Joshua

Joshua Bar-Abbas was an angry boy growing up beside Simon, James, and John in Capernaum under Roman rule. Frustrated by oppression, he urged Simon to join a humiliating prank against the tax collector Alpheus. The plan turned violent when Joshua's jar of fish scraps struck the man and knocked him down. Roman soldiers seized Simon, but Joshua claimed that he had acted alone, allowing his friend to go free. His stubborn lie sent him to prison while the other boys returned to their families and fishing nets. Restless, defiant, and willing to accept punishment for a friend, Joshua responded to injustice through anger. His choice contrasted with the path Simon, James, and John would later follow when Jesus called them.