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

Matthew was a well-educated Jew and 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. But,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 was no turning back.

Being a customs agent had its attraction. The Romans had an effective method for collecting taxes. 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. The potential for corruption was inherent in this very efficient system, but so was the possibility of great wealth. Was that what drew Matthew to such a career? Perhaps tax collecting, though lucrative, turned out to be a less satisfying career than Matthew had anticipated. Even though he had rejected his Jewish background, he was well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures and must have been quite curious about this Jesus whom people called the Messiah. At any rate, he didn't hesitate when Jesus called him. Rather, he immediately "got up and followed Him." Matthew 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 wisely answered that it was only the sick who needed a physician, meaning that it was only sinners who needed the salvation he offered. (See Mark 2:14-17)

This dinner was a public affirmation of Matthew's second life-changing decision to renounce his former career and follow Christ. Once again it was a decision from which there was no turning back. The fishermen could go back to their fishing if they chose, but the Romans would never take Matthew back. Matthew's account of the teachings of Jesus was probably written 40 to 50 years after the Resurrection. The good news about the Messiah was spread by word of mouth for many years as long as there were eye-witnesses still alive. But when years went by and many of the witnesses died, there was concern about writing down all these marvelous things for future generations. The Gospel of Mark is generally considered to be the first written record of Jesus life and Matthew's Gospel contains nearly all of it. But Matthew records a great deal more including the entire Sermon on the Mount. He also cites some 50 Old Testament prophecies to prove that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah who fulfilled these prophecies.

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. (See 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 seem to indicate that he traveled to Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia (present-day Iran) and possibly India to spread the Good News. We have his Gospel as a testimony to his life-long love for his Savior and his desire to share it with his fellow Jews and the world.

His first life-changing decision separated him from his Jewish community, but his second decision brought him back to tell them how Jesus really was their Messiah and their Savior.

Sonia A. Randall writes from Corvallis, Oregon.