Why did Jesus tell His disciples not to go to the Gentiles?
Jesus restricted His disciples to Israel because, until His death, burial, and resurrection, He could not be the true object of faith to a Gentile. He was on covenant ground, dealing only with the Jew, so Gentile outreach awaited the finished work of the cross.
Les teaches that Jesus was on covenant ground with Israel, so He dealt only with the Jew during His earthly ministry. Until His death, burial, and resurrection, He could not be the true object of faith to a Gentile. Using the seed analogy, Les explains that a kernel must be buried to bring new life, and Paul uses this in Romans 6 to show that death precedes new life. Les also points to Ephesians 2:11-12 as plain Scripture demonstrating that Jesus did not deal with Gentiles, which is why the disciples were not sent to them at that time.