The purpose of this lesson: (a) To emphasize the reality of the division between Jews and gentiles, and (b) to emphasize that this emotional division caused a major problem in first century- congregations.
Begin this lesson differently by examining a listing of the books of the Bible. Most English translations divide the Bibles books into Old Testament and New Testament. First, note all the books of the Old Testament are written to the Jewish people. Not one book of the Old Testament was written to any of the many other peoples who lived.
Have all of your students turn to a listing of the books in a Bible to visually emphasize that only books to Jews are found in the Old Testament. The point is not to disregard the points and messages of the Old Testament books, but to emphasize that gentiles were included in the object of Gods unfolding. Gentiles were not involved in the first part of the unfolding of Gods intent. The divine objective was a blessing to all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3) from the start, but God would achieve His objective by working through Israel.
This should help us understand the difficulty most Jews experienced in understanding the concept that gentiles could come directly to God through faith in Jesus Christ without going through the Jews.
Second, note that the Gospels in the New Testament were about things in the Jewish society that happened when Jesus came to earth to be the Messiah (Christ) God promised. Note that much of Acts is about Jewish teachers as they worked among non-Jewish people. Note all of Pauls writings to churches (Romans to 2 Thessalonians) are to congregations that are all or predominantly Gentile. In fact, there are only two books in the New Testament that were (possibly) written to Jewish ChristiansHebrews and James.
Emphasize a paraphrase of each section of the New Testament. Help students see that it begins with a Jewish background and progresses to a gentile emphasis. It was easier for many gentiles to grasp divine acceptance than it was for most Jews to understand that Gods love and salvation included gentiles.
Obviously a major shift occurred. Jews are Abrahams descendants through Isaac. Gentile is a word Jews used to refer to people who were not Jews. God dealt exclusively with the Jewish people to bring the Messiah (Christ). The Bible does not contain a record of all of Gods acts, but contains the record of how God fulfilled His intent to bring the Messiah (Christ) to all people in spite of persistent evil human behavior.
Make sure your students have a definite understanding of the concept of Jews and gentiles. Jews were descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Gentiles were all peoples who were not Jewish. Jews did not exist prior to AbrahamAbraham (through Isaac) is their source (their beginning).
God promised a blessing through Abrahams descendants that would benefit everyone (see Genesis 12:3). Gods intent was for the nation of Israel to teach all people how to have relationship with Him (see Isaiah 44:6; 42:5-9; 51:4; Luke 2:25-32; Acts 13:44-47). However, most Jewish people failed to grasp that intent.
The nation of Israel was not Gods final objective but the nation of Israel was Gods vehicle to His intent. God acted through them, but God wanted a restoration of all peoples to Him.
It is easy to become arrogant and to think it is all about us when God uses us for His purposes. God brought the Jews into existence. He delivered them from slavery. By His kindness, they survived in the wilderness. He allowed them to possess Canaan. He called them His people (Exodus 3:7-10; Hosea 11:1-4). In time, they concluded that all God cared about or wanted was them. Their conclusion resulted in a form of exclusiveness that rejected others. That resulted in an attitude expressed in a conviction that all God cares about is us.
When God works in unique ways through us, it is easy for us to think we are Gods objective instead of understanding that God is working through us but seeks more than us. When you consider all the things God did to bring Israel into existence, it should be simple to grasp how the Jewish people looked at themselves. Before we condemn their arrogance, we should look at our own.
Most of the New Testament Jews did not object to converting gentiles to God (Matthew 23:15). However, the attitude was that a gentile must become a Jew in conviction before that gentile could approach God. Since gentiles held a different concept of God, since they had different definitions of right and wrong or good and bad, and since their behavior was governed by a different morality, Jews looked at conversion in this way: (a) destroy their pagan concepts, (b) teach them new concepts and behavior, (c) secure a commitment from them to live and behave as do Jews, (d) then cleanse them from their past and accept them as a part of the Jewish community. Conversion was a lengthy process that involved (a) admitting what you were, (b) acknowledging who you should be, and (c) entering a new existence among the Jewish people.
Emphasize that most Jews were not anti-gentiles. Most Jews could not grasp that gentiles could come to God through Jesus Christ to their exclusion. Taking Jews completely out of the loop of gentile conversion was something most Jews could not graspconsidering most gentiles had the wrong concept of deity, wrong morals, and wrong concepts of good and evil.
No wonder the popular (Acts 5:15) apostle Peter was confused and bewildered (Acts 10:10-20) when the resurrected Christ commanded him to eat things forbidden Jews and to go with gentiles to a gentile (Roman centurion). No wonder that Peter did not fully understand why God sent him to Cornelius (Acts 10:28, 29). No wonder Christian Jews in Jerusalem were upset with him for socially associating with gentiles (Acts 11:1-3).
Emphasize there are centuries of perspective and Jewish behavior involved in this transition. It would not be made easily!
No wonder some Jews and even some Jewish Christians so adamantly opposed the Jewish Christian Pauls work among the gentiles (Acts 13:44-52; 14:19-22; 15:5).
The Judaizing teachers had a Jewish Christian background and were powerful (consider Galatians 2:11-14 and Acts 15:1 and 5).
The problem of Jewish and gentile Christian relationships was a major problem in first-century churches. To note what an emotional problem it was, consider Romans 14:1-12.
There was no common ground in the way Jews lived and the way gentiles lived. Imagine the challenges of beginning and maintaining a congregation composed of converted Jews and gentiles (consider 1 Corinthians 8).
Some things to note: (a) even apostles had to learn; (b) God loving people different from us does not mean God rejects us; (c) our standards do not establish Gods criteria for righteousness; and (d) there are times Gods intent is bigger than our understanding.
These are given to challenge students to think. Obviously the apostle Peter had to be taught some things even though he was an apostle. God did not reject Jewish Christians because He accepted gentile Christians (consider Romans 11). God does not depend on us to make decisions for Him. God is God and His intents are HisHe does not need our permission to validate His actions.
Only the unique God could tolerate people who are misguided by emotion and intolerant in conviction. We are blessed because God is unique!
The fact that God acted as He did emphasizes His uniqueness and the fact we are blessed because He is unique.
Things for Thought and Discussion
1. All the books of the Old Testament were written to whom?
All the books of the Old Testament are written to the Jewish people.
2. The New Testament Gospels are about what?
They are about things that happened in the Jewish society when Jesus came to be the Messiah (Christ) God promised. Messiah is a Hebrew word; Christ is a Greek word. Both refer to the same concept.
3. Much of Acts is about what?
Much of Acts is about Jewish teachers working among non-Jewish people.
4. What is true of Pauls writings to churches?
Pauls writings to churches are letters to predominantly or all gentile congregations.
5. Who were (are) the Jews?
They are Abrahams descendants through Isaac.
6. Who were (are) the gentiles? What are you?
Gentiles were (are) all people who are not Jews. The likelihood is that your class is composed of gentiles.
7. What did God promise through Abrahams descendants (through Isaac)?
God promised He would bring a blessing to everyone through Abrahams descendants (through Isaac).
8. What was Gods intent in the nation of Israel?
Gods intent through Israel was to teach all people how to have relationship with Him.
9. When is it easy to become arrogant?
It is easy to become arrogant when God works in special ways through us.
10. Describe the process of conversion to Judaism in the Bible.
a. Destroy pagan concepts.
b. Teach the gentiles new (replacement) concepts and behavior.
c. Secure a commitment from the gentile converts.
d. Cleanse the gentiles from their past and accept them into the Jewish community.
11. The association of Jew and gentile Christian was what in the first century?
It was a major problem.
12. What four things were you asked to note?
a. Even apostles had things to learn.
b. The fact that God loves people who are different from us does not mean He rejects us.
c. Our standards do not establish Gods criteria for righteousness.
d. There are times when Gods intent is bigger than our understanding.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 11