If you have spent any time on social media or walking through a city, you have probably seen them.
Men standing on street corners with microphones.
Shouting Scripture.
Telling passersby they are cursed.
Telling certain groups of people they are the true chosen people and everyone else is excluded from salvation.
They are commonly known as Hebrew Israelites.
Some factions of this movement have been designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center, specifically for promoting the belief that Jews are devilish impostors and openly condemning white people as evil personified, deserving only death or slavery.
The core theological claim they make is this.
Jesus came only for the descendants of the ancient Israelites.
Everyone else is excluded.
Salvation is racial.
There is one problem with that claim.
It is directly contradicted by Jesus Himself.
In His own words.
Repeatedly.
Without ambiguity.
The Verse They Use and What They Leave Out
The primary scripture extremist Hebrew Israelites point to is Matthew 15:24.
Jesus is speaking to a Canaanite woman who is begging Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter.
He says:
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Matthew 15:24 (NIV)
On the surface, read in isolation, that sounds like a racial exclusion.
But here is what they leave out.
Read the very next four verses.
The woman does not walk away.
She kneels before Him and says: Lord, help me.
Jesus responds with what sounds like a test.
“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Matthew 15:26 (NIV)
The woman does not flinch.
“Yes it is, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Matthew 15:27 (NIV)
And then Jesus said this:
“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matthew 15:28 (NIV)
Her daughter was healed at that moment.
Jesus healed a Canaanite woman.
A Gentile.
Someone outside the house of Israel.
In the same passage they use to claim He came only for Israel, He demonstrated His power and compassion toward someone who was not.
What Jesus Said About Who He Came For
If Matthew 15:24 was the whole picture, the argument might hold.
But it is one verse in a complete gospel.
And the rest of the gospels make the scope of His mission unmistakably clear.
John 3:16 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The world.
Not a tribe.
Not a bloodline.
Whoever believes.
That word “whoever” in the original Greek is “pas.”
It means every person, of every kind, without distinction.
John 10:16 (NIV)
Jesus speaking about His sheep says:
“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
Other sheep.
Not of this pen.
One flock.
He was explicitly describing people outside of Israel who would come to Him.
Matthew 28:19 (NIV)
After the resurrection, Jesus gives His final instructions to His disciples:
“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.”
All nations.
Not all Jewish nations. Not nations with the right ancestry.
All nations.
If salvation was racial, this command makes no sense.
Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)
After God shows Peter a vision making clear no person is unclean, Peter declares:
“I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”
Every nation. No favoritism. This is the God of the Bible speaking through His apostle.
Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, states:
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Neither Jew nor Gentile.
The racial and ethnic distinction that the Hebrew Israelite movement builds their entire theology on is the exact distinction Paul says no longer exists in Christ.
Revelation 7:9 (NIV)
John’s vision of heaven describes who is standing before the throne:
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
Every nation. Every tribe. Every people. Every language.
Heaven is not racially exclusive. The throne room of God is the most diverse place in all of Scripture.
Why Their Street Corner Preaching Contradicts Itself
Here is the theological problem at the center of the Hebrew Israelite argument.
If salvation is only for a specific racial group, why are they standing on street corners preaching at people who do not belong to that group?
The Great Commission Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19 is to go and make disciples of all nations.
A gospel that excludes people by race is not the gospel Jesus preached. It is not the gospel Paul preached. It is not what John saw in his vision of heaven.
Preaching to people you believe are beyond salvation is not evangelism.
It is harassment dressed in Scripture.
Jesus of the Bible did not shout at people on street corners and tell them they were cursed by birth.
He touched lepers.
He healed Canaanites.
He spoke to Samaritans.
He commended the faith of a Roman centurion.
He died for the sins of the world.
And before He ascended, He told His followers to take that message to every nation on earth.
What Jesus Said That Settles It
The night before He died, Jesus prayed.
Not just for His Jewish disciples. Not just for Israel.
He prayed for everyone who would ever believe through their message.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” John 17:20 (NIV)
That prayer covers every person from every nation who has ever come to faith in Jesus.
It covers you.
Regardless of your ancestry.
Regardless of your ethnicity.
Regardless of where you were born.
A gospel that excludes people by race is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is a distortion of it.
And the words of Jesus Himself are the clearest possible refutation of it.
If you’re wondering whether Jesus really was who He claimed to be, that’s the question this entire website explores.
Start at the beginning with, Did Jesus Lie?
More Questions About Jesus
Did Jesus exist?
Yes. The historical evidence for Jesus’ life is accepted by virtually all historians, including many who are not Christians. His life, death, and influence are among the best-attested events of the ancient world. Learn more in Did Jesus Exist?
Did Jesus fulfill every Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah?
Yes. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy related to His first coming, demonstrating that He is the promised Messiah foretold throughout the Old Testament. Those prophecies point to a Savior whose kingdom would ultimately bless all nations. Read more in Did Jesus Fulfill Every Old Testament Prophecy About the Messiah?
Did Jesus tell the truth about Isaiah 61?
Yes. Jesus read Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and declared that He was fulfilling its promises. He came to proclaim good news, freedom, and hope, not to a single ethnicity, but to everyone who places their faith in Him. Learn more in Did Jesus Tell the Truth About Isaiah 61?
Did Jesus promise the Holy Spirit would come?
Yes. Before returning to heaven, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to empower His followers. At Pentecost, people from many different nations heard the gospel in their own languages, showing that God’s message was intended for the whole world. Read more in Did Jesus Promise the Holy Spirit Would Come?
Why did Jesus say He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel?
Jesus’ earthly ministry began with Israel because God was fulfilling His covenant promises to the Jewish people. But from the beginning, God’s plan was to bring salvation to every nation through Jesus, which is why He later commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations.
Does God show favoritism based on race or ethnicity?
No. Scripture teaches that God does not show favoritism and welcomes everyone who comes to Him in faith. Salvation is offered to people from every nation, tribe, language, and background through Jesus Christ.
Why does this website ask, “Did Jesus Lie?”
Every article on this website examines a different claim, prophecy, promise, or prediction made by Jesus. Together they answer one central question: Was Jesus telling the truth? If you’re beginning your journey, start with Did Jesus Lie? to see how all of the evidence fits together.
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