Who were the Zealots in the New Testament?

TL;DR:

The Zealots were a political group who sought to overthrow the Romans. God does not call us to live as the Zealots; instead, He calls us to submit to our governments.

The Zealots were a political movement among Jews who sought to overthrow the occupying Roman government. The term Zealots comes from the Greek word zelotes that means emulator or zealous follower. The Bible does not mention the Zealots by name except for describing Simon, one of Jesus’ disciples, as a Zealot. God does not call us to violence. Instead, He calls us to submit to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1) and to live peaceably with all, as much as it depends on us (Romans 12:18).

from the old testament

The Zealots are not mentioned in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

Historical records demonstrate that the Zealots held to the teachings of the Torah. They were also fierce supporters of Jewish independence, believing only God should be ruler over the Jews. They were often violent in their tactics.
When imperial cult worship was introduced in Israel, the Zealots helped lead a military revolt against the Romans in AD 66. They were initially successful, yet the Romans later destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.
One of Jesus' twelve disciples was known as Simon the Zealot (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

implications for today

Some have looked at the attitudes and actions of the Zealots in this period and noted their similarities to modern-day terrorists. However, this label is only partly correct since not all Zealots were violent.

An understanding of the Zealots, however, helps to highlight the choice of Simon the Zealot as one of the disciples of Jesus. For one thing, imagine what it must have been like for Matthew the tax collector, a man who had worked for the Romans, to be in the same group as a man who had wanted to violently overthrow the Romans. Jesus' disciples were a diverse group, unified around Him as the Messiah. Also, consider how shocking Jesus' teaching might have been for a man who had previously been a Zealot. Jesus spoke about being a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9), not retaliating (Matthew 5:38–42), loving one's enemies (Matthew 5:43–48), and a kingdom not of this world (John 18:36). Simon the Zealot likely found himself learning a worldview that stood in contradiction with his previous desires and ways of thinking.

The same could be said for all of Jesus' followers in any time period. God's ways are not like the ways of the world (Matthew 6:19–34; 1 John 2:15–17) and they often require us to deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24–26). Our sinful nature is in contradiction to who God is, but in Christ we are forgiven of sin and gradually learn to put it to death (Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1–10; 4:17–32; Philippians 2:12–13; Colossians 3:1–17). All of us can consider ourselves unlikely candidates for being Jesus’ disciples, but God died for us when we were still enemies of God (Romans 5:8), and He can bring purpose and restoration to every one of us.

understand

The Zealots were a political group who wanted to overthrow the Roman government.
The Zealots as a group are not mentioned in the Bible, but one of Jesus’ disciples is described as a Zealot.
The Zealots may have been zealous, but they did not follow God’s ways of submitting to the government.

reflect

How does the story of Simon the Zealot challenge our understanding of discipleship and following Jesus despite our background?
How can you bring God into politics while still submitting to the government that God has allowed in power?
Reflect on Romans 5:8. How does the concept of God's love for us even when we were enemies challenge our perspectives on loving those with whom we may disagree or who may oppose us politically?

engage

The first century Jewish historian Josephus mentioned the Zealots as a Jewish political movement started by Judas of Galilee and Zadok the Pharisee in AD 6. In most respects, they were aligned with the Pharisees of the New Testament period, but further believed that God should be the leader of the nation rather than the Roman government. Since Josephus personally opposed these Zealots, his writing showed them in a very negative manner. Josephus also noted that Judas of Galilee called the Jews cowards if they continued to pay taxes to Rome.
In what ways do the actions and beliefs of the Zealots resonate with contemporary movements or ideologies? How can we navigate the tension between advocating for change and adhering to biblical principles of peace and submission to authorities?
God calls us to live peaceably with one another and to be zealous (Romans 12:11; Titus 2:14). What was wrong about the Zealots’ zeal?