When you hear certain Bible names mentioned, well-known stories immediately come to mind. Moses crossed the Red Sea, David killed Goliath, and Peter walked on the water. But we are considering men in this article whose claim to fame is not so obvious or apparent. They are relative unknowns whose names appear in the Holy Scriptures, so we ought to ask ourselves this question: What lessons can we learn from them?
The Surprising Introduction
Can you imagine always introducing yourself as “Bob the Less”? Perhaps such was the case for one man we find mentioned briefly in Mark’s account of the crucifixion: “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses, and Salome” (Mar 15:40).1
Or what about Simon the Zealot? (Luk 6:15). One might ask Simon: Zealous of what?2 Or what of James the Son of Alphaeus? Just who was Alphaeus?
Some scholars would suggest that James the Son of Alphaeus and “James the Less” were the same person, but we can’t be dogmatic about this. What is obvious to us is that James the Less was known that way at least to Mark’s audience. (In Matthew 27:56, this woman is called “Mary the mother of James and Joses.”)
Taking into consideration the different Gospel accounts of those standing by the cross, it is possible that the Cleophas3 mentioned in John 19:25 as Mary’s husband was also called Alphaeus. (Perhaps Cleophas is the Hebrew designation and Alphaeus the Greek.) If this is the case, we are dealing with a man who was one of the twelve apostles and who had a godly mother that remained close to the cross when the Lord Jesus was crucified, even when the apostles had fled the scene. Consider what conversations James would have had with his mother about the last hours of the Lord Jesus, and how that would have impacted him spiritually.
The Supposed Insignificance of These Followers
What does it feel like when one is in a circle of friends and always gets mentioned last? Notice that in the four lists of the twelve apostles, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot appear amongst the last four each time. Now, this is not to say they were not important, as we know that the Twelve were all called “that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils” (Mar 3:14-15). So, these men who were followers of the Lord Jesus were not insignificant at all, although not as well known as some of their fellow apostles.
What does the Bible tell us about the feats of these two (or possibly three) men? Nothing special at all. This perhaps would tell us that humility marked these men. They weren’t looking for the first place among the apostles, but rather it seems that they were simply willing to serve in the sphere in which they were placed. It was enough for them to be like their Master, of whom it was said, “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street” (Isa 42:2).
The Surpassing Importance of Faithfulness
What else do we learn about them from the Word of God? Not only were they followers of the Lord Jesus, but they were faithful men. Perhaps in our hearts there can arise a desire for fame, but what pleases God is faithfulness as we follow in the steps of the Lord Jesus (1Pe 2:21). We see their faithfulness when we come to the book of the Acts. The Lord Jesus has died, risen from the dead, and is about to ascend, and there stand the apostles, watching as a cloud receives Him out of their sight (Act 1:9). They walk back to Jerusalem, and in this final list of the Twelve, we read of “James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes” (v13). What are they found doing? “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (v14).
Despite some very challenging and difficult circumstances in the previous weeks, here are these men, faithful in what the Lord called them to be and do. Their activities in any special or specific way are not even mentioned in Holy Writ, but in devotion to their Lord and Saviour, they “continued.”
Simon’s Impact Felt
We need to consider two more things about Simon the Zealot. A few decades after the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, there was a group of revolutionaries called “The Zealots” who were opposed to the Roman rule over Israel. Although there were obviously people involved in insurrection before then,4 there is no basis to surmise that Simon belonged to such a group. It is more likely that Simon was known for his zeal in regards to the things of God, a description the apostle Paul used in his own defense: “ I am verily a man which am a Jew … and was zealous toward God” (Act 22:3; see also Gal 1:14). So quite likely Simon the Zealot was known for his zeal in his service to God.
Simon, according to extracanonical sources, traveled as far as Egypt, Persia and the Near East to preach the gospel, and was martyred at some point. Remember, this is not in the Bible but comes from tradition. We obviously do know that the gospel message was put in the hands of Simon the Zealot and the other apostles by the Lord Jesus just before He went to heaven: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Act 1:8).
Today we are thankful for men like James and Simon who were willing to be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus, obedient to His commands. May God help us to be the same.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
2 Although we find him called “Simon the Canaanite” or “Simon called Zelotes,” the word “zealous” (or “zealot”) is the best translation (Mat 10:4; Mar 3:18; Luk 6:15; Act 1:13).
3 Mentioned as Cleophas in the KJV, but Clopas in JND, CSB, ESV, NKJV and others.
4 “And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection” (Mar 15:7).
