Bible Question: When you are studying the Bible, how do you know whether what Jesus says to his disciples is relivant to us today? For example, I was reading Matthew 10 and Jesus is telling his Disciples, "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He continues to give them other instructions as well. When we read this, do we assume that everything he told the disciples to do, we are supposed to do? Or, do we assume that we aren't of the 12 orrigional disciples therefore that specific information is not relivant to us? HELP! |
Bible Answer: Greetings Applejuice! Excellent question! There isn't a real simple answer, but a general rule of thumb is this: Is what Jesus commanding a timeless command or a limited command. Allow me to illustrate. On one occasion, Jesus told a man to pick up his bed and walk. Obviously, this is not a timeless command. :-) He was addressing a particular person, at a particular time, for a particular reason. On the other hand, at the end of Matthew, He told the disciples to go into the world and make disciples. This is clearly a timeless command. Your example from Mt. 10 is a clear example of a limited command. Why? Because, later Jesus sent Paul to the Gentiles. So, we know that His command in Mt. 10 is not still in effect. Now, even a limited command can have implications or life lessons for us. We can learn from the man who was told to pick up his bed that God sometimes asks us to respond in faith. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |