Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
The primary message concerning Jesus' earthly ministry is the message about the Kingdom of Heaven. The primary reason for Jesus coming into the world was first to be the Shepherd for the Lost Sheep of Israel. Therefore Jesus called and equipped the disciples to minister and to preach to the Israelites and perform miracles there. These miracles were a sign that they were no ordinary men, but men sent by Christ. He instructed them not to go to the gentiles, but only to Israelites. In later times, the gentiles will be included with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Daily Prayer: Lord, we are indeed thankful that you are the Lord over all men. Now we too can be reconciled to God because of the forgiveness of our sins in Christ Jesus. Through the church, the message of God's Kingdom continues to be preached and will continue to be preached until we see the second coming of our Savior. In Jesus name I pray Amen.
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