ON THE VANGUARD

A ZEALOT, A DOUBTER, A SON, AND A BROTHER
“When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he designated apostles: Simon (whom he called 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.”
Luke 6:13-16

As I have been studying about the disciples I have been amazed at how little the Bible actually records about the men who followed so closely in the steps of Jesus and were commanded to go into all the world preaching the gospel (Mt 28:18-20). In fact, as I look at four of the twelve disciples in depth today, I find there is very little concerning them written in the scriptures. I want to keep this entry pure so I apologize for the lack of detail that may come in today’s devotional, but I think that as we look at the specifics that are seen in the Scriptures we will still see how these ordinary men changed the world.
We kick things off today with Simon the Zealot. In reading through my Bible dictionary concerning Simon, it is thought that the term Zealot may have been added for one of two reasons. It is first thought that his suffix was given to distinguish him from Simon Peter. This very much so could be true. However, it is also assumed that he received this addition to his name because of his zealous spirit. A Zealot was a member of a Jewish patriotic party that worked to show resistance toward Roman rule. According to the historian Josephus, Zealots resorted to violence to make their point. Yet being zealous is not always a bad thing. David was zealous for God, comparing a need for him to the thirst of a deer panting for water (Ps 42:1). Being zealous for God in my life is something that I find comes in waves as opposed to a steady stream. In this aspect, I have a lot to learn from Simon, for I too want to be zealous for God, not letting anything stand in my way but rather resisting the devil by force when needed.
But then I wonder how much more of me can be found in the life of Thomas? In some aspects I think Thomas gets a bad rap. We laugh at him because he would not believe that Jesus had appeared to the disciples until he was able to place his hands in the nailed scared hands of Christ (Jn 20:25). Yet doesn’t that define us? Christ lived on this earth, died, was resurrected from the dead, and then ascended into heaven but all we can say is, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Granted, I say this when my kids flippantly tell me their room is clean, but does my child’s clean room deserve more faith than my relationship with Christ? I do not want to be the type of follower who only lives by what is seen, what I can touch and what I can put my fingers in the wholes of. No, I want my relationship with Christ to be built on faith in what I cannot see and not fully on what I can.
The lineage of Matthew, or Levi, reveals to us that he was the son of Alphaeus (Mk 2:14). However, we read in Luke 6 that James’ father was Alphaeus. It is possible that Matthew and James were brothers, just as James and John were brothers. Yet we also find another set of brothers within the disciples in the relationship of Andrew and Peter. Other than his name being listed in the four accounts of the disciples, James, the son of Alphaeus is not mentioned at any other point within the Bible. His mark, though, was left. His urgency to preach Christ is traced by historians into Egypt where he preached until he was beaten to death for his belief in Christ. A similar fate found Andrew as well. It was Andrew who first approached Peter with the news that the Messiah had been found (Jn 1:41). It was also Andrew that found the boy with the fish and loaves in John 6:8, believing that Jesus could stretch the small crumbs into a great feast. But it was Andrew as well who loved God so much and did not shrink back, finding his fate upside down on a cross.
Over the last few days I have looked at all the disciples, and as I type these words I am reminded of Hebrews 11:38-39. “The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” We are given the opportunity to walk in the steps of giants. The same commissioning given to these men, to go into all the world, is the same commission we are given. These men of the faith took those words to heart and were commended for their faith. Will we? Will we find ourselves shrinking back in times of fear, embarrassment, rejection, or death? Or will we move forward, risking it all, knowing that God is on our side. The world was not worthy of them…will it be worthy of us?