Matthew 9:35a "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues,…" How many times have we heard it said, and we’ll keeping saying it as long as the Lord gives me time here on earth, "When Jesus made His appearance to the Nation of Israel, everything He said and taught was directed to the Nation of Israel because He was under the promises and the Levitical Law." And all we ask people to do is just stop and think, did He ever at any time tell the disciples or his followers to quit Temple worship. No, never! Did He ever tell them it was no longer necessary to bring sacrifices? Never! And everything that He taught is in accordance with the Law (first five books). Allow me give you an example over in chapter 19. Sometimes we start heading for a Scripture, and then we're not sure we're going to the right place, but this one we hit right. And this Scripture just confirms what we just told you about Jesus teaching according to the Law. Everything He said, was directed to the Hebrew people under the Law, and oh, that’s hard for people to understand. This is a whole different economy than where we are today. We’re not under Law, we’re under Grace and the promised New Covenant, but Jesus ministered under the law given to Adam by command spoken to him, and the promises given to Abraham and the Levitical Laws given to Moses with their statutes and ordinances. The very place God places us at our conversion, for what purpose? the same as it was meant for the nation of Israel. The teaching and training unto obedience even the death of all self will or disobedience and unbelief which is where Israel failed. Because of a hardness of heart or unbelief.
Matthew 19:16 "And behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Is that a good question to the One Who gives eternal life? Absolutely! But look at Jesus’ answer.
Matthew 19:17 "And He said to him, Why call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, (that is being born again by passing through the veil to enter eternal life) keep the commandments." We've come in beyond the cross, and when Christ was crucified then the law of commandment and the Laws (the Levitical Law as given to Moses) were crucified with Him, and He arose in resurrection power, and then He revealed to this last apostle, the Apostle Paul, all of these Grace revelations or secrets and mysteries, (we live under the rule of conscience, the restrainer the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, and Grace a special provision of God in this His economy of Grace) and through the work of the cross, the law and the Laws of Moses and the prophets have been satisfied and all the sins of the world were laid on Christ, and now we just take it by trusting/faith + nothing; it’s all done. Yes, it is, if you’ll just see the whole picture. But you see, too many people aren’t seeing the whole picture, they can only see Christ’s earthly ministry and what they don't see is it was to the Hebrews only. With His ascension back to the Father with His Blood He put an end to the old an inaugurated the New Covenant of promise (Jeremiah 31:33-34 and else where called by different titles but still the same).
Matthew 9:35 "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, (according to the Law) and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, (which had been promised all the way since Genesis chapter 12. That through the Abrahamic Covenant would come this Kingdom promised to the Nation of Israel. So He was preaching the good news of the Kingdom but not the Gospel of Grace as He had not yet been crucified, He could only allude to it) and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." Now to show how it was confined to the Nation of Israel, just come across the page to Matthew chapter 10.
Matthew 10:1a "And when he had called to him his twelve disciples,…" Then it names them. We know them, and we don’t have to read them, but then come down to verse 5:
Matthew 10:5a "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them,…" He commanded them, and He’s the Lord of glory, He’s the Creator, He’s the God of this universe, and He had every right in the world to command them, and look what He tells them.
Matthew 10:5b "…and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter not: 6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Do you see how plain that is? He commanded them not to have anything to do with anybody but the Hebrews. And then verse 7.
Matthew 10:7 "And as you go, preach, (the same thing He’d been preaching) saying The kingdom of heaven is at hand." And along with that they were to have the power of healing and miracles and signs and wonders. To prove that fact that the kingdom was in deed among them they bore witness of it. Now verse 8.
Matthew 10:8-9 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give. 9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses." My what a different scenario than what we’re in today, but that was the Gospel that Jesus was proclaiming to the Nation of Israel. Alright, the other one we like to use with regard to that same Gospel of the Kingdom is in Matthew chapter 16. This is all that Paul is referring to, how that at the beginning the Gospel as we understand it, even in our Gospel of Grace, began back here, but it’s a progressive thing. It began with the promises made to woman, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets (David, yes king David was a prophet). It began even further when Jesus appeared to the Nation of Israel, and we’re going to see in a little bit how it goes on into Peter’s preaching in the Book of Acts. Then it’s going to lead to the appearance of that last apostle, the Apostle Paul. This is a revelation of God's changing the course or direction that the Hebrews were to bring in as they as a nation rejected the offer of the kingdom at least four times, three in the Acts alone.
But here in Christ’s earthly ministry to the Hebrews, here is what Israel was to have believed under the Law, without giving up anything of the Mosaic system. This was an added requirement of trust. This is toward the end of His earthly ministry, they’re up there in northern Israel, and they’ll be making their way down to Jerusalem for the crucifixion. But look what happens.
Matthew 16:13-16 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14. And they said, Some say that you are John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15. He said to them, But whom say you that I am? 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ, (the Messiah) the Son of the living God."
Now listen that’s all they were to believe. That under the Mosaic Law, keeping the commandments, they were to now simply to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. And that requirement runs all the way through the Four Gospels. Let us take you on to another one over in John’s gospel, chapter 11, and let’s come down to verse 23.
John 11:23 "Jesus said to her, (Martha) your brother shall rise again. 24. Martha said to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in (into or believes) me, though he were dead (mans natural state of birth), yet shall he live (be born again): 26. and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die (they have passed from death into new life in Christ as heirs of promise). Believe you this? (now look at her answer. It’s almost identical with Peter’s answer) 27. She said to him, Yes Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."
Now isn’t that obvious? This is all the Gospel now that began with the coming of Christ to the Nation of Israel in fulfillment of all those Old Testament promises and prophecies, but now this was their Gospel, and that’s what they had to believe. That He was the Christ, but under the Law. Nobody said anything about no longer keeping the Law. Now let’s go to the Book of Acts, and now look at how Peter approaches it in chapter 3. And how this Gospel just keeps moving on through the earthly external ministry, past the death, burial, and resurrection, and now we’re into Peter’s preaching still to the Nation of Israel. Here they’ve just healed the lame man, and Peter comes on down and reminds them again that they denied the Holy One in verse 14.
Acts 3:14a "But you denied the Holy One…"
In verse 15 you desired the murderer:
Acts 3:15a "And killed the Prince of life,…"
But now look at verse 16. Here is the continuation of that Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus began.
Acts 3:16 "And his name though faith in his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know: yes, the faith which is by (in) Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of your all." How did that man receive healing? By believing that the One Who had been crucified, had risen from the dead, and now it was through trust in that name, that he could receive healing as well as his Salvation. This was what was required of the Hebrews until they had rejected Him three times, actually four. Now listen for the change...
Hebrews 2:3a "…which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, (Himself) and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him:"
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