Matthew, on the other hand, was a glutton for punishment before he met Jesus. Isaiah 11:1 He would be born from the family of Jesse. Well, no Rabbi would take disciples until age 30, and no disciples would seek out a Rabbi younger than that. Matthew was one of the tax collectors whom Jesus saved. According to what we can gather from the book of Acts, the early Jesus movement was referred to as The Way (Acts 9:2; Acts 24:14). As for how and when the Apostle St. Peter died, it is traditionally believed that he died between 64 and 67 AD and was crucified upside down at Rome. As a Jew, entering this profession amounted to a betrayal of his people, which was difficult to swallow. In most cases, a young mans discipleship instruction under the supervision of a rabbi begins between the ages of 13 and 15. Hes mentioned in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and listed among the disciples in Acts. For example, the Book of Matthew is one of these. It is supposed that Jesus, as he did in other cases, gave Levi another name, Matthew, meaning "gift of Yahweh." In Exodus 30:14-15, we read that every male over the age of 20 was to pay a tax to maintain the Sanctuary or Temple. They were religious outsiders, because the way they practiced their profession openly defied the Law of Moses. (Lk 24:13-31) He said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Mt 16:16) This man thought Jesus was the Son of God because Jesus told him, "I saw you under the fig tree." (Jn 1:48-50) They . Why is there no mention of the apostles being baptized in the Bible? Peter - Movie "Risen" Others have speculated that Matthew was a bit older than the others because he had a fairly important position as a tax collector. Therefore, we examine the evidence through the lens of historical context as well as insights drawn from Scripture. Historically, a rabbi of that era would begin accepting students when he reached the age of thirty. Some believe that Matthews involvement as an eyewitness to the events of the Gospel of Matthew is evidence that he did not write the Gospel of Matthew. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. A young man could just as truly pray that his life is fulfilled in seeing Messiah, that he can now die happy. "The evidence from Josephus suggests that it was not until about 68 C.E. But Matthew mentions them 28 times. For example, his account of the Resurrection tells that those assigned to guard the Savior's tomb saw two angels roll back the stone that covered the door of the tomb. In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus asks Peter to fish up the tax he has been instructed to collect. Matthew 18:11-13. Matthew also states that AFTER Jesus was born, that Magi came to Jerusalem, to Herod and asked him "where is he that was born the King of the Jews." The priests Herod then consulted said that the prophecy indicated that Jesus would have been born in Bethlehem. How educated he was is really unknown. Do you want to be a student or a teacher? Both Daniel and Zechariah Ch 9-14 are the product of the Hellenistic era and have no messianic prophecies. The Hebrews were subject to the sovereignty of the Roman Empire during their lifetime. Pleasurable Perplexity: Reflecting the Holy City. The Jewish Quarterly Review 108, no. In order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, Matthew obviously wouldve had to live at the same time. Lon has been on the Board of Jews for . Almost all we know about Matthew comes straight from the gospels, which is a good thing. To some extent, this proof of His foresight speaks volumes about His divinity, and Matthew is surely conveying this point for his audience with this storyline. (Of course, the ages are approximate.) They were considered religious outcasts since the manner in which they carried out their profession publicly flouted the Law of Moses. He was loyal to Jesus and once committed, he never wavered in serving the Lord. 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. Jewish culture made it customary for a child to begin his religious training at the age of 5 and to continue to age 12 or 13. 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. According to Matthew 4:21-22, James and John intentionally abandoned their father in the boat in order to follow Jesus. Matthew 2:17 quotes Jeremiah 31:15. Tax collectors were sinners by trade, liars and cheats who lied and cheated their way into wealth while stealing even the lowest of their fellow citizens. While Matthew is honored as a martyr, no one knows for sure where or how he died. It is, however, the end of the story. 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. Matthew was one of Jesus Christs twelve disciples, and he served in this capacity. Young boys in Judaism follow a fairly structured scholastic and life route, as seen in this illustration: At five years oldfor the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others). So, in the time of Jesus, almost all Jewish young men were married, and usually by age 18. The Names of the 12 Disciples We find the names of the disciples in the Gospel books of; Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19 and Luke 6:13-16. Peter, Prince of the Apostles. Another relevant fact is that John lived until at least AD96 when Revelation was written, which is 66 years after Jesus died. . Christopher Muscato is the instructor. Little is known about this apostle. Although born in Bethlehem, according to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was a Galilean from Nazareth, a village near Sepphoris, one of the two major cities of Galilee ( Tiberias was the other). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. No children are mentioned. It is amazing all the information that Scripture gives us. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. With the disciples, its possible that we had a Young Guns-style cast. The earliest records say he carried out his ministry in Ethiopia (not what we consider Ethiopia, but a region south of the Caspian Sea), Persia, Macedonia, and/or Syria. The fact that you are a young disciple does not affect the truth of the Gospel. Various accounts say he was beheaded, stoned, burned, or stabbedone even suggests he died of natural causes like John. 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). Do you know where should I look for information on how old were the apostles when they joined Jess? The precise ages of Jesus followers are not specified in the Bible; nonetheless, it is probable that they were all between the ages of 13 and 30 at the time they followed Jesus. Consider this: they were concerned about placing a tax collector in charge of their money, but Judas not only stole from the money bag (John 12:6), but he also betrayed Jesus at the end of the story. Follow me, Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. Mark 2:14, After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. If Matthew was, in fact, the same person who was called Levi, then his. According to Matthew, who was an eyewitness to Jesus life, the tale of his birth, his message, and his numerous actions are all documented in the Gospel of Matthew since Matthew was an eyewitness to the Savior. Kilburn. He was devoted to Jesus, and once he made the decision to serve the Lord, he never looked back. It seems in the Luke passage that Jesus was entering the home of someone he know. When tax collectors came to be baptized by John the Baptist, they said, Teacher, what shall we do? and he told them: Collect no more than you are authorized to do (Luke 3:1213). Required fields are marked *. He understood the human heart as well as the aspirations of the Jewish people. Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9, As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collectors booth. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:12. 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). Including parallel passages, there are just seven mentions of him in the entire Bible. CHRIST ASSOCIATES WITH SINNERS TO HELP THEM. Those in charge of editing the Encyclopaedia Britannica Melissa Petruzzello was the author of the most recent revision and update to this article. He agrees to serve as one of the 12 apostles. Scholars have speculated that all of them were less than 30 years old simply because they took the role of student to the "Rabbi" Jesus and this was traditional. They clearly hadnt passed muster for special Rabbinic training, but having been with Jesus for 3 years, and seeing him alive again, gave them special qualifications: When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus. But, as I said, we dont have to infer that he was THAT much older, since his brother Andrew is still unmarried and he works with close friends James and John, also unmarried. Jesus twelve disciples were virtually all under the age of eighteen, with some as young as fifteen, which suggests that they were in their early teens. Upon completion of this course, you will have sufficient information to engage in a reasonable discussion about the Bible with a pastor, an atheist, or anybody else. The only people who saw more of who Jesus was and what he was capable of were Peter, James, and John. Verse Concepts. Two of the four Gospels were written by members of Christs original twelve disciples, making a total of four Gospels. Matthew the Apostle was the author of one of the four gospels included in the New Testament of the Bible. He also worked as a missionary, bringing the good news to people in different parts of the world. Of whom are Matthew, Philip, Thomas, Levi, and many others. Stromata. Youll walk away from it with enough knowledge to have a thoughtful conversation about the Bible with a pastor, an atheist, or anyone else. There are several conflicting accounts about his death. Ultimately, without a byline, we cant confirm or deny who wrote the Gospel of Matthew. We should not be made to feel unqualified because of our physical appearance, lack of education, or previous experiences in our lives. Your email address will not be published. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus' mission to the Jews was highlighted by seven miraculous signs. But I suspect you mean in the flesh, so Matthew and John, yes. February 27, 2023. On the other hand, before he met Jesus, Matthew was greedy. The scripture that can be confusing in this connection is Mark 1:14-20. These cookies do not store any personal information. If your son didnt merit this honor, they would enter the workforce by their mid-teens, and in almost every case, apprentice under their fathers in the family trade. Assuming that the identification of Matthew with Levi is correct, Matthew (probably meaning "Yahweh's Gift") would appear. NEES, LAWRENCE, Barbara Drake Boehm, and Melanie Holcolmb. Since we dont know how old he was at the time he met Jesus, we cant be certain he was born in the first century, but he certainly lived then. John was the son of Zebedee who was also a fisherman in Galilee. Revealing Christ is our current series where we are delving further into the Scriptures of Matthew 15:29 17:23, where Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, and where Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus transfiguration. (Mark 3.16). Its a great introduction to the Bible. [ a] There are a number of contradicting tales of how he passed away. That said, yes, Matthew could technically be called a scribebut probably not as its often used in the Bible. "Synoptic" means to see (optic) the same (syn). Furthermore, Jesus declared that He was the Son of God. Mattew put together a masterpiece that, like any genuinely great narrative, instills perspective and inspires understanding while constantly directing us to the true Christ. 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. Deuteragonist: After Jesus, he is the second-most important character of the story, and since Jesus is the Son of God, Peter's the person getting the most Character Development.Season 3 especially focuses on him overcoming (the first of) his doubts toward Jesus. 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