Students (or disciples) were often younger than their teachers in Jewish culture. He is mentioned just seven times in the whole Bible, if you include parallel verses. 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. There are legends about his ministry, but no substantial records of his role in the early church. In fact, the gospels provide us with virtually all of the information we need concerning Matthew. Matthew was living in the area of Capernaum, a city on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus called him. Lessons in Ghana, Liberia, Cote dIvoire and Senegal by John Oakes Lessons in English and French. We think that Jesus began his public ministry around the age of thirty, which is consistent with the rabbinical traditions of the period. Why? Little is known about this apostle. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. But that in no way makes him not unintelligent. When we get to this third section at Redemption Church, as we continue our journey through Matthew, we will be officially kicking off Lent as a community of believers. "The Contrasted `Other' in the Old English Apocryphal Acts of Matthew, Simon and Jude." Except for one, all of them were most likely bachelors. All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) make mention of him, as does the book of Acts, which lists him among the disciples. You will notice that there was no reply this time; there was simply distress, and because Matthews account moves on to a different scenario directly after this paragraph, we should feel the weight of this essential pause at the end of this verse in Matthew 17:22-23 (ESV): In Galilee, while they were assembling, Jesus appeared to them and told them, The Son of Man is going to be put into the hands of mankind, and they will murder him, and he will be risen on the third day. And they were in a great deal of anguish. Joseph's death is not recorded in the Bible. In the end, this is speculation, and we simply cannot know how old the apostles were. But I suspect you mean in the flesh, so Matthew and John, yes. According to this interpretation, Matthew (which is likely to mean Yahwehs Gift) would appear to be the Christian name of Levi (whom Mark refers to as Levi the son of Alphaeus), who had been working as a tax collector in the service of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee at the time of Jesus birth. He was anti-religious in his views. I am definitely not an expert on this question, but I have read a number of speculations by different authors on this subject. Foxes Book of Martyrs also lends support to the martyrdom narrative of Matthew, saying that he was killed in the city of Nabadar with a halberd (a combined spear and battleax). Synopsis. Matthew 8:14 mentions his infirm mother-in-law, who was a sick woman. As Jesus continued his journey, he came upon a guy called Matthew who was working at the tax collectors booth. No other disciples wives are ever mentioned. However, this does not rule out the possibility that Matthew wrote this gospel as well. 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. Which is the true religion: Christianity, Islam or Zoroastrianism, and why? Matthew makes it plain that Jesus is the King of the Jews. Follow me, Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:2728. 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). 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 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. As a result, the majority of the apostles would have been teens when Jesus asked them to join him. Kilburn. February 27, 2023. We do have something we dont have, which is the gospels, which demonstrate that Matthew was one of Jesus most compelling instances of the forgiveness God extends to everyone who ask. 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. But lets not void Jesus human nature and the nature of his patriarchal cultural. (See Acts 11:27 for further information.) Compare this line in the prayer as recorded by Matthew and Luke: Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Luke 11:4 (emphasis added), And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12 (emphasis added). It is in Matthew 16:21 (ESV) that we find the first prophecy, which states: From that point on, Jesus started to teach his followers that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elder and chief priest and scribes, and be crucified, and on the third day be risen. (Matthew 16:21, English Standard Version) Matthew distinguishes this section from the others by beginning it with the words From that time. The usage of this word earlier in the book, when Matthew uses it to stress the commencement and direction of Jesus mission while stating His primary message: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, may bring this phrase back to your memory (Matthew 4:17 ESV). Youll walk away from it with enough knowledge to have a thoughtful conversation about the Bible with a pastor, an atheist, or anyone else. It had been 60 years since Jesus had walked with them. When he entered the town, he was met by a small delegation of Jewish elders. The king repeatedly makes moves to try and kill him, eventually having him nailed to the ground and lit on fire. 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. But think of other indicators of the youthfulness of the disciples: In Matthew 11:25, Mark 10:24, Luke 10:21, and John 13:33, Jesus calls his trainees little children or little ones. 9:12 (KJV) By addressing Matthew specifically, Jesus was announcing that no one would be barred from his movementnot even those who were deemed unredeemable by society. You will be able to see your next lesson in 10 seconds. Jeremiah 23:5-6 He would be David's kingly heir. In the time of Jesus, a Jewish male could only marry after reaching the age of eighteen. Aside from a handful of mentions in the gospels, hes a surprisingly obscure New Testament figure. To the Jews, tax collectors were the embodiment of sin. Include a biography His masters degree is in history, and he is a history professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Jesus had not informed them when or where His death and resurrection would take place; all He had told them was that it was coming, that it was essential, and that He was fully committed to the mission. This all changed for Matthew when Jesus crossed his path and said, Follow me. Thats all there is to it. Matthews death on the cross. Jesus Calls Matthew - Life of Christ Part 12. Lets get ready. After that, the Son of Man will be handed up to the chief priests and scribes, who will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles to be ridiculed, flogged, and crucified, after which he will be resurrected on the third day. Jesus and His followers had embarked on a journey to the city of Jerusalem from Galilee. He is also listed among the twelve, but without identification of his background, in Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13. There are a few counter arguments, but the main one is that the early church claimed John Mark wrote down Peters account of Jesus ministry . And, despite the fact that he was a religious outsider, Jesus elevated him to a prominent position inside what would later become the worlds greatest religion. Naomi, Simhony. Assuming that the identification of Matthew with Levi is correct, Matthew (probably meaning "Yahweh's Gift") would appear. Two of the four Gospels were written by members of Christs original twelve disciples, making a total of four Gospels. HarperOne. Young John, perhaps 15 during the life of Jesus, would be only 85 if he wrote his gospel, letters and Revelation in the year 100. NEES, LAWRENCE, Barbara Drake Boehm, and Melanie Holcolmb. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. 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. . 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. Generally speaking, the Book of Matthew is thought to have been written by, yep, Matthew, who was a disciple, apostle, and evangelist in the early Christian community. As far as the text tells us, he might have been young, he might have been old. How old were the apostles when they began to follow Jesus? In order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, Matthew obviously wouldve had to live at the same time. Remember also that Jesus nicknamed them Sons of Thunder because they were probably either loud or bold, characteristics of youth. They would be instructed to collect a specific amount of money, but they would be able to convince individuals that they owed a different amount, and they would have no ability to contest the amount they said they owed. Later, in Matt. Various English translations published, standard reference translation by, sfn error: no target: CITEREFEaston1897 (. 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. Are you already a member? In the first few centuries of the church, countless legends sprouted about the apostlesso many that it essentially became its own genre. He didnt dither, and he didnt even bother to glance back. during the Roman-Judean War that one of the revolutionary factions came to identify itself formally as the Zealots. Youd have to be completely convinced that Jesus is who He claims to be, that His is the only path to genuine life, and that its definitely worth it to push through the muck and gloom in order to see the beauty. The first time Nicodemus is mentioned, he is identified as a Pharisee who comes to see Jesus at night. What were their professions? Others have speculated that Matthew was a bit older than the others because he had a fairly important position as a tax collector. . 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 ). Major Themes 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. 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