Why did Matt publish that sermon?
So ... my supposition: the proximate cause of Matthew's abandonment of his life as a tax collector could have been Jesus' first Sermon on the Mount. Ok...lets clarify some terms: proximate cause : a cause that directly or with no intervening agency produces an effect abandon: (synonyms: relinquish, renounce) means to give up all concern in something. Abandon means to give up or discontinue any further interest in something because of discouragement, weariness, distaste, or the like: to abandon one's efforts. Relinquish implies being or feeling compelled to give up something one would prefer to keep: to relinquish a long-cherished desire. Renounce implies making (and perhaps formally stating) a voluntary decision to give something up: to renounce worldly pleasures. first I do think that Jesus preached 2 sermons on hill/mountain sides, two sermons that wer...