JOHN 15:17-21 Today we celebrate the feast day of two of our Lord's twelve apostles: St.

Simon and St. Jude. We don't know much about these men, other than that they were among 12 men chosen by Jesus to follow him, to learn his Word, and to proclaim his Word to the world after Jesus' resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven. Here's what we know about them. Simon is called the Zealot. The Zealots were a radical terrorist organization in Israel. They were dedicated to the violent destruction of the Roman Empire. Simon would have been a hot-headed young radical, ready to murder and commit acts of terrorism to bring political freedom to the nation of Israel. He wanted to bring God's kingdom to into the world, and he was ready to murder to do it. St. Jude is also known as Thaddaeus, or Jude the son of James. St. Jude's words are recorded only once in the four Gospels. On the night when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, Jude asks Jesus, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? St. Jude, like St. Simon (and like the other 10 apostles, too) thought of Jesus' kingdom in terms of earthly power. He couldn't understand why Jesus would reveal himself after his resurrection only to his believers. Why not appear in dazzling glory to your enemies, to terrify them, or even to kill them? But Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world. So, like the rest of Jesus' disciples, St. Simon and St. Jude had to learn. They needed the Holy Spirit to descend on them, in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy and Jesus' promise. They needed to have the Holy Spirit lead them into all truth, so that they could finally see that Jesus' kingdom is a kingdom in which he bestows his treasures of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation on all who trust in Jesus' blood shed on the cross for us. When they grew in their faith through the Gospel, what did they do? The tradition of the early church tells us that they went together to Persia, where they were martyred, executed for their Christian faith, on the same day, October 28. That's why their feast day is celebrated on that day, and why both men have the same feast. Persia is the modern day country of Iran. Christians are still persecuted for their faith 2,000 years later in that same part of the world. Iran is one of the most radical Muslim nations in the Middle East. This year's presidential campaign has featured a lot of questions about the fear of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. The mad ruler of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has terrified the world for years. Jesus says it will be that way. The world will hate us, simply because we belong to Jesus. The world hated him first. And, no student is greater than his teacher. For us to bear the hatred of the world makes it clear that we are disciples of Jesus. Even the unbelievers in their blind rage demonstrate by their hatred against us that they realize very well that we are disciples of Jesus. And for us to be identified, and identifiable, as Jesus' disciples is our Lord's good will for us. He told us that our purpose in this world is to be salt, light, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Our sinful flesh doesn't like that. We are sorely tempted to hide our light, to lose our saltiness, to put our lamp under a basket. To do so would protect us from the world's hatred. To hide or deny our faith would make our lives in this world much more comfortable.

But to do that, to comfort our flesh, would be to deny our Lord. Jesus tells us we must lose our life in order to gain true life. St. Simon and St. Jude learned that in Persia. They gave up their earthly lives to confess their Savior Jesus. And Jesus in grace gave them the inheritance that Peter promised in our Epistle reading. The testing of their faith in the fire of bloody death proved their faith genuine. Through faith in Jesus, they received the inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. And that inheritance also is stored up for you, dear Christian. Jesus may not ever call on you to give your life for him. Or then again, as this wicked world spins toward the day of Judgment, we Christians here in America may be called on to suffer, even to die, for our Christian confession. But even if our Christian martyrdom is limited to being ridiculed on a college campus, or being called narrow minded at the family barbecue, we are suffering for the sake of Christ's name. We are being and doing what Christ has made us: his witnesses in this world, which hates us, because it hates Christ. But you can, and will, bear that affliction, because you bear Christ's name. He placed that name on you at your baptism. Today he will place his body and blood on your lips to eat and to drink. Christ will pour his life-giving, saving body and blood into your dying, weak, wimpy flesh and blood. He will assure you that the benefits of the payment he made for your sins on the cross belong to you. You have forgiveness, life and salvation. And that makes you willing to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from Jesus. For you, too, are Christ's saint, his holy, sanctified one. The saints are not just those great heroes of the past who sealed their confession with their blood. The saints are all who trust in Jesus and rely on his righteousness alone for salvation. So, you, too are a saint. And you can and will live like St. Simon and St. Jude. You will confess Christ, no matter what the cost, and at the end of that earthly life, you will receive the same unfading crown that they enjoy in heaven.