Thaddeus or Jude

This window represents Thaddeus, also known as Lebbeus and Jude. The knotted club represents the form of his martyrdom, a lance with which he was run through, and a boat hook for his sailing journeys.

What do we know of Thaddeus? Not much is said about him in the scriptures. The tenth disciple named in the apostolic lists of the Synoptic Gospels, Thaddeus is a man of many names. Jerome calls him "trinomius," which means the man with three names. We can get some clues to his character by the meaning of two of his names. Thaddeus means lively, or vivacious, while Lebbeus means courageous and hearty. This sums up our knowledge of this disciple.

He didn’t get his name in flashing lights or in the headlines. His name is mentioned in the best-selling book of all time, but it’s just a mention–"oh yeah, that guy Thaddeus, or Lebbeus, or Jude–whatever–was there too." About the only other time he is mentioned is when he asks Jesus a question that proved he really didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to tell him, hardly good press.

Our culture tells us that life is about accomplishments, about making sure other people notice all the things we do. By the standards of our culture, Thaddeus was cheated. He did all the right things. He left everything and followed Jesus, and he just gets mentioned? That doesn’t seem quite fair.

However, Thaddeus didn’t need to see his name in lights. In fact, he probably wouldn’t have had time to look if they had been. Tradition says that Thaddeus traveled to Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia to spread the Gospel. He worked tirelessly to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God revealed in Christ Jesus. He helped spread the faith to thousands. He didn’t do it for recognition. He did it because he wanted to share his life changing experiences with others so that they could be reborn to a new life.

Maybe that’s the lesson we should learn from Thaddeus. Maybe we should be less concerned about what others think about us. Maybe we should spend less time trying to make sure everyone else notices the things we do. Maybe we should be secure in the fact that our worth comes not from our earthly accomplishments, but from our status as a child of a loving and eternal God. Maybe we should live our lives to serve God, and not our egos. That’s a pretty powerful message from a guy who was barely mentioned, don’t you think?

Brandon Gilliam