(Read Matthew 10:1-141And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; 4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matthew 10:1‑14))
WE were reading last, in the 9th chapter of the Gospel by St. Matthew, of the day when the Lord called the man who afterward wrote that Gospel, and said to him, “Follow Me.”
Matthew “arose and followed” Jesus.
That was the most wonderful and beautiful day of his life, and he tells us a little more about it, as you will see if you go on reading where we left off, at the 10th verse.
“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.” St. Luke tells us that “Levi made him a great feast in his own house, and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.”
What was once said of the Lord Jesus was quite true. Some who wished to find fault with Him said, “This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” And Jesus Himself tells us that they used to call Him the “Friend of publicans and sinners.”
What should we do, dear children, if that had not been true? If the Lord Jesus had come down from heaven to look for good people, for people who loved God, and who were always kind and true, He never could have found us. But He tells us who they are whom He came to look for, in these words, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The next place in which we read about Matthew is in the 3rd verse of the next chapter, where his name is mentioned among the names of the twelve apostles whom Jesus chose. Apostles were people who were sent forth to do something, or to carry some message. So we read, verses 7 and 8, that Jesus sent these twelve forth to “preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That was their message. They were also to do wonderful things, for He gave them power to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils.”
It was a wonderful day for Matthew when he was chosen by the Lord to be one of His apostles, and was sent forth in His strength to speak His message, and to do such mighty works.
What do we next read about him?
He tells us no more about himself, neither do St. Mark nor St. Luke tell us anything of him in their Gospels; but in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke tells us that, after the Lord Jesus had gone back to heaven, Matthew was among the number of those who were praying in an upper room in Jerusalem. Look at Acts 1St chapter 13th verse.
Then, in the 1St verse of the next chapter, we read that on that day when the Holy Spirit came from heaven, “they were all with one accord in one place,” so we are sure that Matthew was there with the other apostles. Many things are said about his life after this, and some stories are told of the way in which he died. People think that, after preaching for fifteen years in Judaea, he went to Africa, and was there burnt to death as a martyr; but we do not really know anything more about him than what we find in the New Testament. We know that God gave him the great honor of being one of those four men whom He chose to write the four Gospels.
Matthew had been accustomed, before the Lord called him, to write down the sums of money which were brought by the fishermen and others who paid the taxes at Capernaum. But to know how to write, was not enough to make him fit to tell that good story about the Lord Jesus Christ which he has told. We might have thought if he only could remember the gracious words which he had heard the Lord speak, and the wonderful and kind things which he had seen Him do, that would have made him quite fit to write about Him, so that those who had never seen Him, nor heard Him speak, might know something of the words and ways of the Son of God when He was in this world.
But, no; it was not enough that Matthew should have been with the Lord, and have seen His ways and heard His words. In order that he should write his Gospel as God would have it written, it was necessary that God should tell him how to do it. It was necessary that God should tell him the very words in which to write it. When we read the “Gospel according to St. Matthew,” we are reading the very words in which God Himself has been pleased to tell us the good story about His Son, our Lord Jesus.
Do not forget this, my child.
When you open your little Testament, and turn over the leaves, remember that every page is part of God’s own writing about His Son, our Lord Jesus, and that it is because God loves you that He has given you such wonderful words to read, and to keep in your hearts.
Next time we shall read in the 1St chapter of this Gospel which God gave St. Matthew to write. I hope you understand, not only how to read your Testament, but also how to find chapters and verses. If you do not yet know how the chapters come, nor how to read the figures, ask some older person to show you. You will soon find it quite easy.