Why could the twelve apostles not yet have a ministry to the Gentiles?
The twelve could not yet minister to Gentiles because Israel first had to recognize that the crucified One was their Messiah, allowing Him to return and set up the Kingdom. Until then, they remained in Jerusalem, waiting for the King’s return, unwilling to leave lest He come while they were absent.
Les explains that the twelve knew their role and that they could not have a ministry to the Gentiles until Israel had come to recognize that the One they crucified was their Messiah, and He could have come and set up their Kingdom. Using the airport analogy, he says they were like someone waiting for a delayed flight: you might be tempted to go to the coffee shop, but you stay put because the plane may arrive while you are gone. That was the thinking of the twelve. They were not about to leave Jerusalem for Alexandria, Greece, Italy, or anywhere else, because if the King returned to Jerusalem, they would not be there. So despite persecution, those twelve men sat tight, still in Jerusalem seven years after Pentecost.