But some of the prophets had spoken of the day when all the tribes would be gathered again. Jesus’s choice of the twelve seems to indicate, symbolically, that this is how he wanted his work to be seen. This is a campaign. It’s a rebel movement, a risky movement, a would-be royal movement under the nose of the present would-be “king of the Jews,” Herod Antipas himself. But before we can explore all this further, we must examine in more detail the stories Jesus was telling. What are they about? How do they explain this strange new announcement that God is in charge? How do they help the campaign
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