Discovering Matthew’s Journey: 6 Surprising Details from the Bible
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Have you ever wondered what the story of Matthew in the Bible is all about? If yes, then this blog post is for you! In this article, we’ll delve into six surprising details from Matthew’s journey and explore how they’ve impacted Christianity. From unexpected revelations about his profession to unexpected connections with other biblical figures – get ready to discover a whole new side of one of the most intriguing characters in the New Testament. So buckle up and join us as we take a deep dive into “Discovering Matthew’s Journey: 6 Surprising Details from the Bible.”
Introduction to Matthew’s Story
Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who lived in Galilee, an area of northern Israel. He was probably born in Nazareth, but little else is known about his early life. What we do know comes from the Bible’s account of his call to become one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
As told in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth and said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him (Matthew 9:9).
This brief encounter is the only time Matthew is mentioned in the Gospels prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, however, Matthew plays a more significant role in the story.
He is one of the eleven remaining disciples who gather together in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Acts 1:13). And he is also the author of the Gospel that bears his name.
The Gospel of Matthew is unique among the Gospels in that it contains a number of sayings and stories that are found nowhere else in scripture. This suggests that Matthew had access to sources of information that no other Gospel writer did.
It is possible that some of this material came from personal conversations with Jesus himself. But it is also likely that much of it came from people who knew Jesus and were close to him during his lifetime.
Whatever its source, the material in Matthew’s Gospel provides us with a fascinating insight into what kind of person Jesus was
1. Matthew was a Tax Collector
Matthew was a tax collector in first-century Judea, a profession that was both unpopular and despised by most people. He probably collected taxes for the Roman government, which occupied Judea at the time. Tax collectors were often seen as dishonest and greedy, so it’s no wonder that Matthew was not well-liked.
Despite his profession, Matthew was a devout Jew who followed the teachings of Jesus. He was also one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, meaning he played an important role in spreading Christianity. After Jesus’ death, Matthew continued to preach about him and wrote one of the four New Testament gospels, which bears his name.
It’s clear from Matthew’s gospel that he had a deep understanding of Judaism. He often quotes from the Old Testament and interprets Jesus’ teachings in light of Jewish law. This makes sense given his background as a tax collector. It seems likely that Matthew used his insider knowledge to help spread Christianity throughout Judea and beyond.
2. Jesus Called Matthew in Unique Way
Jesus has a unique way of calling people to follow him. In the case of Matthew, Jesus called him while he was sitting at a tax collector’s booth. This would have been a surprising and even scandalous way for Jesus to interact with someone, but it shows us that Jesus is willing to reach out to anyone, no matter their profession or social status.
It’s also worth noting that when Jesus called Matthew, he didn’t just tell him to follow him. He said, “Follow me, and I will make you into a fisher of men.” This shows us that Jesus saw potential in Matthew to do great things for his kingdom. And indeed, Matthew went on to write one of the most important books in the Bible – the Gospel of Matthew.
So if you feel like you are too far gone for God to use you, think again. He can use anyone who is willing to follow him – even a tax collector like Matthew.
3. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is one of Jesus’ most well-known parables. It tells the story of a landowner who hires workers to work in his vineyard. The workers are paid according to how long they work, with those who work longest being paid the most.
The parable is often interpreted as being about salvation, with the workers representing different groups of people who come to faith at different times in their lives. However, it can also be interpreted more broadly as a metaphor for how God treats all people fairly, regardless of when they come to faith or how much they do for him.
This parable is found in Matthew 20:1-16.
4. The Miracle of Feeding the 5,000
The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. It is a story of Jesus’ miraculous power and compassion.
When Jesus saw the large crowd of people following him, he had compassion on them and began to teach them. As the day went on, the people became hungry. The disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a remote place and it is already very late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
The disciples said to Jesus, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them?”
Jesus asked, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” They found five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of fifty. He took the five loaves of bread and two fish, looked up toward heaven, blessed them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. Everyone ate until they were full. The disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers!
This story shows us that Jesus has power over nature (he multiplied the food), that he is concerned for our physical needs (he fed the people), and that he is a compassionate
5. Matthew’s Interesting Betrayal
Few stories in the Bible are as well-known as the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. But did you know that there was another disciple who betrayed Jesus, and his name was Matthew?
The story of Matthew’s betrayal is found in Matthew 26:14-16. Here, we learn that Matthew was sitting at the table with Jesus and the other disciples when a woman came up to them with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
Some of the disciples were indignant, saying that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. But others praised the woman for her act of devotion.
Matthew, however, took things a step further. He not only approved of what she did, but he also offered to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Thankfully, Jesus rebuked him and nothing came of it. But it’s still a shocking story nonetheless.
Why would Matthew betray Jesus? We can only speculate, but it could be because he felt guilty about his own sinfulness and thought that this was a way to make up for it. Or maybe he was just trying to test Jesus to see if he would really follow through on his claims about being the Messiah.
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Matthew regretted his offer and went on to live a faithful life as one of Jesus’
6. Jesus’ Final Words to Matthew
Jesus’ final words to Matthew are found in Matthew 28:16-20. In these verses, Jesus commissions the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. This commission is often called the Great Commission.
It is interesting to note that Jesus’ final words to Matthew are very similar to His final words to the other disciples. This shows that Jesus valued Matthew and his ministry just as much as He did the others.
Matthew was clearly a man who loved Jesus and desired to follow Him. We see this in the way he left everything behind to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9). We also see it in the way he was always eager to learn from Jesus (Matthew 13:51).
It is no surprise, then, that Jesus would entrust such an important mission to someone like Matthew. With his love for Jesus and his desire to learn, Matthew was well-equipped to go out and make disciples of all nations.
Conclusion
Matthew’s journey is an incredible display of faith, courage and loyalty. With his detailed account in the Bible, we are able to gain insight into who he was and why he chose to follow Jesus during such a tumultuous time. The six surprising details from the Bible help us understand Matthew better as both a disciple of Christ and as an individual who faced numerous challenges along his own personal journey. By discovering Matthew’s story, it reveals that no matter what we face in life, with God beside us our potential for greatness is limitless!
