FROM TAX COLLECTOR TO HERALD OF THE KINGDOM
(Calling, Conversion, and Fulfillment of the Messiah
Primary Scripture References: Mt 9:9–13; Mt 5–7; Mt 28:16–20; Mk 2:13–17; Lk 5:27–32)
Biblical Identity and Primary References
Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen personally by Jesus Christ. He is identified in the Gospels as the son of Alphaeus and a resident of Capernaum. Levi was his Hebrew name, while Matthew, meaning “gift of God,” was his Greek name. The Synoptic Gospels record his call from the tax booth, and Church tradition unanimously attributes to him the authorship of the first canonical Gospel, written primarily for Jewish Christians.
Historical and Cultural Background
Matthew lived in first-century Galilee under Roman occupation. Tax collectors, known as publicans, were employed to collect imperial taxes on behalf of Rome. They were despised by fellow Jews as collaborators with pagan oppressors and were often associated with dishonesty and extortion. Rabbinic Judaism classified them among sinners and excluded them from religious respectability. Against this background, Jesus’ choice of Matthew as an apostle was socially scandalous and theologically revolutionary.
Detailed Biblical Biography
Matthew was seated at the tax collector’s booth when Jesus addressed him with a simple command: “Follow me” (Mt 9:9). Without hesitation, Matthew rose, left behind his profession, wealth, and security, and became a disciple. In gratitude and joy, he hosted a banquet for Jesus, inviting fellow tax collectors and sinners. This occasion provoked criticism from the Pharisees, to which Jesus responded by affirming His mission to call sinners to repentance. After the Resurrection and Ascension, Matthew preached among the Jewish communities, traditionally for many years, before extending his missionary work to other regions, including Egypt and Ethiopia. According to tradition, he sealed his witness with martyrdom, likely in Ethiopia, around 65 AD.
References in Other Parts of the Bible
Matthew appears in all lists of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Acts 1:13). His former identity as Levi is preserved in Mark and Luke. His Gospel itself is a sustained biblical testimony, heavily grounded in Old Testament citations, linking the Law, Prophets, and Psalms to Jesus Christ.
Jewish Tradition and Understanding
From a Jewish perspective, Matthew’s profession placed him outside religious respectability. His conversion represented radical repentance and restoration. His Gospel reflects deep familiarity with Jewish Scripture, law, messianic expectation, and synagogue teaching, indicating that he addressed Jews wrestling with the identity of Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Catholic Interpretation and Teaching
The Church venerates Matthew as both apostle and evangelist. His Gospel occupies a foundational place in the New Testament canon and in the Church’s liturgy. Catholic tradition holds that Matthew wrote initially in a Semitic language for Jewish Christians, later translated into Greek. His work demonstrates apostolic authority, doctrinal reliability, and catechetical clarity, making it central to Christian teaching and moral formation.
Connection to Jesus, Mary, and Salvation History
Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s history and promises. He traces Jesus’ genealogy through David and Abraham, emphasizing Mary’s virginal motherhood and Joseph’s legal fatherhood. Matthew’s narrative situates Jesus firmly within salvation history as the Messiah-King who inaugurates the Kingdom of Heaven.
Typology and New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew consistently shows how Jesus fulfills Old Testament types: Moses in the Sermon on the Mount, David in kingship, Emmanuel in divine presence, and the suffering servant in His Passion. His Gospel serves as a bridge between the Old Covenant and its fulfillment in Christ.
What Makes This Person Unique
Matthew uniquely transformed professional skills associated with sin into instruments of evangelization. His background as a tax collector equipped him with precision, structure, and legal awareness, which he used to compose a Gospel rich in organization, teaching discourses, and scriptural fulfillment.
Strengths and Virtues
Matthew exemplified obedience, humility, repentance, generosity, and missionary zeal. His immediate response to Jesus’ call and his willingness to abandon wealth reveal deep faith and trust. His Gospel reflects patience, clarity, and pastoral concern.
Weaknesses, Failures, or Sins
Matthew’s former life as a tax collector implies participation in a profession associated with injustice and greed. Scripture records no personal moral failings after his call, emphasizing conversion rather than condemnation.
Lessons for Christian Leadership and Witnessing
Matthew teaches that no past sin excludes one from God’s call. Authentic leadership flows from repentance and obedience. Christian witnesses are called to respond promptly to Christ, to use their talents for the Gospel, and to proclaim Christ faithfully within their cultural context.
Reflection
Matthew’s life reveals the transforming power of grace. He exchanged wealth for wisdom, status for service, and security for discipleship. His Gospel continues to form believers in faith, morality, and mission. Through Matthew, the Church learns that God delights in calling the unlikely and shaping them into pillars of His Kingdom.
Prayer
Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist, who responded immediately to the call of Christ and proclaimed Him as the promised Messiah, intercede for us that we may abandon all that hinders our discipleship, use our gifts for the Gospel, and remain faithful witnesses to the Kingdom of Heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.