In this episode, we discuss the disciple none of us want our spiritual journey compared to. How does someone walk beside Jesus for three years and still fall apart spiritually? Joining us in the studio is our good friend, Pastor Adam Stacey, as we explore betrayal, self-deception, and the danger of being close to Jesus without truly surrendering to Him.

Simon the Zealot is one of the most mysterious figures among the disciples, identified only by his political label. If Matthew the Apostle was seen as a sellout to Rome, Simon would have been viewed as a patriot—aligned with the zealots, a movement marked by resistance and violence against Roman rule.

Why would Jesus call someone shaped by that kind of ideology, and then place him in the same circle as a Roman collaborator? This episode explores how Jesus builds a community that forces enemies to sit at the same table, and what that says about calling, identity, and kingdom politics.

Matthew the Apostle was an outsider everywhere he went. Rejected by his own people yet never fully accepted by the Romans he worked for, Matthew lived between two worlds. As a tax collector, he profited from the very fishermen and villages where Jesus was performing miracles. So why would Jesus call a man many viewed as a traitor? In this episode, we explore Matthew’s calling and what grace looks like for people no one thinks belong.