Ref: Mt 10:4, Mk 3:18, Lk 6:15, Acts 1:13
Though he has a striking title, very little is known of Simon the Zealot. He is only mentioned by name in the 4 lists of the twelve which are found in the gospels and Acts. In all cases he is referred to as the zealot. He is sometimes erroneously identified as Simon the Canaanite taken from the accounts of Matthew and Mark. However this is a mistranslation of the Hebrew QaNaA which is a word that also means to be zealous and is equivalent to the Greek zelotes. In Matthew and Mark the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek whereas in Luke-Acts it is translated. The zealots were a group of Jews who yearned for Jewish independence from the Romans and would be willing to take actions to achieve their goals. They were viewed as terrorists by the Romans and would later play a key part in the Jewish revolt in 66AD. All of this makes Simon an interesting character among the twelve disciples. It is pure speculation but potentially Simon began to follow Jesus seeing him as the messianic figure who would overthrow the Romans. Arguably more significant than Simon seeking to follow Jesus is the fact that Jesus chose him. The Rabbis of the day would have certainly questioned Jesus’ choices. Furthermore as part of the twelve, Simon would be rubbing shoulders with the other disciples, who would have had quite different views. It is tempting to imagine how Simon would have got on with Matthew the Tax Collector who he would have viewed as a collaborator with Rome. But as with all the disciples they were united by the teachings of Jesus, a common experience of Christ and a personal devotion to the Lord.
As one of the twelve Simon is a significant figure being numbered among the apostles and following Jesus throughout his public ministry. Simon is a witness to the resurrection and was amongst the disciples at Pentecost and a part of the early church in Jerusalem. Sadly other than this we have no further information. Like all the twelve there were many later legends that attempted to create more of a biography of his ministry. There are several contradictory accounts of his martyrdom, however these are unreliable. Simon the Zealot thus remains an enigmatic figure but a significant one. He is an example of Jesus choosing those the world rejects and using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.