Good morning from the Panhandle. Well it's trying to feel like fall out there, last few morning have been in the 30s. It's also staying dark longer, when school started it would be light the entire bus run. Now it is dark for most of my run. That will change in a couple of weeks when we switch over to daylight savings time. You know, when you cut off a strip of your blanket and add it to the other side of the blanket.
I am going to change things up a little. I am preaching through the book of Matthew on Sunday mornings and I have noticed that more of you seem to like the book studies, so I think we will start a study on Matthew based on my sermons. Now I want to say up front I uses many different sources for my sermon prep. I really like the Holman New Testament Commentary by Stuart K. Weber and it tends to be my main source. I also use Sermon Central for illustrations and sermon ideas. The Zondervan Pastor's Annual is also a resource I use on occasion.
Well now the house keeping is out of the way, let's get started. I've got to tell you my wife and I watched the show The Chosen and the way it portrays Matthew is now stuck in my mind. He is autistic or something anyways now that is how I see Matthew. The show is good if you get a chance to watch it. We haven watched the shows you have to pay for, but the for free shows were good. That aside, if you are going to do a study on a Book of the Bible as I've said before I believe it is good to get to know the author first. That is what we are doing today, getting to know a little bit about Matthew.
The word Gospel is borrowed from the Saxons. It was their custom to call our holy faith by this name. And so, it is most likely that it has been distinguished by this title ever since. However it probably was not always pronounced, in the way we are now accustomed to, by the name Gospel; but instead God’s-spell, meaning God’s blessing. And surely, it is in the highest and fullest sense of the word, the greatest blessing which our Lord, Christ Jesus ever bestowed upon mankind. It is the gospel (God's Blessing) of salvation, by God through His Son.
The present meaning of the word Gospel, is glad tidings; and a great joy to all people. In this sense it too, is the most joyful tidings that was ever proclaimed to a sinful, and dying mankind. The glad tiding is that of Christ and His gift of salvation. So much so, that one of the Prophets declared the very feet of them who were sent to preach it, beautiful. How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7).
Even the angels themselves, became the first heralds of such glad tidings to a lost world, hastening to come down to earth the moment the author came down from heaven, and in a multitude together spoke of redemption: Glory ( they said) to God in the highest, and on earth peace; good will toward men. (Luke 2:10-14). - The Poor Man's New Testament Commentary
1. Who Was Matthew
What do we know about Matthew? We know that Matthew’s father was named Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). We also know that Matthew was born in the region of Galilee around 5 A.D. We know that Matthew was one of the Twelve Apostles, and a former tax collector. And we know he wrote one of the four Gospels.
We know the name of Matthew, or Matthaios (mat-thah'-yos), is his Greek name, which means “gift from God. Besides Matthew’s Greek name, we know he also had the Hebrew name Levi (Luke 5:27). Although some modern scholars have called this identification into repeated question, there are no persuasive reasons for rejecting this tradition outright. The name Levi indicates that Matthew’s lineage was in the priestly line of his great ancestor Levi.
Levi is one of Jacob’s 12 sons and it was his tribe that was set apart lead the worship and service to God. This means that Matthew would have been given a good education and proper understanding of the Scriptures found in the Torah. This can be seen in the frequent use of Old Testament quotes in Matthews gospel. As a matter of fact he uses more Old Testament quotes and references than any of the Gospels.Yet with all his training something happened to keep Matthew from becoming a priest.
Again notice that Matthew (Levi) came from a lineage of priest, and more than likely was brought up to take his place in the long line of Livitical Priest. Yet with all that was offered to him, Matthew did not measure up for some reason.
Friends it is not your pedigree that gets you into heaven, it is only through a relationship with the Father. A relationship bought and paid for by Christ Jesus. Have you been to Christ Jesus for His cleansing and restoring blood?
2. Matthew Before Christ
Matthew was born into a land that had been occupied or under control of numerous foreign powers. The rulers at the time of his birth was the Roman Empire. The people spoke their local language Aramaic, the trade language was Greek and the language of their Roman conquers was Latin. Matthew's writing skills shows that he was fluent in Aramaic and Greek.
Local Hebrews who wanted to could buy tax franchises from the Roman government and collect taxes from those who used the various trade routes controlled by the Romans. Most if not all of these tax collectors charged higher-than-necessary fees and pocketed the excess after giving Rome it’s cut. Because they worked for the hated Romans and because of their overcharging these tax collectors were not looked on favorably. As a matter of fact they were despised, they were spit up on, they were lower than the low. And no God fearing Hebrew would have anything to do with them.
Matthew who was a “Son of Abraham” and had been studying to follow in his family’s priestly tradition, but something happened. When we first meet him in Matthew 9:9, he is engaging in the abominable job of a tax-gatherer for the Romans, a Publican. As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him. (Matthew 9:9).
Remember the children of Israel considered the Romans as oppressive conquers, it must have been all that much more intolerable to them when the position of tax-gather was performed by one of their own. Also remember that the majority of these tax collectors were outright thieves with no morals to speak of.
Matthew who seems to have had an affinity for numbers became a wealthy man. But at what cost? Tradition says that his family and friends and most of the Hebrews disowned him when he became a Publican (Roman History. a person who collected public taxes). Christ Jesus would go on to use Matthew’s skills with numbers and record keeping to tell the Good News.
3. Matthew After Christ
Because he came in contact with many different travelers Matthew seems to acquire a good bit of knowledge about Christ Jesus – His miracles and His claim to be the promised Messiah. It is even possible that Matthew heard Christ Jesus teach His Sermon on the Mount in the region of Galilee, where Matthew was born and lived. All of this may have played into Matthew leaving his lucrative job as a Publican to follow Christ Jesus, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that while Matthew was working at his booth, Christ Jesus came up to him and said, “Follow Me.” And then we are told, “he got up and followed Him.”
Apparently Matthew couldn’t wait to introduce Christ Jesus to his fellow Publicans and other outcast of Hebrew society. That very evening after Christ Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple he threw a feast in Christ Jesus’ honor. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?" (Luke 5:29-30).
Of course I have to wonder what the Pharisees were doing at this party? Were they invited or were they gate crashers? If they would have done a bit of self examination they would have seen that they fit in with all the other sinners at the party. Later, about 30 years after Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection Matthew wrote his account of His time with Christ Jesus for the benefit of the Hebrew people.
Like Matthew and his friends, and yes even the Pharisees; we are all sinners in need of a Saviour. That Saviour is Christ Jesus ~ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 3:23; 6:23). What happens next is up to you. You can bow up and say, “I’m not a sinner and I don’t need a savior.” Or you can realize that all means everyone including you, and invite Christ Jesus into your life now.
4. Matthew’s Ministry
After answering the call, and after his dinner party; Matthew hit the road with Christ Jesus. He would be with Christ Jesus through three years of ministry, His death, resurrection and His ascension. After this Matthew preached to the Hebrew community in Judea for awhile.
Later he preached the saving message of Christ Jesus in other countries, but the ancient church fathers don’t agree on which countries. The earliest records say he carried out his ministry in “Ethiopia.” But scholars don’t agree as to what or where Ethiopia was. One source I read stated: (not what we would necessarily consider Ethiopia, but a region south of the Caspian Sea), Persia, Macedonia, and/or Syria. Other sources stated: It is believed that he established Christian communities in Ethiopia and other sections of the continent of Africa. Also like I said earlier about 30 years after Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection, Matthew wrote his account of his time with Christ Jesus, giving us the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew’s death is also shrouded in mystery. Clement of Alexandria quotes Heracleon, one of the earliest commentators on the New Testament, as saying that Matthew died naturally. Most scholars don’t accept this account today. All the other early records of Matthew’s death claim he was martyred, but they disagree about how happened. The early church fathers claim he was burned, stoned, stabbed, or beheaded for his faith. In John Foxe’s 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.”
One tradition says that Matthew was killed by the sword in 74 A.D. while conducting a service. Tradition further says he was killed on the orders of the king of Ethiopia. The king lusted after his own niece, and had been rebuked by Matthew, because the girl was a nun, and therefore the bride of Christ. Still another source says that Matthew “became a missionary and was arrested in Ethiopia. It was there that he was staked or impaled to the earth by spears and then beheaded in 74 A.D.
While Matthew is honored as a martyr, no one knows for sure where or how he died. Was he beheaded, stoned, burned, or stabbed—or as one account suggests that he died of natural causes like John? We will never know the answer to these questions this side of heaven. We do know that Matthew is buried in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Angels in Salerno, Italy.
Here is something else you can be sure of, the same Christ Jesus who asked Matthew to follow Him is the same Christ Jesus who wants to start a relationship with you this morning. All you have to do is call on His name ~ for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." (Romans 10:13). Won’t you call on Him right now?
As always thanks for dropping by. I pray the Lord would richly bless you and yours.
Biblesurfer
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