active member
It is impossible for God to do something wrong, but it is possible to misunderstand God. In this case I don’t understand why Jesus ordered the Apostles:
“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.”(Matthew 10:5-6)
Of course we know Jesus eventually wanted the Apostles to convert the World, so is this an instance of God changing His mind? Seems like a blasphemous possibility.

Also, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22)
Didn’t Samaritans also follow the religion of Abraham? So why is salvation “from the Jews”? All clans descended from Abraham had a part in the Covenant.
 
Last edited:
It was the divine order of God that the gospel be preached first to the Jews:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16 DRV)
 
BlueKumul said:
It is impossible for God to do something wrong, but it is possible to misunderstand God. In this case I don’t understand why Jesus ordered the Apostles:
“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.”(Matthew 10:5-6)
Of course we know Jesus eventually wanted the Apostles to convert the World, so is this an instance of God changing His mind? Seems like a blasphemous possibility.

Also, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22)
Didn’t Samaritans also follow the religion of Abraham? So why is salvation “from the Jews”? All clans descended from Abraham had a part in the Covenant.
Click to expand...
The Pharisees (Rabbinic Judaism) and Samaritans did not have the same beliefs.

Haydock Commentary on Matthew 10:5
Ver. 5. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, or among the Gentiles. In this first mission, the apostles were ordered to preach to the Jews only, or to the children of the kingdom. (Matthew vii.[viii.?] 12.) See also Matthew xv. 24. and Acts xiii. 46. (Witham)
— These twelve Jesus sent. In this mission of the apostles we may observe three things: first, whither Jesus sent them; secondly, what he ordered them to teach; and thirdly, what they were to do. As to the first, he tells them not to go in the way of the Gentiles, nor enter into the city of the Samaritans; but to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We must here take notice that this commandment, given by Christ to the apostles, of confining their preaching to the house of Israel, does not contradict one related in Matthew, (chap. xxviii.) Go teach all nations, &c. We observe that these two commandments were given at two very different times; the first indeed, (the subject of our present annotation) the apostles received before the resurrection of Christ; the other after. It was necessary first to warn the Jews of the arrival of the Messias amongst them; otherwise they might have excused themselves for having rejected him, by saying, “He had sent his apostles to preach, not to them but to the Gentiles and Samaritans.” (St. Jerome)
— St. Chrysostom assigns another reason why the apostles were sent first to preach in Judea, viz. that having withstood the opposition of one nation, they might be more prepared to hold out against the attacks, which they would no doubt have afterwards to sustain, in their endeavours to convert the whole world. (St. Chrysostom)
— He forbids them to preach to the Gentiles, because it was proper that the word of God should first be announced to the Jews, children of the kingdom. See Acts chap. xiii, ver. 46. (Menochius)
Click to expand...
 
BlueKumul said:
Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.”(Matthew 10:5-6)
Of course we know Jesus eventually wanted the Apostles to convert the World, so is this an instance of God changing His mind? Seems like a blasphemous possibility.
Click to expand...
I think that was part of the plan. At that time the Gospel was to be brought to Israel, the 1st born. At the Ascension he commands them to go to all nations. In Revalation he is exalted for winning men from all nations, it is prophesied in the Psalms. There’s no blasphemy here, just poor understanding.
BlueKumul said:
Also, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22)
Didn’t Samaritans also follow the religion of Abraham?
Click to expand...
To me, this is like our Christian brothers who are separated from the Church. They, like the Samaritans have an incomplete image of God. Salvation is from the new Israel.
 
The gospel was preached first to the Jews as that was God’s will, until they fully rejected it.
'And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” - Mark 12:8-11
 
Xarto said:
48.png
Vico:
The Pharisees (Rabbinic Judaism) and Samaritans did not have the same beliefs.
Click to expand...
Were the Samaritans not a type of Jew, didn’t they have the Pentateuch as well?
Click to expand...
The Samaritan Pentateuch has differences with the Masoretic Pentateuch, and written in different script. The two groups avoided each other. The Samaritans did not accept the Prophets (Nevi’im) and Writings (Ketuvim).

John 4
9 Then that Samaritan woman saith to him: How dost thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I always thought the Samaritans were the Jews who were left behind after the Exodus and that’s why they didn’t have the same books.
 
The Samaritans were shunned by the Jews because their ancestors had intermarried with the gentiles and their faith had been adversely influenced by the pagans they lived among.
 
So I am going to concentrate on your second question.
Notice that the woman which is speaking with Jesus asserts that they (the Samaritans) worship GOD on “this mountain” (Mount Gerizim) since they could not worship in Jerusalem. Remember the Babilonians had destroyed the 1st Temple and taken captive most of the Israelite.
When Jesus asserts that they are worshiping what they do not understand HE is telling her that GOD does not dwell in any one place. Yes HE did dwell for a time in the 1st Temple so that the Salvation that was to come from the Israelite could be fulfilled. Now only the tribe of Judah remained and Jesus IS of that tribe.
And HE is telling her that GOD will be worshiped everywhere soon enough.

Peace!
 
To be a pedant: Samaritans were Israelites but not Jews.

Israelites - descendants of Abraham
Jews - descendants of Judah, who was Abraham’s great-grandson.

But all non-Judah Israelites (sometimes called Lost Tribes) have been eventually assimilated by the Assyrians, so for all practical purposes Israelites and Jews are the same. In Jesus’ era the remnant of the Lost Tribes still existed under the name of Samaritans.

There is also a crazy theory that British people are descendants of the Lost Tribes 😉
 
It was necessary first to warn the Jews of the arrival of the Messias amongst them; otherwise they might have excused themselves for having rejected him, by saying, “He had sent his apostles to preach, not to them but to the Gentiles and Samaritans.” (St. Jerome)

This is the most excellent explanations.

Usually, when I see some atheist, pagan or Protestant objections to Catholicism, they seem reasonable, but only before I see the Catholic rebuttal.
 
Thanks, I’d forgotten that Israelite and Jews weren’t synonymous.

Ha ha the Mormons also think they are a lost tribe or inheritors of one.
 
That’s what we call impostors! Queen Victoria is not amused (although Victoria was a protestant heretic so I disregard her opinion).
 
Don’t be too hard on Vicky, she did donate money to relief of the famine in Ireland (even though ironically, it was her governments mismanagement that caused it)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top