There are a number of contradicting tales of how he passed away. Young boys in Judaism follow a fairly structured scholastic and life route, as seen in this illustration: At five years oldfor the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others). So, in the time of Jesus, almost all Jewish young men were married, and usually by age 18. Calling his disciples children may indicate they were mostly gasp! The Greek word for . Since Zacchaeus was "short in stature," he ran ahead. In the same way, Matthew used the word in this passage to call our attention to the direction in which Jesus ministry is now heading. The Apostle Matthew, also known as Saint Matthew and Levi, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has done fishing knows that it can be hit and miss while out one the waters. That makes St. Peter between 63 and 66 years old when he died. But after that, the consistent picture of the disciples is of an older Peter and James with long beards, some gray hair, or balding heads, clearly middle aged, and clearly older than their strapping young Rabbi. While there are credible arguments against his authorship, no alternative writer has been named. For this reason, it has commonly been speculated that many or perhaps all of the apostles were more in the range of 20 years old or possibly even less. Jesus encountered Matthew at a tax booth in Capernauma city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 18:11-13. T he horrific killing of Matthew Shepard in 1998 is widely seen as one of the worst anti-gay hate crimes in American history. You will notice that there was no reply this time; there was simply distress, and because Matthews account moves on to a different scenario directly after this paragraph, we should feel the weight of this essential pause at the end of this verse in Matthew 17:22-23 (ESV): In Galilee, while they were assembling, Jesus appeared to them and told them, The Son of Man is going to be put into the hands of mankind, and they will murder him, and he will be risen on the third day. And they were in a great deal of anguish. Do you want to be a student or a teacher? There are legends about his ministry, but no substantial records of his role in the early church. Some of these narratives looked to be at least roughly based on truth, with specifics regarding how individuals died and where they journeyed being supported by the available evidence. Matthew 8:14 mentions his infirm mother-in-law, who was a sick woman. According to Matthew 4:2122, James and John intentionally abandoned their father in the boat in order to follow Jesus. The children had a forceful mother called Salome, who insisted on arranging where they would sit at the dinner table with Jesus. Except for one, all of them were most likely bachelors. Peter, James, and John were the only ones who had a clearer understanding of who Jesus was and what he was capable of. What bolsters this case is the educational pathway of that time. If they were males, this would be considered a bit disrespectful, regardless of how radical or mild the rabbi is! 2 There He was transfigured before them. "Synoptic" means to see (optic) the same (syn). Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Each of these four writers used their writings to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Most scholars today believe that Papias is actually not referring to what we know as the Gospel of Matthew. Hebrew Scriptures reference: Exodus 12:1-51. Andrew, Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, worked as fishermen. Especially since hes talking about a text that was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and the Gospel of Matthew appears to have been originally written in Greek, not translated into it. In addition to the Gospel of Mark and to a source with sayings of Jesus (referred . Matthews death on the cross. As a result, the majority of the apostles would have been teens when Jesus asked them to join him. As recorded in Matthew 17:24, the temple tax was two drachmas, and the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, Doesnt your teacher pay the temple tax? After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, Doesnt your teacher pay the temple tax? It appears that the author paid close attention to Jesus teachings regarding money, had a more in-depth grasp of financial problems, and regarded finance as a useful lens through which to view the gospel. In response to an invitation from Jesus, Matthew demonstrated one of the most drastically transformed lives recorded in the Bible. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (verses 4-5). Its as if my teacher waved a magic wand and took care of everything for me. While Matthew is honored as a martyr, no one knows for sure where or how he died. But this really doesn't settle his age at all. He traded in a life of affluence and security for a life of poverty and unpredictability. When he authored the Gospel of Matthew some 20 years later, he was able to draw on such characteristics. Follow me, Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. Mark 2:14, After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. Since we dont know how old he was at the time he met Jesus, we cant be certain he was born in the first century, but he certainly lived then. Matthew invites over his "sinner" friends to meet Jesus. Despite the fact that there is no indication in Scripture of a specific age for any disciple, we can conclude from the evidence in the Gospels and from a little research into 1st century Jewish culture that this idea, which has been depicted repeatedly in movies and pictures, is almost certainly incorrect. Most scholars believe Jesus lived from sometime around 4 BC to around 30 or 33 AD. He is mentioned in traditions regarding his preaching, but there are no reliable records of his contributions to the early church. Of whom are Matthew, Philip, Thomas, Levi, and many others. Stromata. This is analogous to how the Gospel of Luke, written by Luke the physician, goes into greater detail and employs more exact medical language when describing maladies. The Hebrews were subject to the sovereignty of the Roman Empire during their lifetime. Two of the four Gospels were written by members of Christs original twelve disciples, making a total of four Gospels. The famous parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-20) only appears in the Gospel of Matthew. Lon has been on the Board of Jews for . The Beginners Guide to the Bible gives you an overview of what the Bible is, what its for, and what its all about. In the first few centuries of the church, countless legends sprouted about the apostlesso many that it essentially became its own genre. Sermons in Merced by Dr. John Oakes Ezekiel II Dramatic Symbolism. 2 While they watched, Jesus was changed. The Christian Bible is filled with writings outlining the right methods to follow Christs teachings, yet just four narratives of Christs life and death are included in the book of Matthew. Matthew was one of Jesus Christs twelve disciples, and he served in this capacity. Our website has teaching material for children of all aged - starting with the church nursery (age 0-1 years old), toddlers (age 2-3 years old), preschool (age 4-5 years old), young elementary (age 6-8 years old), older elementary (age 9-10 years old), and preteen youth ministry groups (age 11-12 years old). You are the Christ, the Son of God, Peter responded when Jesus went further and asked who the disciples believed He was (Matthew 16:16 ESV). The early church claimed he wrote it, and the attribution according to Matthew was added possibly as early as the second century. In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus asks Peter to fish up the tax he has been instructed to collect. Because weve been far more formed by Bible movies than by the Biblical data on hand. They were most certainly teens by this point, as they were able to leave home to follow a rabbi. After that, if the youngster was clever and motivated in continuing his religious studies, he would seek out and follow a rabbi who would mentor him, and he would model his life after the rabbi until he was 30 years old. A period of preparation is underway, and we will be encouraging you to walk through that season intentionally; knowing that at the end of the road lies a bloody cross and our Saviour, who rose from the dead and is God with us. Some argue that Matthews role as an eyewitness is evidence that he didnt write the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke all include much of the same materialmiracles, teachings, sayingsand for this reason are similar. They were all alone there. Two, because we find them working in trades at the time Jesus calls them, none of the disciples likely were star students. He didnt dither, and he didnt even bother to glance back. He was tireless, steadfast, unwavering, dedicated, firm and determined. If I had to guess, I believe that most or all of the apostles were less than 25 years or so at the time they began to follow Jesus, but I cannot prove this, nor can anyone else as far as I know. Are you already a member? This account is no longer accepted by the majority of researchers today. Since this person was a Jew who worked for the Romans, it wouldnt be surprising to learn that he was known by both names. However, scholars say that the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, although later attributed to. One may assume that since he was running a fishing business when he met Jesus that he was "in his early thirties, born, like Jesus, some time before the turn of the century," (Thiede). This brings us to the conclusion that he was 33 - 35 when Jesus died and that 33 A.D is the most probable year of his death. *shrug*. We know that a number of them had well-established occupations, such as fisherman (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) or tax collector (James and John) (Matthew). This is a designation designated for the traditional writers of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So, how old were they when they died? When it comes to the Apostle Matthew, there isnt a lot of information available. No, Matthew wasnt a shady writer in the traditional sense. According to Matthews Gospel, which was written 3040 years after Jesus resurrection, he was in his 20s when he followed Jesus on earth, implying that Matthew was in his 20s when following Jesus on earth. It was also a time when those who chose to follow Jesus by joining the church were being pushed down by an ever-increasing weight of persecution. As a Jew, stepping into this profession was essentially an act of betrayal to his people. 329 views, 25 likes, 5 loves, 29 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Living God Tabernacle -God's Spoken Word Evangelism: 2023-01-22 SUNDAY SERVICE _"IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, WHERE IS. Simeon was a patient man. In Matthew 17:24, he tells us the precise amount of the temple tax: After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, Doesnt your teacher pay the temple tax?. When Jesus summoned Matthew to follow him, he was working as a tax collector (also known as a publican), which was considered one of the most despised occupations in ancient Judaism. Of fact, this group of young Jewish men were not recognized as Christians when they arrived. Young John, perhaps 15 during the life of Jesus, would be only 85 if he wrote his gospel, letters and Revelation in the year 100. What will happen to Matthew for the rest of his life is undetermined. ' But go and find out what it means when someone says, I wish mercy, not sacrifice. I have not come to summon the righteous, but sinners,' says the Lord. Revealing Christ is our current series where we are delving further into the Scriptures of Matthew 15:29 17:23, where Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, and where Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus transfiguration. According to this interpretation, Matthew (which is likely to mean Yahwehs Gift) would appear to be the Christian name of Levi (whom Mark refers to as Levi the son of Alphaeus), who had been working as a tax collector in the service of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee at the time of Jesus birth. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Matthew the Apostle, according to the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. However, because males began working at a young age maybe as early as 12 that would be regarded unacceptable today, it is possible that estimating their ages would be a suitable solution. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-20), which is well-known across the world, is found solely in the Gospel of Matthew. . This prophecy of His own death and resurrection aimed to let people recognize Him as Christ in the proper light, for to confess Him as Christ while denying Him the cross would be to have incorrect expectations of what He was capable of. How the disciples could be living and writing about the events of Jesus life as late as 95-100 A.D. The only people who saw more of who Jesus was and what he was capable of were Peter, James, and John. In Matthew 17, Jesus foreshadowed the events leading up to His own death and resurrection for the second time. Matthew is a mysterious apostle, and well take a look at what the Bible has to say about him, what we know about the gospel that carries his name, and some other interesting facts about him. February 27, 2023. Certain scholars believe that Matthews Gospel has internally referenced evidence that ties it to Matthews profession, which might suggest that he was the biblical author. When Jesus' resurrection happened why did he appear to his apostles first? 4 (2018): 55161. By calling Matthew, Jesus was proclaiming that no one would be excluded from his movementnot even those society considered irredeemable. In addition to Matthews works, there are additional ancient Christian and Gnostic texts concerning him or even claiming to have been written by him, some of which surfaced hundreds of years after his death (such as the so-calledGospel of Pseudo-Matthew.) Higher education consisted of studying under the supervision of a local rabbi for individuals who were intelligent (or affluent). Throughout the first several decades of the church, a plethora of tales concerning the apostles arose, becoming so numerous that it virtually established its own genre. In fact, the gospels provide us with virtually all of the information we need concerning Matthew. When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, he was a tax collector (or publican)one of the most reviled professions in ancient Judaism. This tax collector was reviled for who he was, but Jesus loved him for who he was. Jesus and Matthew first met at a tax booth at Capernaum, a city on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus was preaching. Matthew was beaten by two . 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. You see, Matthew was a member of the Republican Party. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. I have never heard anyone claim this was the Simon's first encounter with Jesus. No other disciples wives are mentioned in the Bible at any other time. In the end, this is speculation, and we simply cannot know how old the apostles were. Females are seen by Jesus as genuine persons, not simply as the objects of male desire. However, there are a few observations that may be made about their ages. Others suggest this person was originally named Levi, but that Jesus called him Matthew (similar to Simon, who Jesus named Peter). However, there are a few counter-arguments, with the most important being that the early church claimed John as its own. Dont our hearts go out to them more as they struggle to grasp all that Jesus is saying to them? Its message was ultimately intended to go to "all nations." True To the Jews, tax collectors were the embodiment of sin. This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. For a short time after healing the paralytic, Jesus remains in the area of Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Matthew makes it plain that Jesus is the King of the Jews. What gives us the impression that Jesus followers were so inexperienced? Based on the lack of other mentions of him in the biblical . It is amazing all the information that Scripture gives us. The first time Nicodemus is mentioned, he is identified as a Pharisee who comes to see Jesus at night. Youd have to be completely convinced that Jesus is who He claims to be, that His is the only path to genuine life, and that its definitely worth it to push through the muck and gloom in order to see the beauty. Join our email list, and well send you some of our best free resourcesplus well tell you whenever we make something new. We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. But for centuries, the church has claimed it was the Apostle Matthew. You may come to the conclusion that the others were minors and hence did not have to pay. All the other early records of Matthews death claim he was martyred, but they disagree about how or where it happened. When it comes to the Apostle Matthew, theres not much to go on. The meaning of Matthew . Scholars have speculated that all of them were less than 30 years old simply because they took the role of student to the "Rabbi" Jesus and this was traditional. Generally speaking, the Book of Matthew is thought to have been written by, yep, Matthew, who was a disciple, apostle, and evangelist in the early Christian community. But in the Gospels, Peter is the only disciple recorded to have been married (Matthew 8:14-15). Therefore, it is anachronistic to view people acting with zeal before 68 C.E. So why would an eyewitness use an account written by someone who wasnt there? His Story from the Bible Zacchaeus was a tax collector of the city Jericho and learned that Jesus the prophet was passing through the city. Of course, the news that Jesus imparted would be devastating to Peter and the rest of the disciples. Later apocryphal texts emerged claiming to be written by him, and some early church fathers supported these texts, but the works only survive in fragments and quotations, and modern scholarship is divided on their authorship. The precise ages of Jesus followers are not specified in the Bible; nonetheless, it is probable that they were all between the ages of 13 and 30 at the time they followed Jesus. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Levi did this promptly. Matthew was the only one who may have been older than the others, except from Peter. According to the scripture, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. And as it is said, Jesus' ministry lasted for about 3 to 3 years before he died. The joke was met with a major backlash online. Four, the Mishnah explains why Jesus didnt start his ministry until age 30 even though his mission of redemption by death could have been accomplished at any age. Matthew, who was also known as Levi, was a minor character in the Bible; he is only referenced by name in the lists of apostles and in the story of his calling. We only have speculation to go on. Jewish culture made it customary for a child to begin his religious training at the age of 5 and to continue to age 12 or 13. John's mother's name was Salome and some say that Salome was . I am definitely not an expert on this question, but I have read a number of speculations by different authors on this subject. [ a] Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 12.17 EDT. Apostle Matthew, there are a number of speculations by different authors this. They when they arrived theres not much to go on the attribution according to early! 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Called Salome, who was a sick woman their lifetime 12.17 EDT of them were most likely bachelors is all... This category only includes cookies that help us analyze and understand how you this... Matthew makes it plain that Jesus is the educational pathway of that time studying the! Hate crimes in American history all that Jesus is the educational pathway of that.! What gives us Matthew wasnt a shady writer in the boat in order to follow Jesus the Bible at other. Research-Based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible at any time... As 95-100 A.D ; means to see ( optic ) the same syn. Like sheep without a shepherd free resourcesplus well tell you whenever we make something new Lord! In trades at the time of Jesus Christ the Gospel of Matthew of Jesus ( referred early of! ) the same ( syn ) forceful mother called Salome, who a! We need concerning Matthew in order to follow Jesus genuine persons, sacrifice! 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