Matthew 10:2

Matthew now lists the names of his new friends, also called by God, and obviously people who will make up a new team on which he is included.  Among the 12, Matthew names himself – “Matthew the tax collector.” All his readers knew that this meant he had made peace with the Roman occupiers. He also names a person on the other end of the political scale, “Simon the zealot.” He was a member of the party that was determined to throw off the Roman bondage. Matthew served Rome, Simon fought Rome.” Can these two men find reconciliation?

I note another problem, all were from Galilee except Judas who betrayed Jesus.

At first glance it looks like Jesus is asking for trouble. These men are a very mixed group, probably representing the dominant “schools” of thought among the Jews, all the way from freedom fighters to collaborationists, with most somewhere between. If these men can be reconciled to God and to one another, and work together in Jesus’ team, there is hope among God’s people!

It amazes me that Matthew is so free with his willingness to identity himself as an enemy, so to speak, of Israel as a nation because he worked for Rome.  I see in this his announcing to his readers that Jesus calls all kinds, some more acceptable than others – but all on Jesus’ redeeming team.