9 o’clock. Saw and fish. Simon the Zealot. Known as a relentless fisher of men and believed according to one tradition to have been sawn in half.
The scene is depicted in the gruesome fresco: The Martyrdom of Simon the Zealot.
We come across some interesting names: James the Greater, James the Less, Rahab the Harlot, and now Simon the Zealot. We understand greater, less and harlot, but what’s a Zealot, or more appropriately, why is Simon referred to as Simon the Zealot?
There are two explanations. First, Simon had great zeal for Jewish law and was very passionate about his work. The second explanation is that Simon was connected with the Zealots, a group of Jews who believed in military rebellion against the Roman Empire. In other words, this group sought to remove the Roman Empire from the Holy Land by force.
Well respected theologians come down on both sides of the explanation.
For interest, let’s assume that Simon was a militant revolutionary Zealot. In our band of twelve apostles we also have Matthew. Matthew the Tax Collector. Matthew is essentially collecting taxes from his own people, giving the money to the Roman government and becoming wealthy in the process. Matthew is something of a traitor to the Jewish community.
These two men, under normal circumstances, would not have played nicely together.
Frederick Dale Bruner states in his commentary on Matthew: “A Zealot was as far removed from a tax collector as a leftist guerilla is from a right-wing conservative.”
William Barclay states in his Matthew commentary: “The plain fact is that if Simon the Zealot had met Matthew the tax-gather anywhere else than in the company of Jesus, he would have stuck a dagger in him.”
That Jesus could put these two men together and use them to help bring about His Kingdom speaks of a very strong leader, someone who could unite Simon and Matthew for a higher purpose.
In part 14, we move to Jude at the 10 o’clock position.