What does “do not go into the way of the Gentiles” mean (Matthew 10:5)?

When Jesus Christ commissioned the apostles for ministry, he gave them special instructions: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5–6, NKJV). Jesus’ command did not mean that spreading the gospel would exclude non-Jews forever. Instead, his instruction prioritized preaching the gospel to the Jews to fulfill the promises He had made to them. This restriction was temporary, and it applied only to the apostles’ initial mission.

Jesus empowered the apostles to defeat evil spirits and to heal physical illness when he sent them out (Matthew 10:1). He did this to verify the message they proclaimed. Jesus not only equipped them, but he also gave them instructions about who to reach out to first—“the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Israel had priority since Gentiles were not Jews by definition and Samaritans were religious outsiders. However, Jesus’ later ministry to non-Jews proved that His instruction about Israel was temporary, not permanent.

The message Jesus told the apostles to proclaim to the Jews first was about the kingdom of God. Their message proclaimed: “The kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:7–8). Through this message, God showed that He was fulfilling a promise He made to Israel.

For example, the prophet Daniel writes of a coming kingdom of God. He reveals that it will last forever: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).

Moreover, the arrival of the kingdom would occur with the coming of the Messiah, long promised in Scripture. The prophet Isaiah refers to this event when he writes, “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7).

The priority of Israel is not a reflection of their greater value but of chronology. In God’s wisdom, His plan involved choosing the descendants of Abraham—the nation of Israel—to give the world the Messiah (Luke 2:10–11). Israel’s priority is why Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

God’s plan for Israel always included non-Jews. Even before the nation existed, God told their forefather Abraham that his descendants would bless all people: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Paul reiterated Israel’s unique calling when he writes, “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (Galatians 3:8). This means that non-Jews were never God’s “Plan B” —they were always part of His original plan.

As Matthew later teaches, the gospel is for people of all races (Revelation 7:9). After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he gave the apostles new instructions for ministry: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). This confirms that Jesus’ initial restriction was only temporary and served a larger purpose in God’s plan.