548. St. Matthew

Sept. 21 is the feast of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist. Lessons for the day are from Ezekiel 2:9-3:11, Ephesians 4:7-16 and Matthew 9:9-13. Like many of the previous "Heroes of the Faith" in this current series of hymns, he is mentioned in all four lists of the 12 apostles (Mathew 10, Mark 3, Luke 6, Acts 1). Only Matthew himself specificies "Matthew the tax collector." Also, only Matthew names the tax collector Matthew whom Jesus calls to leave the tollbooth and follow him (Matthew 9), while the parallel accounts in Mark 2 and Luke 5 both name him Levi. They're clearly talking about the same guy, but the name change is never explained.

From Mark 5 we have the additional factoid about Mathew (Levi) that he is the son of Alphaeus, though none of the lists of the apostles pair him with James the son of Alphaeus. The only other biblical mention of Matthew is in the title at the top of his gospel: "According to Matthew." For a character with no spoken lines, he has a lot to say—28 chapters worth.

Matthew's gospel gives us a lot. His genealogy of Jesus (chapter 1) makes a legal argument that Jesus is the heir to the throne of David through Mary's husband Joseph. His account of Jesus' birth also focuses on Joseph, whose revelatory dreams suggest a typological connection with the Joseph of Genesis. Matthew uniquely gives us the Epiphany narrative (the visit of the Magi, chapter 2), which paints the Gentiles into the faith picture. He gives us the story of the boy Jesus visiting Jerusalem and astounding the religious leaders. Despite Mark and Luke's parallel accounts of Jesus' transfiguration, only Matthew gives us the exact words of the voice from the cloud ("This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased") that Peter quotes in his second epistle—which led one of my seminary profs to suggest that 2 Peter could be a preface to Matthew's gospel.

Matthew gives us several extended discourses by Jesus, including the full Sermon on the Mount (Luke's "sermon on the plain" is comparatively condensed) and several unique parables: the tares, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net full of fish, the unmerciful servant, the laborers in the vineyard, the wise and foolish virgins, the talents (Luke's parable of the minas is similar), the sheep and the goats. He gives us the version of the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer more widely used than Luke's. Along with John, Matthew gives us Jesus' words establishing the Office of the Keys (Matthew 16, 18; John 20) and commissioning His disciples to make disciples by baptizing and teaching (Matthew 28). In these and other passages, Matthew's account has been much in the church's ears, on the church's lips and worked out in the church's practices.

Up, idle tongue and pen,
From thieves' and merchants' den!
Tell what God's Son for all has done
To proud, rebellious men.
Where Jesus bids you go,
Rebuke and warn of woe:
Though they refuse to heed the news,
Speak what He bids them know.

Reveal the Savior's grace
To souls of every race:
He bears the due of such as you
And suffers in your place.
He calls unworthy souls
To part with nets and tolls,
Yea, to repent, with pardon sent
To serve His kingdom's goals.

Reveal His healing will
That those not well but ill—
Not Pharisees but sinners—He
Would with His fullness fill.
See, then, with Matthew's eyes,
A calling to baptize,
A word to preach, a world to reach,
A swiftly coming prize.

Up, feeble heart and hands!
Prepare in faithless lands
To toil and die, to edify
A house that firmly stands.
Knit by the truth in love,
Grow up toward Christ above,
Till every mind in Him shall find
A pure and precious trove.

ART: Detail from the Calling of St. Matthew by Vittore Carpaccio, 1502.