When I look at the disciples, one pairing always fascinates me: Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. If there were ever two men with opposite political identities, it was these two.
Simon belonged to a movement known for its fierce commitment to resisting Rome, sometimes even through violence. The Zealots longed for national liberation and believed the Messiah would overthrow Roman rule.
Matthew, on the other hand, had made his living collecting taxes for Rome. To many Jews, tax collectors weren’t just political opponents. They were viewed as traitors, collaborators, and crooks. Their position allowed them to overcharge, and many did. A Zealot would have seen someone like Matthew as everything wrong with the world.
And yet Jesus called them both. Not after they sorted out their politics, but right in the middle of their differences.
Formed by Jesus, not politics
I imagine those early days were awkward—two men with completely different experiences, agendas, and assumptions suddenly walking in the same direction behind the same Teacher. But with every step closer to Jesus, something began to shift.
As He taught them about the Kingdom of God—built not by earthly power, nationalism, or revenge—their identities slowly re-centered. Their political convictions didn’t disappear, but they started submitting to something higher. Jesus didn’t demand uniformity of opinion. Instead He was looking for heart transformation.
Paul later described this beautifully:
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2
I’m convinced Simon and Matthew experienced exactly that.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus today
Our world might be different, but the dynamic is the same. Believers today sit in the same pews, holding very different opinions about policies, candidates, and cultural debates. And once again, Jesus invites all of us, regardless of where we’re starting, to follow Him first.
When we place our political identity above our Kingdom identity, division is inevitable. But when our eyes stay fixed on Jesus, He continues the same inner work He began in His first disciples: reshaping our values, softening our hearts, challenging our assumptions, and calling us toward a deeper, Christ-centered unity.
Truth, love, and the way we speak
None of this means we avoid difficult conversations or pretend harmful ideas are harmless. Jesus never asked His followers to embrace silence or moral confusion. But He did ask us to embrace a new way of speaking.
Paul’s instruction is so needed today:
Speaking the truth in love…
Ephesians 4:15
Not speaking the truth in outrage. Not speaking the truth in sarcasm. Speaking the truth in love.
And then there’s this charge:
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
2 Timothy 2:24
Be kind to everyone. Even the people we think are dangerously wrong. Even the ones who vote differently, post differently, or see the world differently.
A community formed by Christ
If Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector could sit around the same campfire, share bread from the same basket, and receive a calling from the same Savior, then surely the Spirit can help us do the same.
Think about what it would look like for us to:
- listen before assuming.
- pray before reacting.
- seek understanding instead of victory.
- correct without contempt.
- love without condition.
- let Jesus, not the news cycle, shape our thoughts, tone, and priorities.
That’s the kind of community Jesus died to form. One where transformation is ongoing, unity is supernatural, and love is the sign that we truly belong to Him.
May we walk this journey of transformation together, eyes fixed on Jesus, hearts open to His shaping, and voices committed to truth spoken in love.
