Mark 3:13-19   “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him.  He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.  These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James, son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” 

Amy Pye, in her essay for the Daily Bread stated that when we come across a list of names in the Bible, we might be tempted to skip over it.  But we can find treasures there, such as in the list of the twelve apostles whom Jesus called to serve in His name.  Many are familiar - Simon whom Jesus called Peter, the Rock.  Brothers James and John, fishermen.  Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. But we could easily overlook that Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot must once have been enemies. 

Matthew collected taxes for Rome, and therefore, in the eyes of his fellow Jews, collaborated with the enemy.  Tax collectors were despised for their corrupt practices and for requiring the Jewish people to give money to an authority other than God.  On the other hand, before Jesus’s call, Simon the Zealot was devoted to a group of Jewish nationalists who hated Rome and sought to overturn it, often through aggressive and violent means.

Although Matthew and Simon held opposing political beliefs, the Gospels don’t document them bickering or fighting about them.  They must have had at least some success in leaving their previous allegiances behind as they followed Christ. 

When we too fix our eyes on Jesus, the God who became Man, we can find increasing unity with our fellow believers through the bond of the Holy Spirit.

Our strongest allegiance is to Christ, who gives us unity with each other.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, exist in perfect harmony.  Pray that the Holy Spirit dwell in our family that the world might see, and believe.