Jesus the promised Messiah came in the midst of this political and religious unrest. Jesus came at a time when there was a national desire for a leader to overthrow the Romans and restore Israel’s sovereign independence.
Jesus’ presence on the scene was steeped in conflict over His real identity. Was He merely an itinerant Rabbi…or was He a warrior like His ancestor King David? Had He come to rescue the Jews politically or spiritually?
All of this is context for the entrance of the disciples. These were Jewish men from various backgrounds…and would have been familiar with the political and religious dynamics when Jesus chose them as students in ministry.
There are indications in the Gospels that the disciples may have had their own questions regarding Jesus’ role. An example of this is the incident where there was conflict over who would be the greatest (Luke 9:46)…in which kingdom?
These disciples would have also heard Jesus’ words regarding paying taxes to Caesar — “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:17-21). There could have been questions regarding Jesus&rsquo ...
