The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle. Originally known as Levi, Matthew encountered Christ while he was working as a collector. Yet, Christ called him to something better. He would follow Christ and write the longest gospel of the New Testament. He also preserved the Jewish tradition as he was concerned about the growing number of Gentiles in the region of Syria.
Through St. Matthew’s gospel, readers and believers would hear the account that begins with the genealogy of Christ and ends with commissioning his apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
Here are five characteristics of his gospel that stand out to the reader
St. Joseph
Like St. Luke, St. Matthew begins with the birth of Christ. Before he goes into the nativity, he gives the readers the full family history of Christ. St. Joseph is mentioned as he is known as “Son of David,” which fulfills the prophecy that a savior will be a descendant of King David.
St. Joseph would also play a role in not just protecting Mary as she travels to Bethlehem to give birth to Christ. He also helped the family escape to Egypt as Herod was seeking to murder Christ and every male two years old and younger.
Kingdom of Heaven
St. Matthew wrote his gospel, which was geared towards a Jewish audience. Out of respect for the Jews, he used references to Jesus as Son of David, Son of Man, and Son of God. His writing was framed around Christ’s teachings, miracles, and parables, reflecting both Jewish law and the emerging Christian church. Often, Matthew wrote Kingdom of Heaven as opposed to Kingdom of God found in other gospels.
Sermon on the Mount
Matthew writes about Jesus’ great teaching moment of faith, as recorded in the Sermon on the Mount. It is during the passage that followers learned the Golden Rule, the Beatitudes, and the consequences of following or not adhering to his commands.
The Beatitudes begin with “Blessed are they…” unlike a version found in St. Luke’s gospel with “Happy are they”.
Confronting Satan and his Three Temptations
At the beginning of chapter four, Jesus wanders the desert for 40 days. He fasts and prays during this time. As he was near the completion, he confronted Satan and his three temptations.
He overcame the temptations of turning stones into bread, jumping from the top of a mountain, and worshipping Satan as God. Jesus did this to overcome the power of Satan and fulfill God’s work that was to come.
Great Commission
After Jesus rose from the dead, he gave his apostles a great task as he ascended into heaven. He first called each of them to “Come, follow me.” As he was to ascend to God’s right hand, his final words for them were, “Go and make apostles.”
St. Matthew, pray for us