The
Apostles –
Becoming Unified Through Diversity
·
The
Roman government was a strange dichotomy. It had a great system of laws and
justice, but it was also corrupt, and bribery was common. Tax collectors were a
part of this system. The job went to the highest bidder, and collectors could
keep for themselves anything above and beyond what the government required. A
successful collector could even develop his own infrastructure, with others
working for him, taking a cut of what they bring in. No wonder then that tax
collectors were not highly regarded (Matt. 9:10)
·
Zaccheus
is an example of what collectors could achieve (Luke 19:2, 8)
·
Matthew
was wealthy. His booth in Capernaum was on a heavily traveled trade route.
Perhaps he even collected taxes from Peter's et. al. fishing business. If so, those four men must
have wondered why Jesus wanted Matthew as a disciple!
·
Compare
Matthew and Mark's account of Matthew's calling (Matt. 9:9; Mark 2:13) Like the
first four disciples, Matthew probably knew of Jesus before being called.
·
Matthew
had probably heard the message Jesus later declared in Matt. 6:19-21. Matthew
had seen Peter, James, John and Andrew leave their fishing business.
·
Matthew
gave a great banquet, a clue to his wealth (Luke 5:29) Interesting how the
so-called religious men of the day reacted (Luke 5:30) These people placed
great importance on outward appearances of piety, but Jesus declared why he
came (Luke 5:31,32)
·
Matthew
received a new name, rather like Peter. Mark and Luke identify Matthew as
'Levi' before he became an apostle (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) But after his
calling, they both used the name 'Matthew' (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). Matthew used
the new name exclusively. Perhaps he was ashamed of the name 'Levi'. His new
name meant 'gift of Jehovah'.
·
Matthew
recorded more of the words of Jesus than any other Gospel. He recorded more of
the Sermon on the Mount, perhaps indicating the impact its message had on him
·
Matthew
was writing to a Jewish audience, to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah.
He was more quotations and allusions from the OT than any other NT author. He
traces Jesus' ancestry from Abraham. He records the coming of the Magi to
worship the infant king (Jesus). He emphasizes Jesus as the 'Son of David'. He
doesn't explain Jewish customs, whereas Mark does (Mark wrote for Romans)
·
His
Gospel contains 5 great discourses, perhaps to reflect the 5 books of Moses
#1) Jesus wants all Christians
to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness
#2) Jesus is still looking for
people of mean who will faithfully use their resources to build the kingdom
#3) Jesus wants generous
Christians to become models and examples to others
Thank
you for being such a wonderful class!
