TEACH THE GENTILES, THE GREEKS, OUR PEOPLE DISPERSED/ SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS,
JOHN 7:33-36 with a focus on v35 by Tuese Ahkiong
Why were the Jews concerned that Yeshua would go teach the Israeli people scattered among the gentiles/ Greeks?
The point of this article is to gain clarity on who the gentiles or Greeks are in this passage!
They were scattered israel which has its origins in the OT. And since most Bible folks don’t study the whole Scripture numerous times, especially the OT, they don’t know! They just assume gentile means any non-Jewish culture today like Samoans, Filipinos, Mexicans…
Why would Greek or gentile in this context refer to Israel?
Here’s the backstory.
There is a few important distinctions.
There is a BIG difference between
Jew and Israelite.
Every Jew is an Israelite but not every Israelite is a Jew.
Like every Californian is a US citizen but not every US citizen is a Californian.
Israel and Judah used to be one kingdom called Israel.
They were divided into 2 kingdoms after King Solomon’s death by his sons, Jehoboam and Rehoboam.
Jews come from the southern kingdom, Judah made up of 2-3 tribes: Judah Benjamin Levi.
Israel is the northern kingdom with 10 other tribes including some from Levi. The north kingdom Israel is also known as Ephraim.
Northern kingdom was scattered into and became like pagan gentile nations by the Assyrians.
The legalistic Jews called israel their brother derogatory names like gentiles, Samaritans, Greeks...
Israelites became Greek Hellenized during the intertestament period.
Thus, called Greeks by Jews.
The Jews knew the Greek Israelites were the diaspora or dispersed/ scattered Israelites when they questioned among themselves.
John 7:35
The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He does not intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, does He?
So the phrase
Jew and gentile
Jew and greek
Is referring to Jew and scattered Israelite (who became like the pagan nations.)
The division of kingdoms is pretty much many of Yeshua’s parables:
Prodigal son, Lost sheep, 2 Sons to work….
Jews knew that the messiah would regather the 12 tribes into one nation kingdom.
John 11:50-52
nor are you taking into account that it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.” 51 Now he did not say this on his own, but as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation; 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
The churches or better, the ekklesia were the elect called out ones of Israel that were scattered, now being regathered by the gospel fishing them out of the nations.
John 7:33-36 NIV
Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? WILL HE GO WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS, AND TEACH THE GREEKS? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
John 7:33-36 KJV
Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
35 THEN SAID THE JEWS AMONG THEMSELVES, WHITHER WILL HE GO, THAT WE SHALL NOT FIND HIM? WILL HE GO UNTO THE DISPERSED AMONG THE GENTILES, AND TEACH THE GENTILES?
36 What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?
John 7:33-36 NKJV
Then Jesus said [a]to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS AND TEACH THE GREEKS? 36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
VERSE 35 from different Translations
Then the Jews said among themselves, Where does this Man intend to go that we shall not find Him? WILL HE GO TO THE JEWS WHO ARE SCATTERED IN THE DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS, AND TEACH THE GREEKS?
Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does this Man intend to go that we will not find Him? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE DISPERSION [OF JEWS SCATTERED AND LIVING] AMONG THE GREEKS, AND TEACH THE GREEKS?
Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? WILL HE GO UNTO THE DISPERSED AMONG THE GENTILES, AND TEACH THE GENTILES?
Then the Jews said to one another, “Where does he intend to go that we won’t find him? HE DOESN’T INTEND TO GO TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE DISPERSED AMONG THE GREEKS AND TEACH THE GREEKS, DOES HE?
The Jewish opposition asked each other, “Where does he intend to go that we can’t find him? SURELY HE DOESN’T INTEND TO GO WHERE OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCATTERED AND ARE LIVING AMONG THE GREEKS! He isn’t going to teach the Greeks, is he?
The Judeans said to themselves, “Where is this man about to go, that we won’t find him? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE GREEK DIASPORA AND TEACH THE
GREEK-SPEAKING JEWS?
The people asked each other, “Where can he go to keep us from finding him? IS HE GOING TO SOME FOREIGN COUNTRY WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE? Is he going there to teach the Greeks?
These Jews said to each other, “Where will this man go that we cannot find him? WILL HE GO TO THE GREEK CITIES WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE? Will he teach the Greek people there?
Then the Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? HE DOES NOT INTEND TO GO TO THE JEWS SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks, does he?
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks?
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? DOES HE INTEND TO GO TO THE DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks?
[L Therefore] ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? WILL HE GO TO THE ·GREEK CITIES WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE [L DISPERSION/SCATTERING AMONG THE GREEKS; C EVER SINCE THE BABYLONIAN EXILE MANY JEWISH PEOPLE HAD LIVED OUTSIDE THE LAND OF ISRAEL]
and teach the Greek people there? [C The Jews often used “Greeks” for Gentiles generally.]
The Jews said among themselves, “Where does this man intend to go so that we won’t find him? DOES HE MEAN THAT HE’LL LIVE WITH THE JEWS WHO ARE SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS and that he’ll teach the Greeks?
The Jewish authorities said among themselves, “WHERE IS HE ABOUT TO GO SO THAT WE SHALL NOT FIND HIM? WILL HE GO TO THE GREEK CITIES WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE, and teach the Greeks?
Then the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go so we won’t find Him? HE DOESN’T INTEND TO GO TO THE DISPERSION AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks, does He?
The Jews said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? WILL HE GO TO THE GREEK CITIES WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE? Will he teach the Greek people there?
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not be able to find him? WILL HE GO ABROAD TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPERSED AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks?
Some people said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? WILL HE GO TO THE GREEK CITIES WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE and teach the Greek people there?
Then the Jewish leaders said to one another, “Where is he going to go that we cannot find him? HE IS NOT GOING TO GO TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE DISPERSED AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks, is he?
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man plan to go? Does he think we can’t find him? WILL HE GO WHERE OUR PEOPLE LIVE SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS? Will he go there to teach the Greeks?
The Jews said to themselves, “Where can He go that we will not find Him? WILL HE GO TO OUR PEOPLE WHO LIVE AMONG THE GREEKS AND TEACH THE GREEKS?
Then the Jews said to one another, “Where is this man about to go that we will not find him? SURELY HE IS NOT GOING TO GO TO OUR PEOPLE DISPERSED AMONG THE GREEKS and teach the Greeks, is he?
This made the Jews say to each other, “Where is he going to hide himself so that we cannot find him? SURELY HE’S NOT GOING TO OUR REFUGEES AMONG THE GREEKS TO TEACH GREEKS? WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE SAYS, ‘YOU WILL LOOK FOR ME AND YOU WILL NEVER FIND ME’ AND ‘YOU CANNOT COME WHERE I SHALL BE’?”
Some Jews in the Crowd (to each other): Where could He possibly go that we could not find Him? YOU DON’T THINK HE’S ABOUT TO GO INTO THE DISPERSION AND TEACH OUR PEOPLE SCATTERED AMONG THE GREEKS, DO YOU?
It is my conviction that most who call themselves “Christians” today do not know the back story of who the dispersed/ diaspora/ scattered are because they do not study the entire Bible. The back story is God made a covenant with one people Israel. Israel sinned and broke covenant with YHWH. The Kingdom of Israel was divided into 2 kingdoms (1 Kings 11:9-13, 12:16-24);
JUDAH in the Southern Kingdom with 2-3 tribes and
ISRAEL in the Northern Kingdom with 10 tribes.
The Southern Kingdom was the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son and the Northern Kingdom was the younger brother who lived a wild life among the pagans. The Northern Kingdom Israel was scattered into the gentile nations like lost sheep. The Southern Kingdom Judah from where we get Jews was the legalistic older brother. This is where the enmity began where even the southern brother hated his younger brother and would even call him derogatory names like Gentile, Greek, Pagan, dog….
Matthew 15:24 But He (Yeshua) answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
@Yeshua was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Did he lie? Was He in error? Or did He tell The Truth? Were the lost sheep of the house of Israel aka diaspora/ dispersion scattered
into and among the Greeks/ Gentiles/ Nations?
1 Kings 11:9-13
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lordsaid to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
1 Kings 12:16-24
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:
“What share do we have in David,
what part in Jesse’s son?
To your tents, Israel!
Look after your own house, David!”
So the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.
18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,24 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.
Ezekiel 37:15-28
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ 17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
18 “When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ 19 say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding,and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
24 “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever,and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peacewith them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”
SCATTERED IN THE NATIONS
- I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.
- The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you.
- Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.
- then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
- “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
- You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
- make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
- He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
- At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter.
- I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”
- I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
- “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
- Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.
- Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
- I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go.
- “‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations.
- “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’
- “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’
- “They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.
- Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries,
- I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.
- I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.
- I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness.
- “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
- I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.
- I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
- I asked, “What are these coming to do?” He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”
- ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
- and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
- James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.More Articles:
How scattered ISRAEL became GENTILES (this confusing word just means NATIONs or PEOPLEs)
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2023/06/how-israel-became-gentiles-this.html?m=1
Israel prophesied to be scattered in the gentile pagan nations in The Latter Days (30-70AD) worshipping idols like gentiles!
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2023/07/israel-scattered-in-gentile-pagan.html?m=1
Abraham’s SEED/ DESCENDANTS were BIOLOGICAL
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2023/06/abrahams-seed-descendants-are-biological.html?m=1
Who were THE DIASPORA? THE ELECT? The fullness of GENTILES that Paul spoke of? Who were those YHWH CALLED NOT MY PEOPLE? Are people today elect like Reformed Calvinist folk think they are? Here’s a RED PILL to who the Bible identifies as the elect!
If the Bible is suppose to be for every person and nationalities than why do some Bible writers specifically write to the diaspora or 12 tribes of Israel?
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-diaspora-were-elect-remnant-of.html?m=1
THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL were NOT Samoans, Mexicans, Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, Irish, English…. but Israelites, duh!!!
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-lost-sheep-of-israel-were-not.html
YHWH IS THE SHEPHERD. YESHUA IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD. YESHUA IS YHWH https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2014/09/yhwh-is-shepherd-yeshua-is-good.html?m=1
Ephesians 2 is The Parable of The Prodigal Son
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2022/02/ephesians-2-is-parable-of-prodigal-son.html
THE PARABLES OF YESHUA: were ONLY for Covenant Israel in 1st Century https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-parables-of-yeshua-were-meant-for.html
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