Jesus would have been judged by many as ‘guilty by association,’ and he was, Matthew 11:19 says ‘they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Simon would have been watched by the authorities and all those who knew he was a Zealot. Yet, Jesus places him in his inner circle along with Matthew a Tax collector, a potential mark for a Zealot assassination. Simon the Zealot, was a radical and potentially a liability to Jesus. Whether Simon himself had been involved in these sort of activities or not, we do not know, but he was most definitely a supporter of them. They would conceal knives in their clothes and assassinate those regarded as enemies. The Zealots would often rely on terrorism to achieve their goals. The first-century historian Josephus described them as ‘sicarii,’ a term that refers to people armed with daggers. The Zealots decided to raise up and fight for freedom. Many historians believe the result was they paid at least 40% tax. But when the Romans arrived they added an extra tax for Rome.

Before Judea became a Roman province, the people paid a 20% of their income to support the Levites, priests, and temple. The Zealots were a group of rebel freedom fighters. A title probably only included by Luke to differentiate him from Simon Peter. All we know about the other Simon is that he is called ‘The Zealot’. Similarly, Jesus had two disciples named ‘Simon.’ The one features heavily in the Gospels and wrote two books of the New Testament. Throughout my school years, I would often respond to the teacher to find that she wasn’t speaking to me at all but to the other Jonathan. Have you ever been in a group with someone who shares the same name as you? If so, you understand the confusion this can cause. Key Verses: When morning came, he (Jesus) called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Simon the zealot