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Jesus Christ’s Kingdom and Politics

Jesus Christ’s Kingdom and Politics

Jesus carefully chose the 12 disciples — Luke tells us “he spent the night praying to God.” What a group of misfits — Jesus’ prayer life must have been questioned! But he had, it seems, very specific reasons for choosing who he did. Let’s look at two of the less well-known of these characters and see what they can teach us about the place of politics in God’s kingdom.

Matthew 9:9-13, 10:1-4
Matthew 9:9-13 / New International Version (NIV)
The Calling of Matthew

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Hebrews 10:1-4 / New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Footnote:

[a] Hosea 6:6

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