The Archives Devotional Magazine June 2015 | Page 3

“Saint Matthew”
by Guido Reni, 1621

This month, we’re studying the first half of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 1-11. We
don't know much about the Apostle Matthew, though we do know that he was a tax
collector, his Jewish name was Levi, and he was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. An “apostle”
is someone who believes in or supports an idea. Matthew was one of 12 who followed
Christ throughout his ministry and was then sent out to preach the Gospel. Tax
collectors were some of the most despised people in Israel because they were also
some of the most unethical. These were guys who bought tax franchises from the
Roman Emperor and then took way too much money from people so they could pocket
the change. They were the stereotypical bookies of the ancient world, thugs included.
We can assume then, that Matthew was fairly wealthy. He was also probably good at
keeping records; tax collectors used short-hand when recording and were typically very
orderly, as is evidenced in the way Matthew is written. The Book of Matthew is the
gospel he shared with others throughout his lifetime.