First Israel/Jews then the nations/Christians

The ser­mon empha­si­s­es the divi­ne prin­ci­ple: «First Isra­el, then the nati­ons.» God cho­se Isra­el to show peace and jus­ti­ce to all nati­ons. Jesus first came to the Jews and only then was the gos­pel taken to the gen­ti­les. Despi­te its fail­ures, Isra­el remains God’s cho­sen peo­p­le, through whom bles­sing and sal­va­ti­on come to all. Jud­ge­ment and mer­cy also fol­low this prin­ci­ple: first for the Jews, then for the other nati­ons. God’s faithful­ness remains.

The basic principle is:

FIRST ISRAEL / THE JEWS THEN THE PEOPLES / THE CHRISTIANS

12 points in addition.

God’s main motive:

1) God wants to give peace and justice to all people and nations, Jews and non-Jews, including the Palestinians.

2) God chose the people of Israel to demonstrate to the other peoples what a life of peace and justice looks like: …

«Through you [Abra­ham] all the nati­ons of the earth shall be bles­sed!» (Gene­sis 12:3b).

«You shall be my spe­cial pos­ses­si­on abo­ve all peo­p­les, for the who­le earth is mine» (Exodus 19:5).

This elec­tion brought a gre­at deal of suf­fe­ring and per­se­cu­ti­on to the peo­p­le of Isra­el. Unfort­u­na­te­ly, the peo­p­le of Isra­el fai­led again and again becau­se they them­sel­ves did not want to be a role model for the other nati­ons, but wan­ted to be like the other nations.

3) God became man as Jesus in order to reign visibly as King of Israel (Messiah, Christ) and as King of all kings and all nations.

4) Jesus worked mainly among Jews and only occasionally among Gentiles (Samaritans, Roman centurion, widow of Zarephath, Gerasenes, feeding of the 4000 in Decapolis)

«I am sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra­el» (Matthew 15:24).

Jesus sent out the twel­ve apost­les and said: «Go not into the way of the Gen­ti­les […] but go rather to the lost sheep of Isra­el […] and say, «The king­dom of hea­ven is at hand! (Matthew 10:5–6).

Later Jesus said: «You will be my wit­nesses in Jeru­sa­lem and in all Judea and Sama­ria and to the ends of the earth» (Acts 1:8b; cf. Matthew 28:19–20).

5) The Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman Pontius Pilate rejected Jesus as king and crucified him.

6) Some Jews and non-Jews worship Jesus as King (Messiah / Christ) and already live today in God’s kingdom of peace and justice: this will be completed when Jesus returns.

«I am not asha­med of the gos­pel, becau­se it is God’s power for sal­va­ti­on for ever­yo­ne who belie­ves, first for the Jew, then also for the non-Jew» (Romans 1:16; Gala­ti­ans 10:12).

The majo­ri­ty of the first Chris­ti­ans were Jews. Paul always went to the Jews first (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1, 10, 17; 17:1–2; 18:4, 19; 19:8; 28:17) and only then to the non-Jews (Acts 13:45–46; cf. 18:5–6; 26:17, 23).
The­re is only one way to God: Jesus.

7) Almost everything in Christianity has its roots in Judaism (OT, NT, festivals, sacraments).

«But if some of the bran­ches have been bro­ken off and you are graf­ted in as a wild oli­ve branch […], do not des­pi­se the [bro­ken off] bran­ches! You do not bear the root, but the root bears you!» (Romans 11:17–18; cf. 11:28).

8) God has gathered his mostly unfaithful people because Israel (by and large) recognises Jesus as King when he returns.

«Jeru­sa­lem, Jeru­sa­lem, you who kill the pro­phe­ts […]. You will not see me from now on until you speak: Bles­sed be [the King] who comes in the name of the Lord!» (Matthew 23:37–39; cf. Luke 21:24; Romans 11:12, 15, 25–26).

9) «Any friendship with Israel and any theology of Israel that places the nature or behaviour of God’s people at the centre of attention is doomed to failure. What matters is what the Lord does!» (Johannes Gerloff) .

«I am not doing this for your sake, Isra­el, but becau­se of my holy name, which you have pro­fa­ned among the non-Jews […]» (Eze­kiel 36:22–24).

What would be pos­si­ble if the Pal­es­ti­ni­ans belie­ved that? Book: «How else, if not tog­e­ther?» (by Assaf Zeevi).

10) The nations reject God’s rule. They fight against his chosen people: without the people of Israel there is no king of Israel and no king of all kings and all nations.

God will not allow his cho­sen peo­p­le to be wiped out, even if they often fail. Isra­el can­not afford to lose even a sin­gle war. Ori­gin of the con­flict over Isra­el: God. This also appli­es to the situa­ti­on today.

11) The Nazis also followed this principle, as do the neo-Marxists and Islamists.

Nazi slo­gan: «First the gar­lic, then the incen­se.» Accor­ding to the Koran, the arch-enemies of Islam are first the Jews, then the Chris­ti­ans and only then all other «infi­dels».

Four forms of anti-Semi­tism: right-wing, left-wing, Isla­mist and moral anti-Semi­tism, which says that the Jews them­sel­ves are to bla­me for their misfortune.

«With what jud­ge­ment you judge, you will be jud­ged, and with what mea­su­re you mea­su­re, you will be mea­su­red» (Matthew 7:2).

«Do not give what is holy (Jews) to the dogs (non-Jews), lest they […] turn and tear you (Chris­ti­ans) apart as well» (Matthew 7:6).

Do not give what is holy (Jews; Deu­te­ro­no­my 7:6; Exodus 13:2; Deu­te­ro­no­my 3:13) to dogs (non-Jews; Matthew 15:26–27).

12) The judgement of God will also adhere to the principle.

«Tri­bu­la­ti­on and fear over every human soul that does evil, first to the Jew, then to the non-Jew as well» (Romans 2:9).

«But glo­ry and honour and peace to ever­yo­ne who works what is good, first to the Jew and then also to the non-Jew» (Romans 2:10).

The prin­ci­ple would also app­ly to con­dem­na­ti­on for error and also appli­es to God’s grace and faithfulness. 

The peo­p­le of Isra­el were not cho­sen on their own merit, but by grace. If God had rejec­ted his peo­p­le becau­se they were unfaithful, could it not be that after two thousand years of church histo­ry with many mista­kes made by the church, God would still look for a more beau­tiful bride?

Possible questions for the small groups

1. What does it mean to you per­so­nal­ly that God has cho­sen the prin­ci­ple of «Isra­el first, then the nations»?

2. To what ext­ent can Israel’s histo­ry still be a role model or a war­ning for us Chris­ti­ans today?

3. Why is it important to know and honour the Jewish roots of the Chris­ti­an faith?

4. How could peace and jus­ti­ce bet­ween Jews, Chris­ti­ans and other peo­p­les be pro­mo­ted in con­cre­te terms?

5. What do we learn from God’s faithful­ness to Isra­el about his faithful­ness to us as a church and as individuals?