Perhaps, in later years, he was known to be zealous for the gospel.
Keeping the “nickname” of “the Zealot” may simply have been a way to distinguish him from the other Simon (who later came to be known as Peter) in Jesus’ group. Simon would also have been informed by Jesus’ revealing that the temple would be destroyed and Jerusalem would be completely overrun by the Gentiles (Luke 21:5–6, 20–24). In any case, we can assume that his priorities changed as he submitted to Jesus’ teaching, which included “giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” (Matthew 22:21), and an emphasis on the kingdom of God, which was not of this world and was not established by use of violence and the force of arms (John 18:36). If so, the continued use of the designation does not address whether or not he continued to be zealous for Jewish independence while he was a disciple. It is usually assumed that he is called “Simon the Zealot” because, when Jesus called him, he was a member of the Zealots’ political movement. The KJV lists him as “Simon the Canaanite” in Matthew 10:4-the term Canaanite here being a political term, not a reference to a regional home.
Simon the Zealot is mentioned four times in the New Testament, in places where the names of the disciples are listed, but beyond this no information about him is given (Matthew 10:4 Mark 3:18 Luke 6:15 Acts 1:13). Both Josephus and the Talmud took a negative view of the Zealots’ fanaticism. They were also known to target Jews who were sympathetic to Rome. They hoped to accomplish this by inciting the people to rebellion, driving the Romans from Israel, and establishing a Mosaic theocracy. In the context of the New Testament, the Zealots were a party zealous for Jewish independence and throwing off Roman rule. PETA, Greenpeace, and NOW might all be considered organizations that are filled with zealots. Generally speaking, a zealot is anyone who fervently supports a particular cause. Simon the Zealot was one of Jesus’ disciples.
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