How was the Jewish attitude toward Gentiles reflected during Jesus' earthly ministry?
During Jesus' earthly ministry, the Jewish attitude toward Gentiles was one of exclusion and contempt, implied in the Canaanite woman's encounter. The Jews saw themselves as privileged possessors of God's Word and Gentiles as pagan dogs, yet she pleaded for even crumbs from the master's table.
Les explains that by the time of Christ's earthly ministry and on into Acts, the Jews had lost sight of God's original purpose for the Gentiles. Their mindset was that God had no time for "those pagan dogs," though God had shown He could save Gentiles when He wanted, as with Jonah and Nineveh. That attitude was implied during Jesus' earthly ministry in the Canaanite woman's plea: "but true Lord, but don't the dogs eat the crumbs from the master's table?" She acknowledged the Jews' place of privilege and their possession of the Word of God, yet asked only for a few crumbs. The Jews later took this exclusion to the extreme, so when Paul spoke the word "Gentiles" in Acts after his missionary journeys, a riot erupted. God's intended purpose was for Israel as a kingdom of priests to evangelize Gentiles.