How Jesus, the Disciples, and We Practice the New Testament’s Core Teaching

Jesus and the Disciples show us the way

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The New Testament contains the most important idea in the history of humanity. No, I’m not talking about Jesus dying for our sins.

I’m talking about the radical inclusion demonstrated by Jesus and his disciples.

How Jesus Practiced Radical Inclusion

Jesus scandalized the religious leaders of his day by associating with drunkards, prostitutes, and the poor, but the real shock must have been calling the tax collector Matthew to be a disciple and inviting himself over to the tax collector Zacchaeus’ home.

Famously, Jesus dined with “sinners and tax collectors.” But do you know why tax collectors were singled out as a special category of sinners?

The Roman Empire did not directly collect taxes from its provinces. A wealthy businessman — or a businessman willing to take out loans — could buy the tax bill for Palestine. The Empire considered Palestine’s tax bill settled, but the businessman had to recoup the investment.

The businessman would hire goons to shake down the people for as much money as possible. So-called “tax farming” was a for-profit enterprise, and that is how a man…