#11~ MATTHEW: APOSTLES 2-15-14
~ Today we'll continue with our study of the 12 Apostles, and today we'll talk for a few minutes about the apostle Matthew.
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Matthew was probably more notorious as a sinner than any of the 12, because he was a publican, tax collector for Rome.
~ He worked in or around Capernaum under the authority of Herod Antipas.
~ In Jesus' day, land and poll taxes were collected directly by Roman officials, but taxes on transported goods were contracted out to local collectors.
~ Matthew was such a person. - These middlemen paid an agreed-upon sum in advance to the Roman officials for the right to collect taxes in an area. Their profit came from the excess they could squeeze from the people.
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~ The Jewish people hated these tax collectors not only for their corrupt ways but also because they worked for and with the despised Romans, when a Jew accepted such a position, he was looked upon as one who had sacrificed his patriotism and sold himself for gain to Rome.
~ They were as offensive to Jews for their economic and social practices as lepers were for their uncleanness; both were excluded from the people of God.
~Tax collectors were ranked with murderers and robbers, and harlots; a Jew was permitted to lie to them if necessary.
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~ Matthew may have been among the multitude that heard Jesus when He preached the Sermon on the Mount. -- found in Matt. chapters 5-7.
~ In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus states the spiritual character and quality of the kingdom which He would have established if the JEWS had received Him.
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~ But HE knew that they would reject Him. -- In the parable about the certain nobleman going into a far country to receive a kingdom for Himself but was rejected, He was talking about Himself.
> Luke 19:11-12 & 14 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. -- 12He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. ---- 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
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~ There on the Mt. Jesus began His teachings by stating the way to happiness.
~ We've all heard of "The Beatitudes" (5:2--12) --- "The Beatitudes" are for us today as well. = the eight declarations of blessedness made by Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
~ A "beatitude" is a state of supreme happiness in regard to the blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified virtues.
~ The Beatitudes describe the ideal disciple, and his rewards, both present and future. --- The person whom Jesus describes in this passage has a different quality of character and lifestyle than those still "outside the kingdom."
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~ All of the 12 left what ever had been their previous occupations, but Matthew probably would be leaving a more prosperous occupation than the rest.
~ In Matthew case, none of the Jews would have fellowship with him, he was a publican, an out cast in their eyes, -- but Jesus offered Matthew Himself, as Savior and Friend.
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~ Apart from Christ, Matthew was on his own. -- Christ's call to follow Him was a promise of salvation and fellowship.
~ Matthew was suddenly transformed, Yesterday, Matthew was a companion of sinners; today, a disciple; he would pen the great gospel called "Matthew".
~ Matthew would become the Lords fellow-worker, and an apostle, apostle means, "One sent, -- a special messenger."
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~When Matthew obeyed the call "Follow Me," he surrendered to a Person. ~ Obedience, confession, and fellowship with Christ are all involved in the Lords command to follow Him. -- Matthew arose, left all, and followed Jesus.
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~LEVI was his Jewish name; the name "Levi" was a link with a godly ancestry, all the priest were of the tribe of Levi, the 3rd. son of Jacob. [The 12 son's of Jacob make up the nation of Israel- 12 tribes] -- Only the Levites carried out the tasks to do with the portable Tabernacle, and later the stationary Temple. [When Israel was in their wilderness journey, the Levites would dismantle the Tabernacle when the LORD directed them to do so, and they would erect it again when they would stop for a time, the LORD led them by a pillar of cloud in the day time, and a pillar of fire by night.] and later the stationary Temple.
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~ Zechariahs, the father of John the Baptist was a Levite, which means John was too.
>Luke 1:9 -- his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple (stationary) of the Lord. -- His appointed job was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. -- No longer a portable Tabernacle.
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* We read in Mark 2:14 that Mark calls Matthew -- LEVI.
>Mark 2:14 And as HE passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him. -- Mark does not use the word publican; the description "receipt of custom" refers to a tax-collector, which means a publican.
~ Another Apostle named "James the less" was also a son of Alphaeus, there were two men named Alphaeus.
~ Luke refers to him as "Levi" as well in Luke 5:27-29. --- But Luke calls him "MATTHEW" when he lists the Twelve in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13.
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~ Matthew is the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
~ The gospel of MATTHEW was written with the Jews in mind, it is the gospel to the Jews. -- But we should all read it and glean from it.
~ The gospel of MATTHEW was written by a Jew, MATTHEW, to the Jews, about a JEW, the Lord Jesus Christ.
>Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
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~ Listen, the people who are against the Jews, are unknowingly against Jesus as well, because He was a Jew.
~Jesus is the King of the Jews, [right now, not will become King at some later time] He was born King.
>Matthew 2:1-2 -- there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
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~ King Jesus will take His rightful position at the appointed time, the people that say they hate the Jews don't realize what their saying, how can a person that hates the Jews claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior and be right with God?
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-- Only in MATTHEWS's gospel do we find the words, "the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" ~ these words are there 33 times.
~No place else in the entire bible do we find this choice of words, references are made to "the kingdom of heaven" but not in the order of these words.
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~Out side the fact that Matthew was a tax collector we know very little about him. -- He only mentions himself twice in his gospel; the 1st. was the account of the Lord Jesus calling him to "follow me"
>Matt.9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. -- notice Matthew speaks in the 3rd. person.
~ And the other place is in the lists of the names of the 12 in Matt.10:2-4.
~When the Lord called Matthew to follow Him, he instantly and without hesitation "arose and followed Him" -- He abandoned the tax office. -- He walked away from his cursed profession forever. -- And he never regretted his decision. --- I never have heard a person say, "I wish I had never been saved."
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~Matthew understood the promises of the O.T. to do with a coming Messiah, he knew there was going to be a restored kingdom, and he mentions it 33 times.
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~ He also surely had known about Jesus, because sitting on the crossroads in a tax booth, he would have heard information all the time about this miracle worker who was curing all manner of disease's, and of Jesus casting demons out of people, and raising the dead. --- So when Jesus showed up and called him to follow Him, he had enough faith to drop everything and follow Him.
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~ In Luke's account of Jesus going to Matthews's house we read.
>Luke 5: 27-32 And after these things HE went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29And Levi made HIM a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
~ Why did Matthew invite other tax collectors and people of bad character to the feast? -- These were the kind of people he was familiar with. -- They were the only kind of people who would associate with a man like Matthew, he was a tax collector, and to the Jews, tax collectors were on the same level socially as harlots.
>Matt. 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him:
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~ In Matthews's gospel he mentions money more than the other 3 gospels.
~ Because Matthew had previously been a tax collector, he had seen and handled a lot of money; he knew the worth of all coinage, and the different weights, he dealt with poor folks, rich folks, and the in between folks.
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~ In Marks gospel, Mark only speaks of 3 coins, and these 3 coins are the least in value, they are the mite, farthing, & penny.
~ The "Mite" was a coin in the time of the Lord Jesus; it was the smallest piece of money, worth half of the" farthing."
>Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
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~The "farthing" was the most common coin, a copper coin valued at 1/16.th of a denarius, or penny.
~ The "penny," Mark mentions, was equal to the Roman denarius. -- The denarius was the chief Roman silver coin and was worth about 15 to 17 cents.
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~ In Luke's gospel, Luke refers to the mite, farthing, and pound. -- "Pound" -- A Roman weight of about 12 ounces.
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~ Matthew, who was in the habit of handling money, refers to the coins of highest value at that time -- talent, for example, which was worth about sixty times as much as the pound. --- Whereas Mark speaks of money made of brass, Mk.6:8, and Luke 9:3 "money" in that verse means silver.
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~ Matthew speaks of gold, silver and brass, 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, --
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~ Tradition says he ministered to the Jews both in Israel and abroad for many years before being martyred for his faith.
~ Matthew, like most of the apostles late in their lives, became a missionary and was arrested in Ethiopia. --- The historians say that it was there that he was staked or impaled to the earth by spears and then beheaded.
