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A KEY TO HOLY SCRIPTURE
(2) The preachers had no place in their gospel for CHRIST CRUCIFIED OR CHRIST RISEN!
This seems a terrible indictment, looked at from our standpoint. It can be proved by a reference to Matthew
chapter 16, where we find two statements:
(1) The Lord `from that time forth BEGAN to shew unto His disciples, how that He must ... suffer many things of
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be KILLED, and be RAISED again the third day' (verse 21). If the Lord at
this time `began', He could not have told them before.
(2) That the disciples had never heard of such a thing, Peter's action abundantly shows, for `then Peter took Him,
and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee' (verse 22). And the unbelief
of all the apostles in the resurrection is manifest by the conclusion of the Gospel narrative.
Its exclusive character
A further proof of the exclusive character of the Lord's earthly ministry is found in Matthew 15:21-28.
A woman of Canaan, i.e. not a Jewess, cried, `Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is
grievously vexed with a demon'. What was the Saviour's response to this mother's cry? `He answered her NOT A
WORD'! When His disciples besought Him to send her away (for she continued her supplications), the Lord said, `I
am NOT sent BUT unto the lost sheep of the house of ISRAEL'. The woman then changed her mode of approach. She
had called Him `Son of David' (all around her were doing the same), but that was exclusive to David's people and
kingdom. She now approaches Him, worshipping and saying, `Lord, help me'. What response will the Saviour of
the lost give now? `But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the CHILDREN'S bread, and cast it to little DOGS'.
What strange words! Israel are the children, the Gentiles are dogs. One loophole did the Lord leave; He said
kunaria, `puppy dogs'. The term `dog' was a synonym for an outcast, and the Gentiles were so called. Little
puppies were, however, sometimes allowed as pets for a time, and to this the Lord alluded. The woman accepted the
dispensational position. She recognized that Israel were `the masters', and she could only expect `the crumbs'.
Then she received the blessing. While this is a faithful picture of the exclusive character of the Lord's earthly
ministry, it is an utterly false picture of the church of the one Body or of the gospel committed to Paul, `where there
is neither Jew nor Greek'.
The Lord's earthly ministry contrasted with Paul's
It is not a question of choosing between the Lord Jesus and Paul, far from it, but of observing that the Christ who
spoke on earth, has since spoken from heaven. Paul is but the new mouthpiece. The ministry of Christ on earth is
defined and compared with Paul's ministry to the Gentiles previous to the revelation of the mystery.
(1) The earthly ministry of the Lord was not to introduce something new, but to confirm something old.
(2) It was exclusively to Israel.
(3) The Gentiles were only in prospect.
`Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the CIRCUMCISION for the truth of God, to confirm the promises
made unto the FATHERS: and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy' (Rom. 15:8,9).
(4) While the earthly ministry of Christ was divinely limited to Israel, His risen ministry was not so confined.
The only apostle appointed by the risen Christ to the Gentiles was Paul.
`That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the GENTILES, ministering the gospel of God' (which did include
the death and resurrection of Christ, see Romans 1:1-4 etc., and 15:16).