Would you allow the possibility that those healings were a sign to the nation of Israel, that he was indeed the Christ that was prophesied to them? (John 20:30-31)
Agreed. Without question. Yet Christ did not reject the woman at the well, nor the centurion that sent his servant, and even commended the centurion stating He had not found such faith in Israel and immediately the servant was healed.
Do you know who Jesus was NOT speaking to in those passages? (Matthew 15:24).
If you are, obviously, referring to the gentiles, I would thoroughly disagree and with a strong emphasis on the following:
Matthew 10:40
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
In addition to this He instructed specifically:
Matthew 28:20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
God the Son sent Paul and Paul was sent to the gentiles.
Acts 22:21
Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
The mission was specific to what Jesus stated it was yes, but God's intent was that through His people the world would know His Son, meaning the purpose of being sent to Israel was to give the oracles of God and salvation to those God called first. If the intent was to literally only send Christ to the lost sheep of Israel and it never transfer into the gentiles, salvation would fall under this mission statement, but we know that this isn't the case and the Lord Jesus died for all of us Jew or Gentile.
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Isaiah 54:3
For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:29
but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
We can legalize anything we like in our own mind, but God is after the heart. His love reaches beyond Israel as He depicts clearly in the book of Jonah. The Lord heals all who come to Him and while He made Israel for a people and for them to be His chosen nation, He loves all of His children no less. For example:
Romans 10:13
For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
And in action while He was on Earth on His mission:
Matthew 15:21-28
21Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
23But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw
it to the little dogs.”
27And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great
is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
The
good Lord Jesus Christ was not rejecting this woman for being a gentile, He was using the general rule of thumb of His mission to test her faith. I agree He went to the Jewish people in Israel, and He did not travel outside of the country to preach. But His heart is for the world, and He is a good Father who loves all His children and ultimately it was His own plan to save
all that would believe on Him and call on His name.
John 16:27
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
Healing is for all who will come to Christ and believe.
