SermonS on the Mount ~ prequel #1: Who is this Matthew guy?
So ~ here I go. I am embarking on another series: The SermonS on the Mount. Yup! sermonS! cuz, obviously, I think there were more than one, maybe lots and lots, but in the gospels we get at least 2. One of them is found in the gospel of Matthew and a very different one is found in the gospel of Luke. It is kind of a "well yeah ~ duh!" statement, but I will say it anyway: They are so different because they were written by two different men with two VERY different perspectives and purposes. Neither of these writers call the sermons "The Sermon on the Mount" -- we did that, we readers and commenters, teachers and sermon-givers. It's a catchy name, and catchy names tend to last and get used and re-used and re-used till they stick and become so solid people, almost, think they are scripture. I mean like there was NEVER a day when Jesus got up and said, "Wow! What should I call this new teaching that I am going to give? ... 'How to be a Disciple' NO! 'Blessed, Blessed, Blessed' No NO!! ~ OH! I know: 'The Sermon on the Mount' ! Yeah that will stick!!"
Right?!?
So, I begin with Matthew's sermon. And to begin, I begin with "Who is this Matthew-guy?"
We meet Matthew at the time when Jesus called him to come and follow Him. When we are introduced to Matthew in his own account, Matthew calls himself "Matthew", but Mark and Luke ~ telling the story, call him "Levi."
Matt 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
Mark 2:14
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
Luke 5:27-28
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
There are a couple of interesting things about this for me:
1) Mark calls him "Levi son of Alphaeus". This is the only time that he is called "son of Alphaeus". I had actually never noticed this before I was re-studying Matthew for this blog. Does "son of Alphaeus" sound familiar? It might -- another disciple, James, is the one who is usually called 'son of Alphaeus'. Were they brothers? or relatives of some sort. We don't know ~ scripture doesn't tell us and none of the commentaries I looked at even noted this. In the passage when Jesus chooses THE 12, Matthew gives us detailed information. We are told that Peter and Andrew are brothers. We are told that James the son of Zebeedee and John are brothers.We are not told anywhere about Matthew (Levi) and James, the son of Alphaeus. Since there were two 'James's', likely one was James the son of Zebedee, and one was James the son of Alphaeus. Yeah I get that, but why doesn't Matthew tell us that he also was a son of Alphaeus ? It makes me go "Hmmmm!"
Matt 10:2-4
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter ) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. NIV
Also did you notice that Matthew, in this verse, tells us that he was a tax collector? He doesn't note any other pre-disciple jobs ~ only his. (although he does note that Simon -- not Simon/Peter -- was a Zealot, and that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.) Like he wants us to know his back story so we don't forget what he was called out of. Interesting.
Mark 3:16-19
These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew , Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. NIV
Luke 6:13-16
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew , Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. NIV
Mark and Lukes' designations of the disciples are slightly different as you can see, but neither of them ~ in these verses ~ call Matthew "Levi", and neither of them note that he was a tax collector. Again, "Hmmmmmm".
2) Matthew was a tax collector, often called a 'publican'. These were men who bought a region from a Roman tax collector, paying all the tax that was due in that region, and then getting their money back by charging the people what ever tax they wanted to -- what ever the market would bear, as it were. OF COURSE the people hated them. These men were considered traitors -- men who were Jews, siding with the Romans and extorting their own people.
3) Mark and Luke introduce Matthew as "Levi", at the time of his call from being a tax collector. Was it merely his "family / at home / Jewish" name? Was he called Levi because there was some sort of affiliation with the tribe of Levi? That is, was Matthew from a family of priests? The Levites were the tribe who became the priesthood. (Numbers 3:5-51) If that is the case, becoming a tax collector would have been worse, I think, in the eyes of the Jews. But if he were from the tribe of Levi it would explain why Matthew's is the gospel that references the Old Testament the MOST. Matthew quotes and references the Old Testament again and again and again. Was he trained to go into the priesthood, knowing the Word WELL, and then for some reason he 'went off the deep end' and ended up a tax collector?
This -- Matthew / called Levi / tax collector -- factors, for me, into why Matthew's 'Sermon on the Mount' is recorded the way it is.
More later. (hopefully ~ tomorrow)
Right?!?
So, I begin with Matthew's sermon. And to begin, I begin with "Who is this Matthew-guy?"
We meet Matthew at the time when Jesus called him to come and follow Him. When we are introduced to Matthew in his own account, Matthew calls himself "Matthew", but Mark and Luke ~ telling the story, call him "Levi."
Matt 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
Mark 2:14
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
Luke 5:27-28
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
There are a couple of interesting things about this for me:
1) Mark calls him "Levi son of Alphaeus". This is the only time that he is called "son of Alphaeus". I had actually never noticed this before I was re-studying Matthew for this blog. Does "son of Alphaeus" sound familiar? It might -- another disciple, James, is the one who is usually called 'son of Alphaeus'. Were they brothers? or relatives of some sort. We don't know ~ scripture doesn't tell us and none of the commentaries I looked at even noted this. In the passage when Jesus chooses THE 12, Matthew gives us detailed information. We are told that Peter and Andrew are brothers. We are told that James the son of Zebeedee and John are brothers.We are not told anywhere about Matthew (Levi) and James, the son of Alphaeus. Since there were two 'James's', likely one was James the son of Zebedee, and one was James the son of Alphaeus. Yeah I get that, but why doesn't Matthew tell us that he also was a son of Alphaeus ? It makes me go "Hmmmm!"
Matt 10:2-4
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter ) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. NIV
Also did you notice that Matthew, in this verse, tells us that he was a tax collector? He doesn't note any other pre-disciple jobs ~ only his. (although he does note that Simon -- not Simon/Peter -- was a Zealot, and that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.) Like he wants us to know his back story so we don't forget what he was called out of. Interesting.
Mark 3:16-19
These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew , Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. NIV
Luke 6:13-16
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew , Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. NIV
Mark and Lukes' designations of the disciples are slightly different as you can see, but neither of them ~ in these verses ~ call Matthew "Levi", and neither of them note that he was a tax collector. Again, "Hmmmmmm".
2) Matthew was a tax collector, often called a 'publican'. These were men who bought a region from a Roman tax collector, paying all the tax that was due in that region, and then getting their money back by charging the people what ever tax they wanted to -- what ever the market would bear, as it were. OF COURSE the people hated them. These men were considered traitors -- men who were Jews, siding with the Romans and extorting their own people.
3) Mark and Luke introduce Matthew as "Levi", at the time of his call from being a tax collector. Was it merely his "family / at home / Jewish" name? Was he called Levi because there was some sort of affiliation with the tribe of Levi? That is, was Matthew from a family of priests? The Levites were the tribe who became the priesthood. (Numbers 3:5-51) If that is the case, becoming a tax collector would have been worse, I think, in the eyes of the Jews. But if he were from the tribe of Levi it would explain why Matthew's is the gospel that references the Old Testament the MOST. Matthew quotes and references the Old Testament again and again and again. Was he trained to go into the priesthood, knowing the Word WELL, and then for some reason he 'went off the deep end' and ended up a tax collector?
This -- Matthew / called Levi / tax collector -- factors, for me, into why Matthew's 'Sermon on the Mount' is recorded the way it is.
More later. (hopefully ~ tomorrow)
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