100. Christ's Teaching: To Jews First, Then Gentiles

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Central Question #

Should Christ have preached directly to the Gentiles during his earthly ministry, or was it appropriate that he limited his teaching to the Jews and commissioned the apostles for Gentile evangelization?

The Four Reasons for Teaching Jews First #

1. Fulfillment of Promises to Israel

   • Christ’s coming fulfilled Old Testament promises made specifically to the Jewish people
   • This established credibility with those who possessed the law and the prophets
   • Reference to Romans 15:8: Christ was “minister of circumcision” to confirm promises made to the fathers

2. Demonstration of Divine Order (Ordo)

   • God’s actions exhibit proper order and arrangement
   • Those nearest to God (the Jews, dedicated to the one God) should receive teaching first
   • Instruction then flows to others through them, mirroring the celestial hierarchy where illumination passes from higher to lower beings
   • This order reflects God’s wisdom itself

3. Removal of Just Accusation

   • By teaching Jews first, Christ prevented them from claiming he rejected them by being sent to Gentiles instead
   • Matthew 10:5 (apostles instructed not to go to Gentiles initially) and Jerome’s interpretation regarding “just accusation”

4. Authority Merited Through the Cross

   • Christ’s dominion and authority over the Gentiles was earned through his Passion and death
   • Before victory on the cross, he did not possess the authority to demand Gentile obedience
   • After Resurrection, he could commission universal preaching with full authority
   • Reference to Apocalypse 2: “Who conquers, to him I will give power over the Gentiles”
   • Reference to Philippians 2: through death on cross, Christ was exalted such that every knee should bend

Key Arguments #

Objection: Isaiah’s Prophecy Demands Gentile Preaching #

Objection: Isaiah 49 states Christ is “a light to the Gentiles,” therefore he ought to have preached to them directly.

Response: Christ is indeed light to the Gentiles, but through the apostles’ preaching. This demonstrates greater power—achieving universal conversion through others rather than through himself alone. The efficacy of teaching is shown more in converting those who have heard nothing than in converting those already near the faith.

Objection: Teaching Power Demonstrated More Directly #

Objection: Christ’s teaching power would be demonstrated more clearly by directly instructing the Gentiles, as the apostles instructed them.

Response: To accomplish something through others demonstrates not less, but more power. God’s divine power is most evident when Christ gives such authority to disciples that even those who know nothing of Christ are converted through their preaching.

The Pattern of Scripture #

• Isaiah 66: “I will send from those who were saved to it from the Jews to the Gentiles, and they will announce my glory to the nations”
• Matthew 15:24: “I am not sent except to the sheep which were perishing of the house of Israel”
• Matthew 28: After Resurrection, Christ commands disciples to “go teach all nations”
• John 12: When Gentiles wish to see Jesus (before Passion), he speaks of the grain of wheat that must die to bear much fruit

Important Definitions #

Ordo: The proper order or arrangement of things according to their nature and relationship. God’s actions exemplify perfect ordo; creatures imitate God’s wisdom by maintaining proper hierarchical order in their activities. This is a crowning mark of wisdom in Aristotelian philosophy.

Celestial Hierarchy: The ordered arrangement of angels in proximity to God, through which divine illuminations flow downward. Used analogically to explain how human teachers transmit knowledge—higher beings enlighten lower ones, just as Thomas Aquinas enlightens students who may then enlighten others.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Samaritan Woman (John 4) #

• Example of a Gentile whom Christ taught directly, demonstrating that the principle is not absolute but allows for exceptions based on the person’s capacity for faith
• She immediately went and announced Christ to her people, converting them—showing the power of faith to receive and transmit truth

The Grain of Wheat (John 12:24) #

• Christ’s statement: “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”
• Illuminates why Christ did not preach directly to Gentiles: his death and resurrection were necessary conditions for universal authority
• Augustine’s interpretation: Christ was “killed in the unfaithfulness of the Jews but multiplied in the faith of the peoples”

Tibidabo Mountain in Spain #

• Named after the temptation account in Matthew 4, where the devil says “Tibi dabo” (I will give you all these things) from a high mountain
• Illustrates how even place names preserve memory of Christ’s victory over temptation

Notable Quotes #

“I am not sent except to the sheep which were perishing of the house of Israel” (Christ, Matthew 15:24)

“I will give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you might be my salvation to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49, cited by Thomas)

“Go teach all nations” (Christ’s commission after Resurrection, Matthew 28)

“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24)

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Should Christ have preached to Gentiles during his earthly ministry? #

A: No. The appropriate order required teaching Jews first for four reasons: (1) fulfillment of specific promises to Israel, (2) demonstration of proper divine order through hierarchy, (3) removal of occasion for Jewish complaint, and (4) Christ’s authority over Gentiles was merited only through the Passion. The apostles, commissioned after the Resurrection with Christ’s victory, accomplished universal conversion.

Q2: Does limiting teaching to Jews diminish Christ’s power? #

A: No. Rather, it demonstrates greater power to accomplish universal conversion through others whom Christ empowered, than to accomplish it through himself alone. This manifests Christ’s divine power in a way that mirrors God’s causality throughout creation.

Q3: What about Isaiah’s prophecy that Christ is “a light to the Gentiles”? #

A: Christ fulfills this prophecy through the apostles’ preaching, not through his own direct ministry to Gentiles during his earthly life. The light and salvation come through his teaching, which he transmitted to the apostles who then preached to the nations.