Matthew 8:11-12

Matthew 8:11-12

[11] And  I say  That  many  shall come  from  the east  and  west,  and  shall sit down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the kingdom  of heaven.  [12] But  the children  of the kingdom  shall be cast out  into  outer  darkness:  there  weeping  and  gnashing  of teeth. 

What does Matthew 8:11-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Again Jesus introduced a solemn truth (cf. Matthew 8:10). He then referred to the messianic banquet prophesied in Isaiah 25:6-9 (cf. Isaiah 65:13-14). There God revealed that Gentiles from all parts of the world will join the Jewish patriarchs in the kingdom. The Old Testament has much to say about the participants in the kingdom. God would gather Israel from all parts of the earth ( Zechariah 8:20-23; Isaiah 43:5-6; Isaiah 49:12), but Gentiles from all quarters of the world would also worship God in the kingdom ( Isaiah 45:6; Isaiah 59:19; Malachi 1:11). The Gentiles would come specifically to Jerusalem ( Isaiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 60:3-4; Micah 4:1-2; Psalm 107:3). As mentioned previously, in Jesus" day the Jews had chosen to view themselves as uniquely privileged because of the patriarchs. This led them to write the Gentiles out of the kingdom despite these prophecies.
"The Jew expected that the Gentile would be put to shame by the sight of the Jews in bliss." [1]
The "sons [2] of the kingdom" ( Matthew 8:12) are the Jews who saw themselves as the patriarchs" descendants. They thought they had a right to the kingdom because of their ancestors" righteousness (cf. Matthew 3:9-10). Jesus turned the tables by announcing that many of the sons of the kingdom would not participate in it, but many Gentiles would. Many "sons of the kingdom" would find themselves outside the banquet. The terms "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (cf. Matthew 13:42; Matthew 13:50; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30; Luke 13:28) were common descriptions of Gehenna, hell (4Ezra7:93; 1Enoch63:10; Psalm of Solomon14:9; Wisdom of Solomon 17:21). [3] (The works just cited in parentheses were Old Testament apocraphal books that the Jews viewed as generally reliable and helpful but not inspired.) This interpretation finds confirmation in the expression "outer darkness," another image of rejection (cf. Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:30). [4]
"The idea of the Messianic Banquet as at once the seal and the symbol of the new era was a common feature in apocalyptic writings and an extremely popular subject of discussion, thought, and expectation." [5]
The Greek text has the definite article "the" before "weeping" and before "gnashing." This stresses the horror of the scene. [1] The terms in Rabbinic usage picture sorrow and anger respectively. [7]
Jesus shocked His hearers by announcing three facts about the kingdom. First, not all Jews would participate in it. Second, many Gentiles would. Third, entrance depended on faith in Jesus, not on ancestry, the faith that the centurion demonstrated.
". . . the locus of the people of God would not always be the Jewish race. If these verses do not quite authorize the Gentile mission, they open the door to it and prepare for the Great Commission ( Matthew 28:18-20) and Ephesians 3." [8]