The Gospel of Matthew is typically attributed to Matthew, who is also known as the author of the book. Dont we have more patience with their blunders and pride? Those appointed to be tax collectors had a job for life. Despite the fact that Matthew is revered as a martyr, no one knows for certain where or how he perished. New Testament citations: John 1:29, John 1:36, John 19:33, John 19:36, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 1 Peter 1:19. And so, being passed over as teenagers, they are perhaps shocked to be considered worthy of apprenticeship with a traveling Rabbi who was beginning to gain a reputation at that time. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Remember also that Jesus nicknamed them Sons of Thunder because they were probably either loud or bold, characteristics of youth. Some argue that Matthews role as an eyewitness is evidence that he didnt write the Gospel of Matthew. Jasmine A.L. 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. This is not the word for "baby" ( ) used in Luke 2. He is reported by Luke to still be alive when Jesus was around 12 years old in Luke 2:41-42. Later apocryphal texts emerged claiming to be written by him, and some early church fathers supported these texts, but the works only survive in fragments and quotations, and modern scholarship is divided on their authorship. 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. Matthew was beaten by two . Females are seen by Jesus as genuine persons, not simply as the objects of male desire. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Only one (and its parallels) gives us any substantial details about him. Peter was the only one who had been married that was known to have existed. Mostly older teenagers, young Jewish bachelors, and not blue-chip Harvard stars either. 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. Matthew was an accurate record keeper. The wealthier they were, the worse it was considered that they were. Pseudepigrapha, or erroneously claimed to be written by a well-known Christian, were common among these mythical narratives, which featured miraculous experiences as well as Gnostic doctrines. As a result, the majority of the apostles would have been teens when Jesus asked them to join him. Why was Jesus regarded odd by the establishment? Neophilologus 87 (1) (01): 137-151. 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). It was not until Antioch, some years after Jesus resurrection, that the term Christianity was coined. When tax collectors came to be baptized by John the Baptist, they said, Teacher, what shall we do? and he told them: Collect no more than you are authorized to do (Luke 3:1213). He may or may not have been that well educated. No one has ever heard of Jesus concept of loving everyone. As we approach the first of three instances on which Jesus prophesied both His death and resurrection to His followers, Id like to take a minute to look forward to these three occurrences in particular. HarperOne. He was anti-religious in his views. And its also possible that its simply a matter of him having a Greek name (Matthew) and a Hebrew name (Levi), like how the Apostle Paul was also known by Saul. The majority of the disciples were already learning their crafts, as was the case with James and John, who were both apprentices. 329 views, 25 likes, 5 loves, 29 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Living God Tabernacle -God's Spoken Word Evangelism: 2023-01-22 SUNDAY SERVICE _"IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, WHERE IS. To some extent, this proof of His foresight speaks volumes about His divinity, and Matthew is surely conveying this point for his audience with this storyline. The other disciples were present (as evidenced by the preceding passages), but it does not appear that they paid the tax. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. Missionary Teaching Trip to Ghana, Liberia, Cote dIvoire and Senegal by Dr. John Oakes. In the end, this is speculation, and we simply cannot know how old the apostles were. Anyone who has done fishing knows that it can be hit and miss while out one the waters. His face became bright like the sun. *shrug*. JESUS CALLS MATTHEW, THE TAX COLLECTOR. Still, that doesnt mean Matthew didnt write this gospel as well. 3 Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. Matthew, on the other hand, goes on to describe two further events in which Jesus disclosed these truths to His followers. Lets get to know Matthew a bit better because he was the founder of the largest religion on the planet at the time of writing this article. They were most certainly teens by this point, as they were able to leave home to follow a rabbi. If they were unable to locate a rabbi who would accept them as a pupil (much like a college admission application), they entered the employment by their mid-teens. 00:00 36:02. . Matthew was a tax collector. (Lk 24:13-31) He said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Mt 16:16) This man thought Jesus was the Son of God because Jesus told him, "I saw you under the fig tree." (Jn 1:48-50) They . We know that John lived until about AD 96 or 97, which is about 66 years after Jesus died. Youll walk away from it with enough knowledge to have a thoughtful conversation about the Bible with a pastor, an atheist, or anyone else. The Beginners Guide to the Bible gives you an overview of what the Bible is, what its for, and what its all about. Tax collectors were held to a low standard of responsibility. Doesn't this contradict what God said in the OT? So why would an eyewitness use an account written by someone who wasnt there? We think that Jesus began his public ministry around the age of thirty, which is consistent with the rabbinical traditions of the period. They were considered religious outcasts since the manner in which they carried out their profession publicly flouted the Law of Moses. Jesus Calls Matthew - Life of Christ Part 12. 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. Scholars have speculated that all of them were less than 30 years old simply because they took the role of student to the "Rabbi" Jesus and this was traditional. We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. Think about that: they were worried about putting a tax collector in charge of their money, but Judas not only stole from the money bag (John 12:6), but ultimately betrayed Jesus. Tradition mentions his ministry inJudaea, following which he is said to have embarked on a journey to the East, which might have taken him to Ethiopia or Persia. 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. You will be able to see your next lesson in 10 seconds. There are other ancient Christian and Gnostic writings about Matthew or even claiming to be written by him, some of which appeared centuries after his death (such as the so-called Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.). Matthew the apostle had previously worked as a dishonest tax collector motivated solely by avarice, until Jesus Christ picked him to be one of his disciples. 17 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James up on a high mountain. 2023 Proven Way Matthew also states that AFTER Jesus was born, that Magi came to Jerusalem, to Herod and asked him "where is he that was born the King of the Jews." The priests Herod then consulted said that the prophecy indicated that Jesus would have been born in Bethlehem. Higher education consisted of studying under the supervision of a local rabbi for individuals who were intelligent (or affluent). When he entered the town, he was met by a small delegation of Jewish elders. Matthew also uses money-related words the other gospels dont. Virtually everything we really know about Matthew comes directly from the gospels. The Names of the 12 Disciples We find the names of the disciples in the Gospel books of; Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19 and Luke 6:13-16. Well, no Rabbi would take disciples until age 30, and no disciples would seek out a Rabbi younger than that. Why did he not appear to the Pharisees & teachers of the law? 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. At the very least, Jesus motivation to live and die in complete surrender to His Fathers will, knowing that His Fathers goals and mission are the best shows itself in this prophecy when considered in its context. A few of the disciples had just witnessed Jesus transfiguration and heard the voice of the Father saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him. In this second instance, the disciples had actually just witnessed Jesus transfiguration and heard the Father say, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him (Matt. He is mentioned in traditions regarding his preaching, but there are no reliable records of his contributions to the early church. It comes from the Greek word evangelion, meaning good news. These four writers proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ with their writings. How old were the apostles when they began to follow Jesus? Some argue that Levi was this persons tribal namemeaning he belonged to the tribe of Leviand that Matthew was a more personal name. As one of the twelve apostles, Matthew was there throughout almost all of Jesus ministry. And his clothes became white as light. But Matthew mentions them 28 times. In the Bible, there is no indication of a definite age for any of the disciples. The Gospel of Matthew talks about money in more detail and greater frequency than the other gospelssimilar to how the Gospel of Luke, written by Luke the physician, includes greater detail about ailments and uses precise medical terminology. So, how old were they when they died? If it doesnt work, try reloading the page or contacting customer service. When called by Jesus, Matthew immediately left his tax collection booth and followed the Lord ( Matthew 9:9 ). Verse Concepts. 66 He wore clothing made of camel's hair and ate locusts and wild honey ( Matthew 3:4 ). Little is known about this apostle. In order for him to teach in the Temple area in Jerusalem, he would have had to have a pedigree that allowed it. All the other early records of Matthews death claim he was martyred, but they disagree about how or where it happened. Were going to look at what the Bible says about Matthew, what we know about the gospel that bears his name, and some other tidbits about this enigmatic apostle. Luke 3:23 says that he was about age thirty when he began his ministry. Youd have to show proficiency and its assumed many students had very large portions of the Law and Prophets committed to memory. Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 12.17 EDT. Jesus likens him to a person bringing forth treasures new and oldthe old being those acquired as a tax collector (such as gifts for accuracy and organization), the new being Jesus teachings; about the kingdom of heaven. As a man doubly equipped, Matthew is now ready for further scribal activitythe writing of the book that bears his name. Walter A. Elwell and B.J. Why is there no mention of the apostles being baptized in the Bible? After Jesus calls him, Matthew hosts a gathering at his house, and as he and his unsavory companions dine with Jesus, the Pharisees ask why Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11). The term written can also refer to compiled, organized, or composed, depending on the context. Your response? 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.) It is, however, the end of the story. Over 30 million students around the world benefit from this resource. Due to this viewpoint, there is some variation in their ages, with John presumably being the youngest and Peter maybe being the oldest due to the fact that he had previously been married. Again crowds come to him, and he begins teaching them. We only have speculation to go on. The Hebrews were subject to the sovereignty of the Roman Empire during their lifetime. And as to the plausibility of them being young enough to still be around to write about all this in the 60s 90s, there is no problem at all. 10. (Of course, the ages are approximate.) He was born to Joseph and Mary sometime between 6 bce and shortly before the death of Herod the Great (Matthew 2; Luke 1:5) in 4 bce. But lets not void Jesus human nature and the nature of his patriarchal cultural. Matthew 9:9-13 is a Bible verse that describes the life of Jesus. 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. He becomes an active follower/disciple of Jesus. However, there are a few observations that may be made about their ages. There are just seven mentions to him in the entire Bible, if you count parallel verses and quotations. 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 ). St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Saint Matthew the Apostle, patron saint archive, "Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington, D.C", "Introduction to New Testament History and Literature", "Pleasurable Perplexity: Reflecting the Holy City", "Visions of kingdoms: From Pompey to the first Jewish revolt", "Introduction to the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles", "The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: Telling the Christian Story", Benedict XVI, "Matthew", General audience, 30 August 2006, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthew_the_Apostle&oldid=1142212172, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 03:25. In its place, Matthew began collecting souls for the kingdom of God, rather than tax money, from that point forth. (Matt 11:25). And to discover a four-drachma coin in the mouth of the fish he has caught; enough to pay the tax for two men, himself and Jesus, when he opens the fishs mouth. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Aside from a handful of mentions in the gospels, hes a surprisingly obscure New Testament figure. during the Roman-Judean War that one of the revolutionary factions came to identify itself formally as the Zealots. I promise you that this will never happen to you (Matthew 16:22 ESV). Despite the fact that there are compelling reasons against his authorship, no alternate author has been identified. If Matthew was, in fact, the same person who was called Levi, then his. The early church fathers claim he was burned, stoned, stabbed, or beheaded for his faith. Jesus also referred to them as small children, which might have been a reference to the fact that they were several years younger than He. 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. 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. It is supposed that Jesus, as he did in other cases, gave Levi another name, Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh." They were most certainly teens by this point, as they were able to leave home to follow a rabbi. Certain scholars believe that Matthews Gospel has internally referenced evidence that ties it to Matthews profession, which might suggest that he was the biblical author. 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