8:11-12 Who is Jesus referring to here and what is outer darkness?

In Mt 8:11 Jesus is referring especially to Gentiles who will readily accept Him as Saviour, while He is rejected by the Jews (cp Isa 2:2-3; 11:10-12; 65:1 with Mt 21:43; Lk 2:30-32; Ro 15:8-12). In Mt 8:12 the children of the kingdom refers to Jews who professed to believe in God and His Eternal Kingdom, but rejected Christ (cp Lk 13:28-30; Ro 9:22-33).

Outer darkness in Mt 8:12 means obscurity. In this context it refers to Hell (cp also Mt 22:13; 25:30). See also comments on Mt 21:42-45; Lk 2:33, 2:34-35; Ro 9:22-24, 9:25-29, 9:30-33 and author’s studies Hell, and Israel in God’s Eternal Purpose in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1).

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