Matthew

Matthew, also called Levi, worked as a tax collector in Capernaum. Tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews for collaborating with the Roman occupiers and for their reputation for extortion. They were classified with sinners and considered unclean. Yet when Jesus passed Matthew's tax booth and simply said, "Follow me," Matthew immediately left everything and followed.

Matthew's response to his call was to host a great feast, inviting Jesus to dine with many tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with such people, Jesus responded with the immortal words: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick... I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

As an apostle, Matthew would have witnessed all Jesus' ministry, miracles, teachings, death, and resurrection. His background as a tax collector would have made him skilled in keeping records and writing. His Gospel, written primarily for a Jewish audience, emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, frequently citing "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet."

Matthew's Gospel presents Jesus as the rightful King of Israel, beginning with His royal genealogy through David and featuring the Sermon on the Mount as the King's constitution for His kingdom. Tradition says Matthew ministered to Jewish communities outside Palestine and was eventually martyred, though details of his later life are uncertain.