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traitors

Luke 15:1
"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him."

Jesus has questions for many of the people He talked to in the record of the Holy Bible. His questions were not asked because He did not know. He asked questions because He wanted us to think about the topic in discussion.

Last week we looked at the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. This was God reaching out to the Gentiles. This emphasizes God’s desire to reach and redeem all people, regardless of their background. Jewish, Samaritan, or otherwise. Revealing the true heart of God.

As Jesus's ministry grew, word spread, and it attracted the type of people you would expect, "sinners." Also mentioned in today's verse "publicans." Think of them as traitors. They were the Jewish people who helped the occupation forces from Rome. An example of a publican is a tax collector. It's these types of people, ostracized by good upstanding Jews, that were coming to hear what Jesus was teaching.

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