‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 5. Jesus’ Ministry Includes the Gentiles in Matthew’s Gospel

The link between Israel’s mission and the Church’s mission to the nations was explored in regard to allusions to certain Old Testament texts in the previous section.[1]  It might also be observed in Matthew’s Gospel by focusing on Jesus’ identity and ministry to the Gentiles.  Much of this evidence is reported in David Bosch’s excellent study of Matthew’s understanding of mission, listed here:^[2]

1. Four ‘non-Israelite’ women in Jesus’ genealogy: Tamar (Mt. 1.3); Rahab (v. 5); Ruth (v. 5); the wife of Uriah (v. 6))

          2. The visit of the magi (Mt. 2.1-12)

          3. The centurion in Capernaum (Mt. 8.5-13)

          4. The Canaanite woman (15.21-28)

          5. The Gospel will be preached to all nations (Mt. 24.14; 26.13)

          6. Roman centurion and those with him see Jesus as ‘Son of God’ (Mt. 27.54)

          7. Jesus will save God’s ‘people’ from their sin (Mt. 1.21)

8. God’s kingdom will be taken away from the Jewish leaders and given to a people who produce the fruits of the kingdom (Mt. 21.43)

9. Jesus dwelling in Galilee involves a dwelling amongst Gentiles, for Galilee is called Galilee of the Gentiles (Mt. 4.15)–and this is also where the disciples are commissioned at the end of the Gospel to go to all nations (Mt. 28.18-20)

10. The summary of Jesus’ ministry includes news of him reaching Syria (Mt. 4.23-25)^[3]

11. Jesus’ disciples are called the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt. 5.13-14)

12. Mt. 12.18-21 quotes Isaiah 42.1ff, with its reference to the servant’s universal mission

          13. Mt. 13.38 speaks of a ministry of sowing in the field of the world

14. Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple’s forecourt from the tables for selling sacrifices and exchanging money might be understood as a clearing of the Temple so that the Gentiles will have a place (Mt. 21

          15. Jesus’ willingness to enter Gentiles’ homes (Mt. 8.7)

Four more points beyond those from Bosch are relevant:

          16. Jesus’ casting out demons from two people in Gadara (Mt. 8.28-34);^[4]

17. Jesus’ speech to his disciples about ministering only in the towns of Israel includes a reference to ministry before governors and kings as a ‘testimony’ to them and to the Gentiles;^[5]

18. The parable of the sheep and the goats–the nations being judged (Mt. 25.31-46);

19. The healing and second feeding of a multitude, which may be a ministry among Gentiles (Mt. 15.29-39).

Cohering with the fact of Jesus’ ministry to Gentiles, Jesus’ activity also involved both fellowship with the unclean and making the unclean clean.  Thus Jesus’ activity among the Gentiles prior to the Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel makes sense of both allusions to certain Old Testament texts and what is said of Jesus’ ministry.

The impetus for mission beyond Israel was foretold in the Old Testament (previously discussed), found its beginning in Jesus’ own activity (as noted here), and carried on into the mission of the early Church.

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[1] I have explored other missional, intertextual relationships between Matthew and the Old Testament in two publications: ‘Some Geographical and Intertextual Dimensions of Matthew’s Mission Theology,’ in Bible and Mission: A Conversation Between Biblical Studies and Mission, co-edited with I. Howard Marshall, Peter Penner, Robin Routledge (Schwarzenfeld: Neufeld Verlag, 2008); 'Narrative Dynamics in Isaiah's and Matthew's Mission Theology,' Transformation 21.4 (Oct., 2004): 238-255.

^[2]David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1991), 60-62.

^[3]Bosch adds the summary of Jesus’ ministry in Mt. 9.35-38 and suggests that the plentiful harvest points beyond Israel as well.

^[4]The name of the territory is uncertain as there are alternatives in the manuscripts.  However, as the presence of pig herders suggests, the event took place in Gentile territory.

^[5]This parallels Mt. 24.14: the good news of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations (note Is. 55.3; Zeph. 3.8).

‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 4, Jesus, His People, and the Nations in Matthew’s Gospel

‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 4, Jesus, His People, and the Nations in Matthew’s Gospel

The last two answers to the question, ‘Why foreign missions?’ explored Israel’s involvement with and their mission to the nations.  Just how does Israel’s mission to the nations involve the Church?  To begin to answer this question, the link between Israel and the Church in the New Testament needs to be made.  Matthew's Gospel makes the case for such a link, and one of the ways to discuss Matthew's mission theology is to look at how this Gospel uses several Old Testament texts.  Matthew shows how Jesus and the Church pick up the mission of Israel to the nations.

Matthew 1.21: ‘Jesus’

Mt. 1.21 appears to quote Ps. 130.8 loosely to explain the meaning of Jesus’ name as ‘salvation.’  Ps. 130.8 reads, ‘And he [‘Yahweh’; Greek: ‘Lord’] will redeem Israel from all his sins [Septuagint: ‘lawlessness’].’  Mt. 1.21 says, ‘…for he will save his people from their sins’ (my translations).  The psalm speaks of waiting for God’s redemption of Israel, which the text in Matthew is saying comes through Jesus.  By replacing the psalm’s ‘Israel’ with ‘his people,’ Matthew allows the meaning of the psalm to include non-Israelites as well.  Thus, when Jesus says that he will build his church (16.18), he has in view something less than and more than Israel: all who are his people, both Jews and Gentiles.

Matthew 13.31-32: Tree

The kingdom of heaven—the message of Jesus—opens up a new understanding of who God’s people are.  Ezekiel 31 uses the image of a great tree to describe the greatness of the kingdom of Assyria.  V. 6 speaks of how the birds of the air made nests in its boughs, animals gave birth to their young in the shade of its branches, and all nations lived in its shade.  The lesson of Ezek. 31 is for Egypt, and the point is that no nation should become so haughty as to exceed its position with respect to God's reign.  Jesus' parable of the mustard seed (Mt. 13.31-32) echoes this image.  The brief parable depicts the kingdom of heaven as to all appearances the least of all powers, just as the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds.  Yet, once grown, it houses the birds of the air.  With Ezek. 31 in its background, the parable of the mustard seed suggests that the Kingdom of heaven provides a home for all people on the earth.  The kingdom of heaven replaces the kingdom of Israel, and the citizens of the kingdom are Jesus’ disciples, made up of Jews and Gentiles.

Matthew 8.11-12 and 22.2-14: Banquet

Jesus sees the faith that the centurion has in him to heal his servant as a foreshadowing of people from the east and west coming to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 8.11-12).  Another reference to this banquet in Matthew again points to the inclusion of Gentiles (Mt. 22.2-14).  Jesus also uses this banquet image in reference to the Last Supper: the Last Supper is a foretaste of the great banquet to be eaten on Mt. Zion when God is King forever, when all nations are invited, and when death is overcome.  The image of a great banquet at God’s table can be found originally in Isaiah 25.6.  (It is used negatively in Ezek. 39.17-20.)

Matthew 12.17-21: Servant

Matthew identifies Jesus as the Servant in Isaiah (Mt. 12.17-21, quoting Is. 42.1-4; Mt. 8.17 quoting Is. 53.4).  This identification also recalls Isaiah 49:6: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."  Reflection on the identification of Jesus with the Servant could well lead to reflection on Jesus' role in bringing light to the nations.

Throughout Matthew: ‘Son of Man’

Jesus' preferred self-designation, 'Son of Man,' derives from Dn. 7.13: one like a son of man descends on a cloud from heaven to render judgment.  All four Gospels attest to Jesus’ use of this title.  As ‘Son of Man,’ Jesus must have reflected on what his role with respect to the nations, not just Israel, was to be.  Dn. 7.14 says, 'To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.'  Thus Daniel 7 is significant for Jesus’ understanding of the kingdom and his self-understanding as ‘Son of Man,’ and it is also important for him for in regard to his ministry to the Gentiles as well.

Psalm 2 and Psalm 22

Two psalms in the OT which that were generally used with reference to Jesus have to do with the nations.  Ps. 2.8 states that the king—understood by the Jews as the Messiah--would conquer and rule over the nations.  Psalm 22 was read by Matthew (and other New Testament authors)  in reference to Jesus’ suffering and death (cf. Mt. 27.35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 50-52).  The psalm concludes by saying that ‘all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all families of the nations shall worship before you.  For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.’  Possibly the centurion’s confession that Jesus was the Son of God (Mt. 27.54) and when Jesus sends his disciples to the nations (Mt. 28.19), this crucial psalm is once again in view.

Matthew 12.39f; 16.4: Nineveh and the 'South'

Jesus' identification of his entombment with Jonah’s three days in the large fish (Mat. 12.39f; 16.4) involved further reflection on what followed in Jonah's life: a mission to the Gentiles (12.41).  The Gentiles of Nineveh accepted Jonah’s message, but Israel was rejecting Jesus’ message.  Similarly, the Queen of the South came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon (Mt. 12.42), but one greater than Solomon was now present, and Israel was rejecting him.  Jesus stated that he was greater than both Jonah and Solomon, and therefore one must assume that the significance of both OT figures beyond the borders of Israel was something on which Jesus reflected.

Matthew 28.18-20: the Great Commission

Jesus’ famous great commissioning of the disciples that concludes Matthew’s Gospel (Mt. 28.18-20) seems to reflect the conclusion of Isaiah: Is. 66:18-20.  In the passage from Isaiah, the survivors—the remnant of Israel or some select group from the remnant—are sent out to the nations to declare God’s glory and gather in the dispersed people of Israel.  Six regions are named, and they suggest the distant lands in each direction of the compass beyond Israel.  The restored remnant of Israel, along with ‘all nations and tongues,’ shall go to Jerusalem to see God’s glory.  Thus the restoration of Israel includes an extension of God’s rule over the nations.

Conclusion

Jesus’ self-understanding as savior and king over all nations can be seen from these texts.  The people of God—Jesus’ disciples, the citizens of the kingdom of heaven, the church—include people from both the Jews and the Gentiles.  The mission of the disciples—Isaiah’s survivors from Israel’s exile--is a mission to the nations to declare God’s glory, complete the ingathering of the Jewish dispersion, and include the Gentiles in Jesus’ salvation.  Thus the Church takes up the mission of Israel to the nations.  It is a mission that can be summed up, as Is. 66.18-20 states, as declaring God’s glory to the nations.  This is the heart of foreign missions.

'Why Foreign Missions?' 3, God, Israel, and the Nations

‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 3. God, Israel, and the Nations

The previous section answered the question, ‘Why foreign missions?’ with the Old Testament and Jewish texts that speak of a future blessing of the nations.  This section offers several answers as to why God is concerned with the nations.  The Old Testament presents God’s concerns and Israel’s role as universal in scope.  God and his people are involved in a redemptive plan that is inclusive, not exclusive.  Here is the Old Testament basis for Jesus’ commission of his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28.19).

Reasons for Including the Nations/Gentiles in Israel’s Eschatological Blessing

1. Abraham was called out from the nations and becomes the father of many nations: Gen. 17.4-6, 16

Genesis 17.5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

2. Israel will be a blessing to the nations:

Genesis 12.2-3 I will make of you [Abraham] a great nation [Israel] …. in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

3. Monotheism stands at the heart of Old Testament eschatology: God's status as sole God demands that the nations will ultimately acknowledge His sovereignty: Ps. 22.27; Zeph. 2.11.  (This point will be expanded later.)

3a. Subjugation of the Nations: Zeph. 3.8; Zech. 14.16.

Zephaniah 3:8  For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed.

                               
3.b. Salvation of the Nations:

3.b.i. Zephaniah 3:9 At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.

3.b.ii. Isaiah: 2.2; 9.1; 25.6; 56.7; 49:6: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

3.b.iii. Zechariah: 2.11; 8.22-23; Is. 60.11; 61.11; 66.12, 18, 22; Jer. 3.17; 16.19.

4. Israel's prosperity and blessing depends on the surrounding nations, and its magnificence may be described in terms of its rule over or influence on these nations.  Thus God's ultimate victory for His people means an eternal kingdom which establishes justice over all the nations (Dn. 7.14).  Stories about Joseph, Daniel, and Esther indicate the type of blessing the Jews will ultimately be in the whole world.

               

5. Israel's punishment comes at the hands of surrounding nations; they are thus brought into God's plan of judgment and salvation (e.g., Is. 10.5, 11).

6. God's punishment of Israel through other nations shows them what kind of a God He is: on the one hand, one who will not tolerate sin; on the other hand, one who appears to be too weak to save His people from those serving other gods.  Thus God both punishes and restores His people, and the nations understand what kind of God He is.  God does this for His own name, i.e., to show that He is just, more than He does for disobedient Israel (a theme most clearly seen in Ezekiel).

7. Israel's dispersion among the nations means that they come into God's plan of salvation: they     bring punishment on Israel, are where God's people dwell, and play a part in the return of God's  people.  To the extent that they participate in the return of God's people they too come to share in    God's salvation (e.g., Is. 66.18-22).

Conclusion

Israel’s role among the nations in the Old Testament does not usually come across as one of mission.  Jonah sums up this attitude rather well.  After God saves Nineveh from destruction through Jonah’s preaching, Jonah is upset: a doomsday message that does not come to pass is embarrassing.  He knows that God is ‘a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing’ (Jonah 4.2).  Yet such a God knows no boundaries for His love.  It does not stop at Israel’s borders but works through Israel to reach all nations.  If God is not a local deity but the only God, if His character is to love and forgive, if Israel exists to extend God’s blessing to the nations, then mission for us, too, as God’s people will to foreign fields.  We might well ask not ‘Why foreign missions?’ but ‘Why not foreign missions?’  Instead of asking, ‘Why go?’ we might rather ask, ‘Why stay?’

‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 2, The Old Testament and Jewish Texts Mentioning the Future Blessing of the Nations

‘Why Foreign Missions?’ 2,

The Old Testament and Jewish Texts

Mentioning the Future Blessing of the Nations

A second answer to the question, ‘Why Foreign Missions?’ is simply the fact that numerous texts in the Old Testament and Judaism mention a future blessing of the nations.  This fact keeps a concern for a mission beyond the borders of Israel in the background and foreground of God’s dealing with Israel.  At times, the mission to the Gentiles breaks through into Israel’s life.  The following texts focus on the future blessing of the nations.  In the next section, an assessment will be offered for why God is concerned with the nations.

Genesis 12.3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Genesis 17.5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

Psalm 18.49 For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

Psalm 117.1 Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!

 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 22.27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Psalm 47. 2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves.Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. 8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.

Psalm 68.29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you….31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

Psalm 86. 9 All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.

Psalm 96. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples…. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, "The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity." 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

Isaiah 2.2 In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 11.9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. 11 On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 14. 1 But the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land; and aliens will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess the nations as male and female slaves in the LORD's land; they will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.

Isaiah 18:6 They [Ethiopia] shall all be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the animals of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the animals of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 19.22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their supplications and heal them.

 23 On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage."

Isaiah 25.1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 4 For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, 5 the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled. 6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 40.3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 42:1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. 10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. 11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the coastlands.

Isaiah 45.20 Assemble yourselves and come together, draw near, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge-- those who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. 21 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is no one besides me. 22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." 24 Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; all who were incensed against him shall come to him and be ashamed. 25 In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.

Isaiah 49:1 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. 3 And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 4 But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God." 5 And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength-- 6 he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."….22 Thus says the Lord GOD: I will soon lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

Isaiah 51.4 Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.

 5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope.

Isaiah 56.3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and do not let the eunuch say, "I am just a dry tree." 4 For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 8 Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.

Isaiah 60.3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms…. 9 For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. 10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you down, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.

Isaiah 62.2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.

Isaiah 66.18 For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud-- which draw the bow-- to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21 And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the LORD. 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the LORD; so shall your descendants and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the LORD.

Jeremiah 3: 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will.

Ezekiel 36. 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places, and replanted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it. 37 Thus says the Lord GOD: I will also let the house of Israel ask me to do this for them: to increase their population like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals, so shall the ruined towns be filled with flocks of people. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Micah 4.1 In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, 2 and many nations shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more….

Zepheniah 3.8 Therefore wait for me, says the LORD, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed. 9 At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord. 10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, my scattered ones, shall bring my offering. 11 On that day you shall not be put to shame because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.

Haggai 2.6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;  7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 2.10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD. 11 Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

 13 Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zechariah 8. 20 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; 21 the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going." 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23 Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

Zechariah 14.16 Then [after the battle of the nations against Israel and their defeat] all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the festival of booths. 17 If any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain upon them.


Jewish texts from the Second Temple Period also continue this Biblical theme:

Tobit 13.11 A bright light will shine to all the ends of the earth; many nations will come to you from far away, the inhabitants of the remotest parts of the earth to your holy name, bearing gifts in their hands for the King of heaven. Generation after generation will give joyful praise in you, the name of the chosen city will endure forever. 12 Cursed are all who speak a harsh word against you; cursed are all who conquer you and pull down your walls, all who overthrow your towers and set your homes on fire. But blessed forever will be all who revere you. 13 Go, then, and rejoice over the children of the righteous, for they will be gathered together and will praise the Lord of the ages. 14 Happy are those who love you, and happy are those who rejoice in your prosperity. Happy also are all people who grieve with you because of your afflictions; for they will rejoice with you and witness all your glory forever.

Tobit 14.5 "But God will again have mercy on them, and God will bring them back into the land of Israel; and they will rebuild the temple of God, but not like the first one until the period when the times of fulfillment shall come. After this they all will return from their exile and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendor; and in it the temple of God will be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it. 6 Then the nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in truth. They will all abandon their idols, which deceitfully have led them into their error; 7 and in righteousness they will praise the eternal God. All the Israelites who are saved in those days and are truly mindful of God will be gathered together; they will go to Jerusalem and live in safety forever in the land of Abraham, and it will be given over to them. Those who sincerely love God will rejoice, but those who commit sin and injustice will vanish from all the earth.

Psalm of Solomon 17.34b: And he (the Lord) will show mercy to all the nations [gathered] before Him in reverence (my translation)

Sibylline Oracles 3.702-4, 710-20: But the sons of the great God will al live peacefully around the Temple, rejoicing in these things which the Creator, just judge and sole ruler, will give….And then all islands and cities will say, ‘How much the Immortal loves those men! For everything fights on their side and helps them, heaven, divinely driven sun and moon’ (but the all-bearing earth will be shaken in those days).  They will bring forth from their mouths a delightful utterance in hymns, ‘Come, let us all fall on the ground and entreat the immortal king, the great eternal God.  Let us send to the Temple, since he alone is sovereign and let us all ponder the Law of the Most High God, who is the most righteous of all throughout the earth.  (Trans. J. J. Collins)

Sibylline Oracles 3.772-75: From every land they [those God raises up as a kingdom for all ages among men—lines 767f] will bring incense and gifts to the house of the great God.  There will be no other house among men, even for future generations to know, except the one which God gave to faithful men to honor (for mortals will invoke the son of the great God).  (Trans. J. J. Collins)

'Why Foreign Missions?' 1. The Needs at Our Gate

'Why Foreign Missions?'

From time to time, I’ve heard someone ask, ‘Why go overseas to minister to people when there are so many needs right here?’  This question is well worth considering, and I propose to do so in several parts.

1. The Needs at Our Gate

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores…. (Lk. 16.19-21, NRSV).

When I lived in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, I asked myself a version of the same question: ‘Why go anywhere else to help people when the needs are so great right where I am?’  A sanitary engineer told me that over 70% of the population had no access to toilets and running water.  People lived and slept in the streets, huddling under shelters made from scraps of plastic, metal, or wood whenever it rained or the sun beat down relentlessly.  We had seven shelters right outside of our gate, and many more on the adjoining street.  Down the street, two women begged for a little money each day to feed their children.  A couple of streets over, I met a leper with only stubs for fingers and part of his face missing.  The nearly daily wails coming from the hospital across the street told me when someone died.  I didn’t hear the screams inside, where surgeries were carried out without anesthesia.  One day, I watched a fight break out over bread that someone was handing out to the hungry.

I was simply overwhelmed in Ethiopia with the extent of human needs.  We would buy meal tickets to hand out to the needy so that they used them on food, not something else.  An eleven year old girl with a bright smile and her little brother lived just outside the wall of my compound.  When she would see me on the street, she would come skipping over and gratefully received a few meal tickets.  My heart broke for this little girl, knowing that others like her regularly gave themselves to prostitution so that they could feed their stomachs for just one more day.

I asked myself how we could minister to a city with so many needs.  How could we feed the widows and orphans, the cripples, and the sick?  No matter where I walked—and I took long walks—I would see the same human suffering.  A cripple using a pole as a crutch as he walked to cars idling at one of the still running stoplights, someone suffering from elephantiasis lying outside the church yard, someone scooting along on his fists because he had no legs….  Where does one start to meet such needs?

I decided that I would try to help the little girl with a bright smile and her brother.  They lived right outside of my compound, like Lazarus begging outside the rich man’s gate in Lk. 16.  While we cannot help everybody, we might at the very least try to help those sitting at our gate.

Foreign mission work is not an excuse to ignore the needs right where we are.  Even if needs are greater far away, we need to realize that the needs outside our gate are ones that we can address.  The first answer to our question, ‘Why foreign missions?’ is simply this: Let us not ignore the needs at our own gate.