Jesus chose a group of men to train and teach, with the end goal that they would go preach His message. They were an interesting mix with widely different backgrounds, temperaments, and even politics. We are winding down our study of Jesus’s disciples and what we learn about how to follow Jesus from them. This week, we are going to look at a trio of men, James, Simon, and Judas about whom Scripture says very little.
First is James, the son of Alphaeus.
That statement is nearly the totality of what we know about him. In Mark 15:40, he is called James the Less, which could refer to his age, meaning he was younger than James the son of Zebedee and brother of John. It more likely refers to his size. The verse in Mark also tells us his mother was at the cross and returned to the tomb on Resurrection morning. Earlier, in Mark 2:14, Matthew is called Levi, the son of Alphaeus. There is a possibility that he was Matthew’s little brother, but we can’t say for sure.
So how do we follow like a guy who didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything to distinguish himself?
Oh but he did. James preached the gospel all over Galilee and Judea. He probably had some influence in his parents becoming followers of Jesus. He witnessed miracles. He performed miracles. He saw the risen Christ. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and preached in tongues and thousands of people were saved. Granted, so did the other guys, but James never sought attention for himself. He followed Christ, not perfectly, but faithfully.
If we want to follow like James, we need to draw people’s attention to Christ and His message and not to ourselves. We can influence those close to us for Jesus and strive to be a part of whatever work Jesus is doing.
Second is Simon the Zealot.
In Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18 he is called the Cananite. Note the spelling. This doesn’t mean he is from Canaan. Nor does it mean he is from Cana, site of Jesus’s first miracle. It comes from a Hebrew word that means to be zealous. There shouldn’t be any questions about Simon’s dominant personality trait. Luke calls him the Zealot which seems to indicate he was part of a political faction in Israel that was rabidly anti-Rome and not afraid to use violence to accomplish their goals. They were terrorists, assassins, outlaws. Try to imagine the most hardcore, conservative elements of the Pharisees crossed with Antifa-type tactics and you have an idea of the type of guys who were Zealots. To be honest, if not for his total transformation through Christ, he would not have been above assassinating someone like Matthew.
We can follow like Simon if we bring total devotion, loyalty and unshakeable courage to our walk with Christ. Total devotion includes trusting Jesus and His plan above politics, and not letting politics divide us from our brothers and sisters.
Finally we have Judas, the son of James (not Iscariot).
Or Thaddeus. Or Lebbaeus. Judas was likely his given name with Thaddeus and Lebbaeus probably nicknames, but they indicate that he was tender-hearted and sensitive. This puts him in sharp contrast with Peter and the Sons of Thunder. But for Judas, we do have one question recorded. In the Upper Room as Jesus explains He is leaving, but will return and will reveal Himself to those who love Him and keep His commandments. “Lord, how is it you’re going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” John 14:22 He was struggling to reconcile how the Lord, the King of Kings could keep Himself hidden. To paraphrase Jesus’s answer, “Trust Me. It will all make sense.”
That’s how we can follow like Judas. Trust Jesus and His plan even when it doesn’t make any sense. Even when we can’t see how it’s going to resolve. Even when we can’t follow the logic.
James, Simon and Judas. If you asked someone to name the twelve disciples, they would probably get stuck on these guys. But really they are a lot more like us. Quietly serving Jesus without all the flash and notoriety. We don’t know what became of James. Simon is believed to have carried the gospel to Britain and Judas to Edessa in present day Turkey. Early historian Eusebius claimed multiple early sources recorded that Judas healed the Turkish king before being clubbed to death.
But just like their more well-known brothers, James, Simon and Judas, “went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” Mark 6:12-13. They were obedient and faithful to the call Jesus issued and experienced amazing things in pursuit of that call. May we be that kind of follower.