What are you?

A zealot was a politically charged Jew who hated the Roman empire for their cruelty. The empire took what did not belong to them. It neglected real human need. For a zealot, plotting against the government would have been a favorite past time. To plan anything, something, in order to change the circumstances of the people’s lives. They were the voice of the oppressed, so breaking the law was of little consequence compared to the overthrow of the government.

Similar ideas persist today. You can see many, right now, who have the spirit of the Jewish zealots. They are trying to change the government by civil unrest, and retaliatory murder. They are trying to redirect the government’s ignoring of human rights. They even further their cause by making it an issue of race. They are trying to change the world by creating civil unrest. They, unaware of their inconsistencies, rob others, break, and destroy in order to make their point. Such people! Shame on them.

Jesus selected Simon, the zealot to be one of his apostles. He intended to change this zealot by having a personal relationship with him. He chose him continuously for three years or more. He is named in Matthew 10.4 and he is listed again in Acts 1.13. Which of the people that you are seeing on TV do you desire to shepherd into paths of humility by your own relationship with them under the influence of Jesus? Which one have you invited into your life that you might show them a better path? Which of them have you eaten lunch with, in order to share the word of God with them? Which one have you visited in their home so that you might see their struggles more clearly?

If you want to change the world, make someone a disciple of Jesus. “Self-righteousness” over their behavior is NOT ministry. Choosing to not minister to the zealots only makes you a hater, like them. The one who loves will carry that zealot the remedy that will change their character.

What are you? Are you a “zealot” of the zealots? Or a disciple of Jesus?