Matthew’s Gospel

Dr. Mike Browder, Pastor

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Nobody likes the taxman. Even today, the very mention of the I-R-S will send a chill down your spine. Matthew, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew, was a tax collector in Jesus’ day. But when he met Jesus, his life was changed. He became one of the Twelve Apostles. And when Matthew wrote the Gospel, he recorded for history the sayings of Jesus, the most beautiful words that have ever been heard.

The story of Matthew begins in Chapter 9, verse 9. There he tells the story of his first encounter with Jesus. As I said, this verse tells us that Matthew was a tax collector. Old Testament law, from ancient times, classified the tax collector among the worst sinners, ranking him right up there with murderers and robbers. And just imagine the additional stigma in Jesus’ day. The people’s homeland was under the iron fist of the Roman occupation army. The taxes that they were forced to pay went to support their hated captors. And those taxes were crushingly heavy indeed.

The Romans taxed everything they could think of. And the tax collectors were corrupt. Whoever gave the Roman officials the biggest bribe got a tax franchise. And the Romans set impossible goals. If the goal was met, the Romans set an even more impossible figure for the next year. Anything the tax collector could squeeze out of his fellow countrymen, up to and beyond what he owed the conquerors, he could keep for himself. And most of these publicans were very wealthy.

And so, Jesus walked up to this man that everyone hated and said: “Come, follow me!” No one could believe what had happened. How could Jesus speak to such a person? Much less ask him to come with him!

But then something even more remarkable happened: That hated tax collector, Matthew, got up from his tax booth and followed Jesus. He just followed him! After one single little invitation, he just got up and left! And he never went back. And the world has never been the same because of it. Just think about the power that Jesus must have had when you met him in person.

My friend, this is my dream for you: That you will meet Jesus Christ and follow him and never turn back.

Jesus did not just call Matthew in a casual way. We see Christ, in the next verse, having dinner at the tax collector Matthew’s house. This act was an abomination to Jesus’ critics, the Pharisees. But Christ came to reach out to sinners and to help all of us – who are sinners – find hope and salvation.

My friend, what has Christ done for you? You too were an outcast to sin until you found the salvation and hope of Jesus Christ.

Matthew would never forget what Jesus had done for him: How Christ had loved and accepted someone so unlovable; how the Messiah who was God himself had wanted to be close to him, an outcast.

And so, toward the end of his life Matthew wanted to give something back. So he wrote a Gospel to tell the world about Jesus, the Messiah prophesied by God, who was bringing salvation to the whole world.

Today, looking back, we can see something that Jesus realized from the beginning: Matthew, to be an effective tax collector for the Romans, had to be well educated. He had to speak Greek fluently and perhaps a little Latin. Very few among the Apostles possessed these skills, but Matthew was perfectly suited to write a Gospel.

We can see from his writing that Matthew was also well trained in Hebrew and Aramaic. And the way he arranges his materials indicates that he has been trained as a teacher. Matthew is writing for a Jewish audience. More than any other Gospel, he shows how Jesus fulfills the prophecies for the Messiah that have come down from the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament.

And so, what is the first thing you have to do if you want to prove that someone is qualified to be King? You have to prove that they are descended from the Royal line. To be a Jewish king they have to be descended from King David (on their father’s side). So, what is the first thing we find in Matthew’s Gospel . . . why, of course, it is a genealogy. Although Matthew is not the oldest Gospel, it is the perfect book to start the New Testament and follow the Old Testament. It starts right off with genealogy and then goes on to prove how Jesus fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament scriptures.

By the way, in the other Gospels, Matthew is called Levi. Levi may be his family name. Or he may well have been a Levite. However, I think it is related to the fact that every Jewish person is either of the “House of Levi” or the “House of Cohen.” If you have a Jewish friend, ask them about this. Matthew was of the “House of Levi.”

Though we place Matthew first, his is not the oldest Gospel. Mark was written first. Both Matthew and Luke make use of Mark. That’s why these three are called the Synoptic Gospels. John takes an entirely different approach. That’s why John is not a Synoptic. Matthew had Mark’s Gospel before him when he wrote. He uses the same outline, and much of the same material. You should compare the two sometime.

The ancient church historian Papias tells us that Matthew made a collection of Jesus’ sayings “in the Hebrew language.” When we look at the materials that are in Matthew and Luke, but not in Mark, we find a large body of Jesus’ teachings. Bible scholars call this material Q, from the German word Quelle, meaning “source.” It is my theory that Matthew is Q. This is not the majority opinion among scholars, but I have learned that a couple of very prominent names (including William Barclay) came to the same conclusion.

When you read Matthew, you see that as a teacher he groups materials together on the same topic in order to make it easier to learn. For instance, he put all Jesus’ sayings on money in the same chapter – and the same thing with prayer. Matthew likes to use clear, simple and repetitive wording, which is easy to memorize. For instance, look at Chapter 25, Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats:

(37-40) Jesus said: Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you did it to Me.” Matthew made Jesus’ statement so clear that it’s easy to remember.

Matthew cherished more than anything Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Just think, Matthew was on that beautiful mountainside by the Sea of Galilee when Jesus taught them those immortal words. (I was there last spring – it is a beautiful place!) And nothing in the Bible is any more beautiful and powerful than the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7). And no part of the Sermon on the Mount is any more beautiful than the Beatitudes:

(5:1-12) And seeing the multitudes, [Jesus] went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. [Such powerful, unforgettable words!]

Then Jesus continues his sermon: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(People of Christ, let your light shine! Don’t hide your faith where nobody can see it!)

And then Jesus makes an interesting statement: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For surely, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will by any means pass from the law until everything is fulfilled.” (Law & Prophets. yod and tilde)

You see how Matthew recalls Jesus statements so vividly. He remembers how Jesus spoke like a Rabbi: “You have heard it said, but I say unto you.” (5:22ff.) Also, like a Rabbi, Matthew uses the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God.” Orthodox Jews believes that the name of God is so holy that they will not even say it out loud. If you go into a synagogue sometime, you will see the word God printed as G_d, because the name of God is considered too holy to even say it out loud.

Another characteristic of Matthew: It is clear that he loves the church. Matthew talks about the church more than any other book in the Bible. And so, it is no wonder that only Matthew preserves Jesus’ Great Commission:

(Matthew 28:18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

What a great way to end the Gospel story! Jesus’ immortal words, sending us into all the world to be in mission. And finally, Jesus’ promise: “I am with you always. Even to the end.”

I will never forget those words.

But still, I must tell you that my favorite passage from Matthew comes in Chapter 11, verses 28-30. Here, Jesus says: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. What great words!

St. Augustine made an unforgettable statement concerning these words. He said: “I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and beautiful; but I have never read in either of them, ‘Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” No one could speak like Jesus!

This is perhaps the most beautiful promise of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we have it because Matthew recorded it for us. Matthew remembered how he himself had been a tax collector, the most hated person on earth, and yet Jesus had loved him, and saved him and made him one of his closest friends. Matthew wrote this testimony down so that every single person forever can know about the love of Jesus Christ. When you and I read this holy Gospel that Matthew wrote, we too meet Jesus, and we too discover His love for us.

Matthew knew that Jesus loved him. He knew that Christ had saved him and turned his life around. Matthew was blessed, and he wanted to do something about it. My friend, I ask you: Has God blessed you? What are you going to do about it?

Let us pray. Dear God, we thank you for Matthew. We thank you for the way Jesus turned his life around – from a hated tax collector to the writer of a much loved and very beautiful Gospel. May the words of Jesus found in Matthew, words like the beatitudes, be forever written on our hearts. Lord, how often we labor and are heavy-laden. Let us come to you now and find rest for our souls. Amen.