Simon, called Zelotes, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ that we know very little about. He is mentioned in only four passages of scripture (Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13), mainly when he is being listed among the other disciples. Simon’s surname “Zelotes” means zealous, or to burn with zeal. Twice, he is also called Simon the Canaanite. The name “Canaanite” in these two references is also defined as zealous.
His surname, Zelotes, has caused much debate over whether Simon previously belonged to the Zealot party or not. The Zealots were a group of Jewish radicals who fought for Jewish independence and wanted to overthrow Roman rule by inciting rebellion in the people. They were very passionate about the Mosaic law and would sometimes even turn to violence in order to rid foreign rule over them. But we aren’t here to debate whether or not Simon belonged to this group. This is because it’s not Simon’s past that’s recorded for us, but it’s the time he spent as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even if Simon was affiliated with the Zealots, he would have had to renounce his membership and leave them in order to follow Jesus. He would have been leaving religion and seeking a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the first mention of Simon the Canaanite (aka Zelotes) in Matthew 10, Jesus had just given him and the other disciples power over unclean spirits to cast them out and the supernatural ability to heal all manner of sickness and disease. Before Jesus sends them out with this power to do the work they were called to, He told them exactly what to expect as a disciple of Him: the journey would be rough but to not take anything with them, there would be those that didn’t receive them and those that hated them, they would be as sheep in the midst of wolves, they would be persecuted, and they would have to take up their cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 10:1-38). The list goes on, and these things seemed very hard to hear, let alone to be obedient to, but we don’t have any record of Simon pushing back and saying “no” to Jesus. He counted the cost and went forward in faith, trusting God to provide and protect him. He was obedient to Jesus’ commandments. He was submitted to the Lordship of Christ. This is most important when it comes to being a true disciple.
Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” From what we see in scripture, Simon, called Zelotes, was faithful. He was listed each time among the twelve disciples and was still there in Acts 1 after Jesus ascended into heaven. He wasn’t missing at any point and didn’t walk away once he started following Jesus. It appears that he was one of the faithful ones. There is only one exception to this in Matthew 26:56, when Jesus was being taken by the chief priests and elders to be questioned and crucified, Simon forsook Jesus and fled along with the other disciples. This was certainly a weak point for him and the rest of the disciples.
Another observation of Simon, called Zelotes, is that he continued in prayer. Right after he is listed as part of the crew that was left after Jesus was gone, it says in Acts 1:14, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Later on in Acts 6:2-4, the twelve disciples called the multitude of disciples unto them and instructed them to find brethren whom they could appoint over the business of taking care of daily ministry tasks so that they could give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. We are commanded multiple times in scripture to continue in prayer and to pray without ceasing. This is key in the life of a disciple.
Jesus chose these twelve specifically because he knew they were useful for the mission. The zeal that Simon, called Zelotes, had was useful. We aren’t told what exactly he was zealous for, but we can assume that it was for the things that Jesus taught and commanded, otherwise he wouldn’t have been of much use to Jesus. What about us? What should we be zealous about?
● Titus 2:14 tells us we are to be zealous of good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Why? Because it glorifies our Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
● We must be zealous about the word of God as well if we are going to be “throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Jesus clearly teaches that his disciples must continue (remain, abide) in His word (John 8:31).
● We must be zealous about the worship of God. God is a jealous God and zealous about us worshiping Him only! He tells us that we are to have no other gods before him, nor make any graven images, and that we shall not bow down to them, nor serve them (Exodus 20:2-5).
● We must be zealous in protecting the house of God from being corrupted. In John 2:14-17, we see that Jesus had a zeal for His Fathers’ house and made a point to drive out those who were corrupting that. As church age saints, we are the body of Christ and have the local church where we gather to worship and learn the word of God. This place must be protected from corruption as well.
As we consider our own walk with the Lord and what kind of disciple we will be, let us look to disciples like Simon, called Zelotes, for examples of how we should follow Jesus. Let us be obedient to Jesus’ commandments and submitted to His Lordship, even when we know it will be difficult at times. Let us be faithful and never have a report of us walking away from Jesus. Let us be zealous for the things that Jesus teaches and commands. People don’t need to know our back story, they just need to see that we are disciples, following Jesus and zealous for Him. That’s what counts. That’s what we see from Simon, called Zelotes.
Mark Rhodes is a ministry leader in Life Fellowship at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.