Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • Matthew Proclaims: ‘The Messiah Has Come!’
    The Watchtower—1981 | November 1
    • Of Matthew, the first of these writers, we know little. However, we can conclude that he was a modest man, for only from his account do we learn that he had been a despised tax collector. (Matt. 9:9) And no wonder tax collectors were despised! For one thing, they represented the Roman yoke where it hurt very much, in the pocketbook! More than that, they were notorious in abusing their prerogatives, becoming extortioners. The words of the tax collector Zacchaeus indicate this. After Jesus had come to his home, Zacchaeus had a change of heart, saying: “Whatever I extorted from anyone by false accusation I am restoring fourfold.” (Luke 19:8) But it seems that there can be little question about Matthew’s having been an honest revenue agent; otherwise Jesus would not have invited him right from his job to be His follower.

  • Matthew Proclaims: ‘The Messiah Has Come!’
    The Watchtower—1981 | November 1
    • Matthew’s previous occupation as a tax collector shows through in his writing. For one thing, he keenly appreciated the great undeserved kindness accorded him as a tax collector to become an apostle of the Messiah. So we find him uniquely recording Jesus’ stressing of the fact that mercy and not just sacrifice are required. Interestingly, only Matthew gives us those comforting words of Jesus that begin with the invitation, “Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you.”​—Matt. 9:9-13; 11:28-30; 12:7; 18:21-35.

      Matthew’s having been a tax collector also shines through in his attention to figures. He alone tells us that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. (Matt. 26:15) Moreover, where others mentioned but one or put things in the singular, Matthew becomes more specific and mentions two or puts things in the plural. (Compare Matthew 4:3; 8:28; 20:29, 30 with Mark 5:2; 10:46, 47; Luke 4:3; 8:27; 18:35-38.) In fact, it seems that Matthew had a fondness for numbers. Thus in chapter six we find him listing seven petitions in the Model Prayer (compared to Luke’s five), seven parables in chapter 13, and seven woes spoken by Jesus against the Jewish clergy of his day in chapter 23. And Matthew breaks Jesus’ genealogy down into three sets of 14.​—Matt. 1:1-17.

      The distinctive features of Matthew’s Gospel also become apparent when we note how his account complements that of Luke. This is but to be expected when we consider how different the thinking of a tax collector is from that of a physician.

English Publications (1950-2026)
Log Out
Log In
  • English
  • Share
  • Preferences
  • Copyright © 2025 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • JW.ORG
  • Log In
Share