Matthew

Man of Dramatic Decisions

by Sonia A. Randall

Matthew, the disciple who wrote the first Gospel, was a man who made two dramatic and life-changing decisions. The first was when he abandoned his Jewish heritage to become a tax collector for Herod Antipas and the Roman Empire. The second was when he abandoned tax collecting for his lifelong passion.

The Roman government was bitterly hated by the Jews, and its tax collectors were hated even more. For a Jew to serve the Romans willingly was tantamount to being a traitor to his family and his religious faith.

Matthew was a well-educated Jew, and he probably had some acquaintance with the Aramaic, Greek, and Latin languages to hold his position with the Romans. No doubt there would have been a good place for him in some Jewish organization as a scribe or record keeper. However, when he rejected that possibility to serve the Romans, he would never again be trusted by the Jewish community. It was a life-changing decision from which there could be no turning back.

Lucrative Benefits

Being a customs agent had its attractions. The Romans had an effective method for collecting taxes. Tax collectors received no salary. The government would tell the agent to gather a certain amount, and anything he could extract above that amount was his to keep. Potential for corruption was inherent in this system but so was the possibility of great wealth. Was that what drew Matthew to such a career?

However, tax collecting, though lucrative, turned out to be a less satisfying career than Matthew had anticipated. Even though he had rejected his Jewish heritage, he was well-versed in the Hebrew Scriptures, and he must have been curious about this Jesus whom people said could be the Messiah. So when Jesus singled him out and called him to be one of His followers, Matthew didn’t hesitate. Immediately, he “got up and followed Him” (Matt. 9:9).^*

That very night Matthew gave a dinner to celebrate his new life with Christ. He invited the only people who would willingly associate with him—his fellow tax collectors. This brought the condemnation of the Pharisees down on Jesus because he was associating with these disreputable people. But Christ responded that it was only “the sick” who needed “a physician.” It was only sinners who needed the salvation he offered (Mark 2:14-17).

The dinner was a public affirmation of Matthew’s second life-changing decision: to renounce his tax-collecting career and follow Christ. Once again it was a decision from which there would be no turning back. Fishermen could go back to their boats if they chose, but the Romans would never allow Matthew to resume his career as a tax collector.

Matthew’s account of the teachings of Jesus was probably written 40 years or so after the resurrection. The good news about the Messiah was spread by word of mouth for as many years as there were eyewitnesses still alive. But after many of the eyewitnesses had died, there was concern about recording these marvelous things for future generations.

The Gospel of Mark is generally considered to be the earliest written record of Jesus’ life, and Matthew’s Gospel contains nearly all of what Mark wrote (no copyright laws existed in those days). But Matthew records a great deal more, including the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Matthew also cites some 50 Old Testament prophecies as evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.

Eternal Treasure

Interestingly enough, Matthew is the only Gospel writer to record the parable of the man who found a treasure hid in a field and sold all that he had to acquire it (Matthew 13:44). It is easy to believe that this parable had special significance for Matthew since he had done precisely that.

There is no historical record of what Matthew did during his years of ministry. Some legends indicate that he traveled to Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia (present-day Iran), and possibly to India to spread the Good News. In the end, he was probably a martyr. Wherever is ministry may have taken him, we have his Gospel as a testimony to his lifelong love for his Savior and his desire to share it.

Matthew’s first life-changing decision separated him from his Jewish community; his second decision brought him back to tell his brethren how Jesus really was the Messiah and Savior. As the decades and centuries rolled on, many of them believed.

Do you believe, and have you made that life-changing decision to follow Jesus? If not, reading Matthew’s gospel may speed you along in that direction. If so, reading Matthew will strengthen your faith and courage.

*All references taken from the New International Version.

 A Guide to Reading Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life is carefully organized. He places stories of miracles and other interactions Jesus had with people between five major sermons: The sermon on the mount (chapters 5-7), missionary instructions (chapter 10), kingdom parables (chapter 13), greatness and humility (chapter 18), and last things (chapters 24-25).

Matthew continually reaches back to the Old Testament Scriptures in telling the story of Jesus. A fascinating study is to trace Matthew’s use of the Old Testament by looking up texts in the footnotes or marginal references found in most Bibles. Old Testament references show up on nearly every page.

Christ as king is a major theme in Matthew. It is introduced early with the adoration of the magi shortly after Jesus’ birth (the story is told only in Matthew). The words “king” and “kingdom” appear dozens of times. Searching for evidence of this theme while reading Matthew will contribute much to understanding the book.