Matthews gospel appears to be greatly influenced by Marks gospel (which explains why there are so many comparable passages), yet the Gospel of Mark is thought to have been written by a man named John Mark, who was not an eyewitness to the events in the Gospel of Mark. Jewish culture made it customary for a child to begin his religious training at the age of 5 and to continue to age 12 or 13. Including parallel passages, there are just seven mentions of him in the entire Bible. St Matthew became a saint because he was one of the four gospel writers, and one of Jesus helpers, and also St Matthew preached the Good News, even after Jesus was crucified What did St. as members of a sect called the Zealots." Missionary Teaching Trip to Ghana, Liberia, Cote dIvoire and Senegal by Dr. John Oakes. Dont we have more patience with their blunders and pride? Well, no Rabbi would take disciples until age 30, and no disciples would seek out a Rabbi younger than that. As a tax collector, Matthews job wouldve involved meticulously recording and documenting tax information. As we come to see Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, and the Savior, may we also recognize that in order for any of this to be real, He had to take the route of the cross. As a Jew, entering this profession amounted to a betrayal of his people, which was difficult to swallow. The Beginners Guide to the Bible gives you an overview of what the Bible is, what its for, and what its all about. during the Roman-Judean War that one of the revolutionary factions came to identify itself formally as the Zealots. Jesus encountered Matthew at a tax booth in Capernauma city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Various accounts say he was beheaded, stoned, burned, or stabbedone even suggests he died of natural causes like John. With the exception of his fathers name being Alphaeus and the possibility that his original given name was Levi, we know nothing about Matthews life before he became a disciple (student) of Jesus Christ. Over 30,000 video lesson and teaching resources are available in one convenient location. 2003. Jesus would have entered into ministry when he reached the age of thirty. All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) make mention of him, as does the book of Acts, which lists him among the disciples. It seems that the author paid particular attention to Jesus statements about money, had a greater understanding of financial matters, and saw finance as a helpful lens to understand the gospel. He was devoted to Jesus, and once he made the decision to serve the Lord, he never looked back. Matthew makes it plain that Jesus is the King of the Jews. Youll walk away from it with enough knowledge to have a thoughtful conversation about the Bible with a pastor, an atheist, or anyone else. He was a "wilderness man," a man who from childhood had lived " in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel " ( Luke 1:80 ). Date last updated: January 19, 2022. In it, Jesus appears to Matthew as a boy and tells him to go to the city of Myrna (an unknown location), which is inhabited by man eaters. Upon arriving there, Matthew performs miracles and casts out demons. Matthews gospel appears to rely heavily on Marks (which is why there are so many parallel passages), but the Gospel of Mark is believed to have been written by a man named John Mark, who was not an eyewitness. Assuming that the identification of Matthew with Levi is correct, Matthew (probably meaning "Yahweh's Gift") would appear. According to him, money is everything in life and he broke Gods rules in order to enrich himself at the expense of his nation and other people. Jesus and Matthew first met at a tax booth at Capernaum, a city on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus was preaching. Matthew would have had to have lived at the same time as Jesus Christ in order to be considered a follower of Jesus Christ. Many of these legendary accounts were pseudepigraphameaning they falsely claimed to be written by a well-known Christianand included miraculous events and Gnostic teachings. Gold and silver are only mentioned once in Mark, and four times in Luke. Despite the fact that there is no indication in Scripture of a specific age for any disciple, we can conclude from the evidence in the Gospels and from a little research into 1st century Jewish culture that this idea, which has been depicted repeatedly in movies and pictures, is almost certainly incorrect. He is an eyewitness of Jesus Christ's ascension. Dislikes the New Guy: Initially does not get along with Matthew, who he remembers from the latter's previous line of work. As far as the text tells us, he might have been young, he might have been old. Theyd be told to collect a specified amount of money, but they could tell people they owed a different amount, and they had no power to dispute it. Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9, As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collectors booth. Both Daniel and Zechariah Ch 9-14 are the product of the Hellenistic era and have no messianic prophecies. As an example, Levi becomes Matthew, which is taken from the Hebrew word meaning gift of Yahweh. Matthew is a fascinating character for theologians and historians since he was not a well-liked individual in his day. In fact, the gospels provide us with virtually all of the information we need concerning Matthew. | Theme by SuperbThemes.Com. Despite the fact that there are compelling reasons against his authorship, no alternate author has been identified. Fun fact: As a tax collector, Matthew wouldve presumably been great with money, and modern readers would think hed be an ideal candidate for the groups official treasurer. But given the reputation of tax collectors in first-century Judaism, that wouldve been a bad move politicallywhich might be why the disciples gave the job to a guy named Judas Iscariot. There would be no such thing as a half-hearted belief. There are just seven mentions to him in the entire Bible, if you count parallel verses and quotations. You see, Matthew was a member of the Republican Party. Based on the lack of other mentions of him in the biblical . Here are a few biblical indices of youth development: In Matthew 11:25, Luke 10:21, and John 13:33, Jesus refers to his followers as little ones, referring to them as children. *shrug*. In John Foxes famous Book of Martyrs (first published in 1563), the entry for Matthew states: The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.. Some argue that Levi was this persons tribal namemeaning he belonged to the tribe of Leviand that Matthew was a more personal name. So that would make most of the apostles teenagers when Jesus called them to follow him. Irenaeus, who lived from about 130 AD to 202 AD, made a similar claim in Against Heresies: Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church., However, Papias statement is actually pretty ambiguous. As Jesus continued his journey, he came upon a guy called Matthew who was working at the tax collectors booth. As one of the twelve apostles, Matthew was there throughout almost all of Jesus ministry. He was sitting at his tax collector's desk near the Sea of Galilee when Jesus told him to follow him (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14). In the words of Heracleon, the apostle died as a result of natural circumstances. We see in Scripture, how majestically he spoke out to the crowd on the day of Pentecost. Females are seen by Jesus as genuine persons, not simply as the objects of male desire. The first heaven and earth are passed away, and the sea is gone. As he walks on, he sees Matthew, who is also . Especially since hes talking about a text that was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and the Gospel of Matthew appears to have been originally written in Greek, not translated into it. No other disciples wives are mentioned in the Bible at any other time. Matthew is regarded as one of the Four Evangelists of the New Testament. When it comes to the Apostle Matthew, theres not much to go on. He left behind the source of his riches; he left his position of security and comfort for traveling, hardship, and eventual martyrdom; he left his old life for a new life with Jesus. These accounts so closely parallel each other that its hard to imagine they arent speaking of the same person. These two gentlemen were brothers. After that, if the youngster was clever and motivated in continuing his religious studies, he would seek out and follow a rabbi who would mentor him, and he would model his life after the rabbi until he was 30 years old. Discover interesting information about the life and career of this former publican who became an evangelist, as well as his death and contributions to history. The word rendered as wrote could also mean compiled, arranged, or composed. The word for oracles could mean sayings or gospel. And the word for interpreted here could mean translated.. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 7 (1) (12). Your email address will not be published. Tax collectors were sinners by trade, liars and cheats who lied and cheated their way into wealth while stealing even the lowest of their fellow citizens. He is mentioned in traditions regarding his preaching, but there are no reliable records of his contributions to the early church. Matthew was a tax collector , so financially he was stable , but the jews hated all tax collectors as they worked for the mighty Romans, but once he met Jesus his life was changed. Its possible that out of respect, friendship, or deference, Matthew used Peters account for consistencys sake. Matthew 4:18-22 relates that Andrew and Peter were fishing, plying their trade when called, and James and John were mending nets with their father. The Bible does not give us many more details except that Matthew immediately throws a party and invites all of his friends. However, there are a few observations that may be made about their ages. Revealing Christ is our current series where we are delving further into the Scriptures of Matthew 15:29 17:23, where Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, and where Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus transfiguration. First and foremost, according to Scripture, Jesus was around 30 years old when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:23). Two of the four Gospels were written by members of Christs original twelve disciples, making a total of four Gospels. So really, Jesus begins at the very moment it was possible to begin when it was culturally appropriate to assume authority and take on disciples. Another relevant fact is that John lived until at least AD96 when Revelation was written, which is 66 years after Jesus died. Young boys in Judaism follow a fairly structured scholastic and life route, as seen in this illustration: At five years oldfor the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others). So, in the time of Jesus, almost all Jewish young men were married, and usually by age 18. Matthew the Apostle was the author of one of the four gospels included in the New Testament of the Bible. His message was revolutionary. What will happen to Matthew for the rest of his life is undetermined. What we know is that his personal promise from God was fully kept. , . Matthew 8:14 mentions his infirm mother-in-law, who was a sick woman. The term "child" is mentioned in Matthew 2: 13-14. Mattew put together a masterpiece that, like any genuinely great narrative, instills perspective and inspires understanding while constantly directing us to the true Christ. Tax collectors were considered to be the epitome of sin by the Jews. by Ryan Nelson | Apr 1, 2019 | Bible characters. Naomi, Simhony. Besides this, Matthew gives Peter a good deal of positive attention in his gospel. Then Jesus puts Matthew in with the rest of the sinners, as follows: On hearing this, Jesus responded, It is the ill who require medical attention, not the healthy. Youd have to show proficiency and its assumed many students had very large portions of the Law and Prophets committed to memory. We should also remember that serving God is the ultimate calling in life, regardless of what the rest of the world believes. As a result, the majority of the apostles would have been teens when Jesus asked them to join him. But just as every parent today would be proud to have a son or daughter do much more education to become a high-status medical doctor or professor, Jewish parents would desire their boys to be selected for Rabbinic training. (Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:20-24). Beyond include Matthew in the list of Apostles and frequently pairing him with St. Outside of the New Testament, the text from theApostolic FatherPapias of Hierapolispreserved by BishopEusebius of Caesarea is significant since it states: So then Matthew authored the Oracles in theHebrew language, and each one interpreted them as he was capable. The Gospel is a collection of stories about Jesus Christ. The meaning of Matthew . It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. When Jesus entered Peter's house in Luke 4:38-43 it appears to not be the first time he met Peter. It comes from the Greek word evangelion, meaning good news. These four writers proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ with their writings. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention him, and he is included in the list of the disciples in the book of Acts. There is good news beyond Jesus death, although it appears to have escaped Peters awareness, and that good news is that Jesus will be risen from the grave on the third day. Verse Concepts. New Testament citations: John 1:29, John 1:36, John 19:33, John 19:36, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 1 Peter 1:19. Historical documents are not more sure of anything more exact. T he horrific killing of Matthew Shepard in 1998 is widely seen as one of the worst anti-gay hate crimes in American history. Matthew was living in the area of Capernaum, a city on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus called him. As with most of the apostles, its hard to say exactly how Matthew died. A period of preparation is underway, and we will be encouraging you to walk through that season intentionally; knowing that at the end of the road lies a bloody cross and our Saviour, who rose from the dead and is God with us. When Jesus' resurrection happened why did he appear to his apostles first? Synopsis. For example, the Book of Matthew is one of these. On the other hand, before he met Jesus, Matthew was greedy. 60, brought him to martyrdom in the latter nation. In this case, the age of Christ is important since the information helps us understand the fulfillment of a prophecy in Jeremiah. In addition to Matthews works, there are additional ancient Christian and Gnostic texts concerning him or even claiming to have been written by him, some of which surfaced hundreds of years after his death (such as the so-calledGospel of Pseudo-Matthew.) St. Peter was a fisherman by trade. Remember also that Jesus nicknamed them Sons of Thunder because they were probably either loud or bold, characteristics of youth. Our website has teaching material for children of all aged - starting with the church nursery (age 0-1 years old), toddlers (age 2-3 years old), preschool (age 4-5 years old), young elementary (age 6-8 years old), older elementary (age 9-10 years old), and preteen youth ministry groups (age 11-12 years old). At the time of his call as an Apostle, Peter was living with his wife and his wife's mother. At that time Matthew's name was Levi; he was the son of Alphaeus. It was not until Antioch, some years after Jesus resurrection, that the term Christianity was coined. Matthew says that Jesus is born in Bethlehem. When attempting to load this video, an error occurred. Therefore, we examine the evidence through the lens of historical context as well as insights drawn from Scripture. But that in no way makes him not unintelligent. His mother was also there for her Jewish religious ritual of Purification or Cleansing. Matthew was the only one who may have been older than the others, except from Peter. He had just delivered what would become the most famous sermon in history. St. Matthew, also called St. Matthew the Evangelist, St. Matthew the Apostle, or Levi, (flourished 1st century ce, Palestine; Western feast day September 21, Eastern feast day November 16), one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and the traditional author of the first Synoptic Gospel (the Gospel According to Matthew ). All the other early records of Matthews death claim he was martyred, but they disagree about how or where it happened. And despite his position as a religious outsider, Jesus gave him a prominent position within what would eventually become the largest religion in the world. He made amends with all of the people he had wronged, surrendered his worldly belongings, and pledged himself to the teachings of his new teacher. If Peter had children, it would have been wise for the gospel authors not to mention them for their safety. However, this does not rule out the possibility that Matthew wrote this gospel as well. He knew the human heart and the longings of the Jewish people. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-20), which is well-known across the world, is found solely in the Gospel of Matthew. Tax collectors were held to a low standard of responsibility. Matthew was a man who could have moved comfortably in political circles, and his book mentions things that someone in his position would know. Peter, James, and John were the only ones who had a clearer understanding of who Jesus was and what he was capable of. How did Luke know what Jesus said in the garden if the apostles were asleep? This is a term designated for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four gospel authors who are considered to be the traditional authors of their respective books. 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