Living Sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1-2, ESV). 

At this point in his letter to the Romans, Paul has a major shift in focus, “from instruction to exhortation …. he urges Christians to manifest the power of the gospel in specific areas of day-to-day life…. ‘What God has given to us’ (Rom. 1–11) gives way to ‘what we are to give to God.’ But … what we are to give to God cannot be produced independently of God’s continuing gracious provision.”¹

External Service

The request formula, “I appeal to you” [παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς] (cf. 15:30; 16:17), is a formal feature of the Pauline letter body. Once again he addresses his readers as “brothers” [ἀδελφοί] in an affectionate, familial sense.² The appeal is through [διά] God’s “mercies” [οἰκτιρμῶν]³ (cf. 2 Cor. 1:3), “to present” [παραστῆσαι] (cf. 6:16, 19) “your bodies” [τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν] (cf. 4:19; 7:4; 8:23)⁴ as a “living” [ζῶσαν] (cf. 1:17; 6:10-13; 8:13; 10:5; 14:7-9) “sacrifice” [θυσία]. This is a willing self-sacrifice of the living, in contrast to the old-covenant sacrificial deaths of unwilling animals (cf. 8:20), and “bodies” offered to God are counterpart to the renewed “mind” (v. 2), a transformational offering of the entire self.⁵ The sacrifice is to be “holy” [ἅγιος] (cf. v. 13; 1:7; 8:27)—set apart (different) from the world—and “acceptable” [εὐάρεστος] or “well-pleasing” (cf. v. 2; 14:18) to God.   

The last part of the sentence [τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν] has been variously rendered: (a) “your spiritual service” (ASV); (b) “your reasonable service” (NKJV); (c) “your spiritual worship” (ESV); (d) “your spiritual service of worship” (NASB); (e) “your spiritual act of worship” (NIV 1984); and (f) “your true and proper worship” (NIV 2011). Which rendering most accurately conveys the sense of the text?

The Greek adjective λογικός means “reasonable,” “rational,” or “spiritual,” reflective of the inner self. The noun λατρεία is “service or worship” (BAGD 467), with emphasis on divine service (cf. 1:9; 9:4).⁶ The verb form λατρεύω means to “serve,” especially the carrying out of religious duties (BAGD 467). This is not the same concept as what is communicated by the verb προσκυνέω, which means to “worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to …” (BAGD 716). Paul is not discussing or describing προσκυνέω (“worship”) in this passage; in fact, the word does not appear anywhere in Romans.⁷

Scriptural worship [προσκυνέω] is something that is done purposefully, involving concentration, consideration, and reverence (John 4:20-24; 12:20; Acts 8:27). The intentionality of worship is demonstrated in Acts 24:11, where Paul says he had traveled to Jerusalem “to worship” [προσκυνέω]. Obviously worship is something that is done on purpose; one cannot worship unintentionally or by accident. While we serve the Lord in all that we do (Col. 3:17), not everything we do in life constitutes worship (e.g., reading a novel, sleeping, watching a movie, et al.). When we set aside time and attention for the express purpose of worshiping God, let us do so according to biblical guidelines. In everything else, may we be God’s faithful servants. 

Internal Transformation

The imperative is simple: “Do not be conformed [συσχηματίζω]⁸ to this world [αἰών, ‘the present age’] …”⁹ Instead, with divine assistance available (chap. 8), the objective is to “be transformed” [μεταμορφόω]¹⁰ (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18) “by the renewal [ἀνακαίνωσις]¹¹ of your mind [νοῦς]” (cf. 1:28; 7:23, 25; 11:34; 14:5). 

The concept of renewing the “mind” reaches back to chaps. 7–8, before the extended excursus on Israel’s plight (chaps. 9–11), where the “mind” [νοῦς] is opposed to the “flesh” [σάρξ] (7:23, 25), and “spirit” [πνεῦμα] (7:6) is synonymous with “inner being” [τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον] (7:22), whereby one is able to “determine,” “wish,” or “desire” [θέλω] (7:15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21). In chap. 8 the same contrast continues between “flesh” [σάρξ] and “spirit” [πνεῦμα], with particular reference to walking/living “according to flesh” [κατά σάρκα] and walking/living “according to spirit” [κατά πνεῦμα] (8:1-17), the impetus of which is described with the thinking-feeling-acting verbal φρονέω (“set the mind”) and noun φρόνημα (“‘mind”) (8:5-7).¹² This appears to be the significance of having “the spirit of Christ” (8:9).¹³ If “Christ is in you” (8:10), the old sinful self (“in the flesh”) is replaced by the spirit, character, disposition of Christ with the aim “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (8:29).¹⁴

The Will of God

The “testing” to “discern” [δοκιμάζω]¹⁵ (cf. 2:18; 14:22) or “prove” (ASV, NASB, N/KJV) “the will [θέλημα] of God”¹⁶ is not just a wish for God’s will to be accomplished (1:10; 15:32) but implies that the divine will is knowable because it has been revealed (cf. 2:18). It encompasses all that is “good” [ἀγαθόν] (cf. vv. 9, 21),¹⁷ “acceptable” or “well-pleasing” [εὐάρεστον] (cf. v. 1; 14:18),¹⁸ and “perfect” [τέλειον],¹⁹ but is indiscernible without a renewed mind set on spiritual rather than fleshly things (cf. 8:5-8).²⁰

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Douglas G. Moo, Romans 744-45. 

     ² See also Rom. 1:13; 7:1, 4; 8:12; 10:1; 11:25; 15:14, 30; 16:17.

     ³ Note also the noun “mercy” [ἔλεος] (9:23; 11:31; 15:9) and verbal “show mercy” [ἐλεάω] (9:15-18; 11:30-32; 12:8).

     ⁴ Contrast Rom. 1:24; 6:6, 12; 7:24; 8:10-13.

     ⁵ Cf. Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; 1 Thess. 5:23. 

     ⁶ See John 16:2; Heb. 12:28.

     ⁷ The only biblical record of Paul’s use of the word προσκυνέω (“worship”) is Acts 24:11 and 1 Cor. 14:25.

     ⁸ See also 1 Pet. 1:14, the only other occurrence of this verb in the NT. 

     ⁹ Matt. 12:32; 13:22, 39, 40, 49; Mark 4:19; Luke 16:8; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:21; 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 2:12. Note also the “world” [κόσμος] in Rom. 3:6, 19; esp. the comparable admonition in 1 John 2:15-17.

     ¹⁰ The same word for the Lord being “transfigured” (Matt. 17:2; Mark 9:2). 

     ¹¹ The only other occurrence of this noun in the NT is Titus 3:5. 

     ¹² See K. L. Moore, “Lost in Translation: A Closer Look at the NT Greek Term PHRONÉŌ,” Moore Perspective (15 April 2020), <Link>. “Against those who might object that the abandonment of the law as a code of conduct (cf. 6:14, 15; 7:1-6) leads to license, Paul argues that the gospel itself provides sufficient ethical guidance for Christians. Through the renewal of the mind that the gospel makes possible, Christians can know and do the will of God (12:2) …” (D. J. Moo, Romans 746).

     ¹³ See also 1 Cor. 2:16; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 2:5; 2 Cor. 3:17; Heb. 9:14; cf. Acts 16:7; 1 Pet. 1:11.

     ¹⁴ When we are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), we “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27), i.e., we take on Christ’s character, virtues, and intentions (cf. BAGD 264; A. Oepke, TDNT 2:319).

     ¹⁵ See also 1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5; Eph. 5:9-10; Phil. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:21.

     ¹⁶ While θέλημα is used in the NT in reference to the devil’s will (2 Tim. 2:26) and the human will (Luke 23:25; John 1:13; 1 Cor. 7:37; 16:12; Eph. 2:3; 2 Pet. 1:21), it mostly applies to the divine will (Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; [21:31]; 26:42; John 3:35; Luke 11:2; [12:47]; 22:42; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39, 40; 7:17; 9:31; Acts 13:22; 21:14; 22:14; Rom. 1:10; 2:18; 12:2; 15:32; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:5; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:1, 5, 9, 11; 5:17; 6:6; Col. 1:1, 9; 4:12; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; 2 Tim. 1:1; Heb. 10:7, 9, 10, 36; 13:21; 1 Pet. 2:15; 3:17; 4:2, 19; 1 John 2:17; 5:14; Rev. 4:11). 

     ¹⁷ Also Rom. 2:7, 10; 7:12, 13, 19; 8:28; 10:15; 13:3, 4; 14:16; 15:2; 16:19.

     ¹⁸ On pleasing God, see also Rom. 2:29; 1 Cor. 7:32; 2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10; Phil. 4:18; Col. 1:10; 3:20; 1 Thess. 2:4; 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; Heb. 13:21; 1 John 3:22; cp. Rom. 8:8; 1 Thess. 2:15.

     ¹⁹ This is the only usage of this word in Romans; cf. 1 Cor. 13:10; Jas. 1:4, 17, 25; also Matt. 5:48.

     ²⁰ “What if we could understand the commandments of God as promises of how we will be when transformed by our relationship with Him? …. if you’re struggling with sin, then the answer isn’t stronger will-power and self-control. The answer is a stronger relationship with God. Work on loving Him more. Work on trusting Him more. The right behavior will follow much more easily and naturally…. Let’s present ourselves to God – our whole selves, holding nothing back. Then let Him transform us” (Daniel Gaines, Facebook [7-31-23]).

Related Posts: Rom 11:26-36, Spiritual Service (Rom 12:3-8): Part 1 

Related articles: Patrick Swayne, Where's the Altar for a Living Sacrifice?

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Paul’s Letter to Philemon

     The letter to Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s extant documents, consisting of merely 334 words (comparable in size to an average Greco-Roman letter). It is the most personal of the Pauline writings, addressed to “Philemon the beloved and our fellow worker” (v. 1).¹ While the address also includes, “to Apphia the sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the assembly in your house” (v. 2), it is written almost entirely in the second person singular (“you”) form of address and thus directed to Philemon alone. It is commonly believed that Apphia was Philemon’s wife and that Archippus may have been their adult son. Philemon appears to have been a relatively affluent Christian, as he owned a house large enough to accommodate congregational meetings and was also a slave owner.

     Except among the most liberal scholars, Pauline authorship is not seriously questioned and the letter is counted among his undisputed writings. Even though Timothy is also named in the prescript (v. 1), the forty-two first person singulars with which the document is written distinguishes Paul as the sole author (note v. 19), leaving no room for Timothy in the letter’s composition, unless, of course, he served as amanuensis.²

     The Philemon epistle was composed while Paul was incarcerated (vv. 1, 9, 10, 13, 23), likely during the two years he was confined to house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:16-31). A comparable timeframe with Colossians is presupposed by the close relationship between the two documents. In both letters Timothy is named as co-sender, while reference is also made to Epaphras, Archippus and Onesimus (Col. 1:7; 4:9, 17; Philm. 2, 10, 23). In both letters Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke are included as the apostle’s immediate companions (Col. 4:10, 14; Philm. 24).

     Since Paul was expecting potential release in Philm. 22, with no indication of such in Colossians, the Philemon epistle was probably drafted in early 62 after Colossians. In Colossians, Paul's appeal for prayers involved a petition for evangelistic opportunities in view of his "chains" (Col. 3:3), whereas in Philemon the prayer request included his anticipated release. Paul’s letter to Philemon would have been sent to the city of Colosse, seeing that Epaphras was associated with the Colosse church (Col. 1:7; 4:12) and acquainted with Philemon (Philm. 23), and Onesimus was Philemon’s slave (Philm. 15-16) and a resident of Colosse (Col. 4:9).

     The traditional view is that Onesimus was a runaway slave who encountered Paul in Rome (cf. W. Barclay, Letters to Timothy, Titus, Philemon 269-76). But it has also been suggested that Onesimus may have already known Paul and sought him out for help after having gotten into trouble with his master (cf. J. D. G. Dunn, Colossians and Philemon 301-304). An alternative proposal is that Onesimus was the messenger of Philemon’s house church who delivered financial aid to the imprisoned apostle and overstayed his visit (cf. S. C. Winter, “Paul’s Letter to Philemon” NTSup 33 [1987]: 1-15).

     According to recent studies of ancient Roman slavery law, it “was a legally recognized practice for a slave who had incurred his or her master’s wrath to flee to one of the master’s trusted associates to plea for his intervention and protection. The associate then served as a kind of official mediator, who would try to smooth out differences that had arisen through misunderstanding or even malfeasance” (B. D. Ehrman, The NT: Historical Introduction 353-54). It is interesting that in the opening of this epistle Paul does not describe himself as a doulos (“slave”) of Christ (as in Philippians 1:1), perhaps because of the sensitive issue he is addressing.

     Slavery in the Greco-Roman world was practically viewed as an economic necessity, incomparable to the harsher forms in other times and societies. Different kinds of slavery co-existed, and one must be careful not to make presumptuous generalizations. The domestic house slaves were much better off than those working in the fields or mines. A slave middle class consisted of skilled craftsmen, secretaries, educators, and medical practitioners.³

     The apostle urges a new relationship between Philemon and Onesimus, but he stops short of demanding emancipation. Elsewhere Paul encourages Christian slaves who could legally obtain freedom to take advantage of this opportunity, but otherwise their situation in life was to be accepted and used to the glory of God (1 Cor. 7:17-24). A Christian slave was still free in Christ (cf. Gal. 5:1), just as a free Christian was Christ’s slave (1 Cor. 7:22). Paul taught obedience for slaves and fairness for masters (Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22–4:1). Nevertheless, the principles of Christianity (cf. Gal. 3:28) were to mitigate the harshness of slavery and would eventually lead to its demise.

     Within this brief epistle to Philemon the providential working of God is clearly evident, even though the details cannot be identified specifically (v. 15). We are thus reminded that God’s will is going to be accomplished despite our human shortsightedness and our clumsy, ignorant, fallible ways. The gospel molded an unprofitable slave into a useful, trustworthy servant (vv. 11-13), and the divine message and its transforming power remain unchanged. If brotherhood can be fostered between an irresponsible slave and his frustrated master (vv. 15-16), imagine how Christ can impact any of our less-than-ideal relationships.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ All scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² Perhaps Timothy was brought into the picture to add support to what Paul was about to say, while Apphia and Archippus may have been included in the address as a subtle way of pressuring Philemon to comply with Paul’s request (J. Murphy-O’Connor, Paul the Letter-Writer 53). Timothy was from that general vicinity and could have been acquainted with Philemon.

     ³ Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke observe: “The dividing line between slaves and free persons was not always sharply drawn or easily recognized …. Often a reasonably rich man’s slave was better off than a poor citizen in possession of all civil rights …. Among ancient slaves there were highly intelligent and well-trained people who did qualified work and had – especially in Paul’s day – a fair chance of being eventually manumitted and/or of marrying into the owner’s or another free person’s family …. in many respects an ancient slave’s treatment was better and his life conditions more secure than those of a nineteenth-century factory worker” (The Letter to Philemon 3-4).

Related Posts: Paul's Prison Epistles, Colossians Part 1, NT Context: Households & Slavery

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The Twelve Apostles (Part 12): Simon Zelotes

     Simōn is the Greek form of the Hebrew Sumeōn (Simeon), the name of the second-born son of Jacob and Leah, meaning “he has heard” (an implicit allusion to answered prayer; cf. Gen. 29:33).¹ One of the two apostles who wore this name, to distinguish him from Simon Peter, is labeled “zealot" (Greek zēlōtēs) by Luke (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Matthew (10:4) and Mark (3:18) employ the more obscure Aramaic qualifier Kananaios (from Kananitēs), which is rendered in many English versions as "Cananite." This could indicate that Simon was from Cana of Galilee,² but the term is more likely derived from the Hebrew qana, meaning “zealous” or "zealot."

     Why this particular moniker is appended to Simon’s name is uncertain. Perhaps it was indicative of his great enthusiasm and intensity.³ The tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church is that Jesus’ first miracle in Cana (John 2:1-11) was at Simon’s wedding, after which Simon’s burning zeal as a follower of Christ became most evident. But it is hard to imagine that he was significantly more zealous than every one of his colleagues, especially the other apostle Simon.⁴ Moreover, there were numerous occasions when this description just would not have been applicable.⁵

     Alternatively, he may have been a member of the infamous Zealot faction – the freedom fighters engaged in the Jewish resistance against the Romans. The fact that fellow-apostle Matthew maintained a less-than-flattering title from his former life (Matt. 10:3) lends credence to this idea. Jesus drew his immediate followers from the region of Galilee, which was the birthplace of the Zealot movement (cf. Acts 2:7; 5:37; Josephus, Ant. 18.1.1, 6).⁶

     According to the mid-second century Gospel of the Ebionites, Simon Zelotes was called by the Lord at the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee) around the same time as James, John, Simon [Peter], Andrew, Thaddaeus, Judas Iscariot, and Matthew. Seeing that the Zealots were vehemently opposed to the Romans and their collaborators, including those who gathered government taxes, it would have been interesting to see how Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector reacted toward one another when first brought together. The only thing we know for sure is that under Jesus’ influence and tutelage, they were unified co-workers, laboring side by side in the Master’s service.

     Simon sincerely believed in Jesus (John 2:11) and acknowledged him as God’s Son (Matt. 14:33). Simon left his dubious past behind to be a loyal disciple (Luke 10:28), exchanging his sword of hostility for the sword of the Spirit (cf. Eph. 6:17). He faithfully proclaimed the gospel of God’s kingdom (Luke 9:1-6) and baptized penitent believers (John 4:2). Following Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, Simon continued faithfully proclaiming the gospel of God’s kingdom and baptizing penitent believers (Acts 2:14-41; 4:29; 6:4, 7; etc.).

     After Simon’s departure from Jerusalem, traditions about him vary. He reportedly preached in Egypt before partnering with Thaddaeus Judas (identified in several Old Latin manuscripts as “Judas Zelotes [the zealot]”).⁷ They are believed to have labored together in Persia, Armenia, and Beirut (Lebanon) of Syria and were both killed with an axe in the year 65 in Beirut.⁸ It has also been alleged that Simon journeyed to the Middle East and Africa and then died by crucifixion in Jerusalem or Samaria. Other traditions claim that he was sawn in half in Suanir, Persia, or perhaps martyred in Caucasian Iberia (Weriosphora) or Britain (Caistor). Another version is that he died peacefully in Edessa.

     If Simon had in fact been involved in the fierce Zealot movement, he went from a life of bitterness and bloodshed to a very different way of destroying his enemies …. winning them over as brothers. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). Consider further what happens when a first-century Jewish insurgent is joined to a collaborator with Rome. One would naturally expect hatred, resentment, hostility and strife (cf. Mark 15:7), but when the Lord Jesus Christ is involved, extraordinary things can happen.

     “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! …. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:15, 24).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ See The 12 Apostles (Part 2): Simon Peter, and Jesus Called Him "Peter" Only Twice.

     ² This is how Jerome (347-420) interpreted the designation, although Kanaios would have been the more appropriate term had this been the case. The renderings “Canaanite” (KJV) and “Cananean” (RV) are also used. Some have attempted to identify the apostle Simon as Jesus’ brother Simon (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3). But this is most improbable, seeing that the Lord’s brothers did not believe in him as the Christ even after the twelve had been appointed (John 6:67; 7:5). Others have equated him with Nathanael (John 1:45) or with the son of Cleopas/Alphaeus and the brother of James son of Alpheus (Mark 3:18).

     ³ Cf. Acts 21:20; 22:3; 1 Cor. 14:12; Gal. 1:14; Tit. 2:14.

     ⁴ See The 12 Apostles (Part 2): Simon Peter, Jesus Called Him "Peter" Only Twice, The Tough Love of Jesus, and Christ's Inner Circle.

     ⁵ E.g. Matt. 14:26; 16:8; 17:19-20; Mark 4:40, 41; 6:50; 9:32; 10:32; 16:11-14; Luke 8:25; 9:45; 24:11, 37, 38; John 6:19; 20:19.

     ⁶ See The 12 Apostles (Part 1), and Ancient Terrorists.

     ⁷ See The 12 Apostles (Part 11): Thaddaaeus Judas. 

     ⁸ This is a very late tradition, attributed to Jacobus de Voragine’s medieval Legenda aurea or Legenda sanctorum (the Golden Legend, ca. 1260).

Related Posts: Ancient Terrorists, The 12 Apostles (Part 1)

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The Twelve Apostles (Part 9): Matthew Levi

     The apostle Matthew is also known as Levi, son of Alpheus (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27),¹ whether Levi is a personal name or a tribal designation.² The name Matthew (Hebrew Mattityahu, Greek Matthaios) means “Gift of Yahweh.”³ He was a telōnēs (tax collector or revenue officer) from Capernaum in Galilee (Matt. 9:9; 10:3), probably gathering revenue for the tetrarch Herod Antipas.⁴ “There was never a more unlikely candidate for the office of apostle than Matthew” (W. Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew 1:329).

     The story of Matthew’s call to discipleship is documented in Matt. 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; and Luke 5:27-32. He was afforded the opportunity to hear Jesus preaching near the coast of the Sea of Galilee, where the tax office was located. Having accepted the invitation to join the Lord’s band of followers, Matthew hosted a banquet in his house for the Lord (Luke 5:29), perhaps functioning as a going-away celebration for Matthew’s upcoming adventure as an apostle. Other tax gatherers were present along with a group described as hamartōloi (“sinners”).⁵ The Lord’s justification for associating with these dodgy characters was threefold: (a) like a physician aiding the sick, these were precisely the type of persons he ought to have consorted with; (b) it is God’s desire to extend mercy to those who need it (Hosea 6:6); and (c) Christ’s message of repentance (cf. Matt. 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41) is exactly what sinful people need to hear (Matt. 9:11-13; Luke 5:32). Thanks to Matthew’s extensive connections and his intermediary role, a number of tax collectors and sinners became penitent followers of Jesus (Mark 2:16).

     Matthew is one of only two apostles to have authored a Gospel,⁶ and his humble character is indirectly revealed therein. The host who gave the feast for Jesus is not identified by Matthew (9:10), whereas Luke explicitly (5:29) and Mark implicitly (2:15) recognize Matthew [Levi] himself as the host. In the listings of the apostles according to Mark and Luke, “Matthew and Thomas” appear as the fourth pair, whereas the order is reversed in Matthew’s record. And it is only in Matthew’s list that reference is made to “Matthew the tax collector” (10:3), which is intriguing, seeing that tax collectors were particularly despised among the Palestinian Jews of his day (see 5:46, 47; 9:10-11; 11:19; 18:17).⁷ This would be comparable to Paul’s recollections of his own sordid past (Acts 22:4; 1 Cor. 15:9; 1 Tim. 1:13; etc.), which served to deepen his appreciation of God’s grace while motivating him to continued faithfulness in the service of Christ. Matthew knew firsthand what it was like to be detested, disparaged, and ostracized as an outcast in orthodox Jewish society but still accepted and loved by the Lord anyway.

     Considering his background, Matthew would have been accustomed to writing and reasonably fluent in both Aramaic and Greek. This would explain the “Jewishness” of his Gospel, his proficiency in the Greek language, and his attention to detail.⁸ In the dispute over paying taxes, Mark (12:15) and Luke (20:24) use the common term dēnarion, whereas Matthew alone (22:19) uses the more precise nomisma (state coin), indicative of a tax gatherer’s experience. A number of financial transactions are depicted in Matthew’s Gospel (17:24-27; 18:23-35; 20:1-16; 26:15; 27:3-10; 28:11-15).

     Beyond his ministry in Judea, there is no definitive record of where else Matthew labored for the Lord or how he died. It is commonly believed that he went on to preach the gospel in other countries and eventually suffered death as a martyr (cf. Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.24.6). William Barclay observes, “He lost a comfortable job, but found a destiny. He lost a good income, but found honour. He lost a comfortable security, but found an adventure the like of which he had never dreamed” (The Gospel of Matthew 1:331).

     As an apostolic representative of God’s Son, surely Matthew was a dubious candidate. But Matthew went on to prove that no one is incapable of meaningful transformation under the influence and guidance of Jesus Christ. Matthew’s disreputable past neither kept him down nor held him back. In fact, the following sentiment from Paul could just as easily have been written by Matthew: “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle …. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain …” (1 Cor. 15:9-10 NKJV).

     Despite the aberrant lifestyles and seedy reputations of Matthew’s friends and associates, by introducing them to Jesus, Matthew contributed to lives being changed, souls being saved, and the Lord’s flock increasing. Through the Gospel he penned, Matthew has aided generations of readers in getting to know Jesus, coming to adore Jesus, and obeying all things that Jesus has commanded (28:20). Truly Matthew is a “Gift of Yahweh”! If God can love, transform, and effectively work through a loathsome tax collector like Matthew, imagine what he is capable of doing with you and me.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Since Matthew is called “Levi the son of Alphaeus” in Mark 2:14 (cf. Matt. 9:9; 10:3), it is possible that he was the brother of James the son of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18), but this is not certain since Alphaeus was a fairly common name. If the connection is valid, Matthew’s mother was Mary and he had another brother named Joses or Joseph (Mark 15:40).

     ² Cf. Neh. 11:15-17. R. T. France comments, “a Levite turned tax-collector might expect to earn the special disdain of his more orthodox fellow-Levites, and so be liable to record with greater emphasis Jesus’ conflicts with ‘orthodoxy’, as much for his own self-defence as for the guidance of other potential converts” (The Gospel According to Matthew [TNTC] 33).

     ³ See 2 Kings 24:17; Neh. 11:17, 22; cf. 1 Chron. 9:31; Neh. 8:4; Acts 1:23.

     ⁴ Since Matthew’s tax office was by the sea (Mark 2:13-14), he could have been involved in the taxation of fishermen (and potentially acquainted with Simon, Andrew, James and John), or he may have served as a customs official taxing goods that arrived in Herod Antipas’ territory. Following the death of Herod the Great, Antipas became tetrarch of the combined territories of Galilee and Perea, reigning from 4 BC to AD 39. See Jesus on Divorce & Remarriage: Contextual Insights.

     ⁵ These might have been Jews who were not diligent students and practitioners of the law and traditions (cf. John 7:49).

     ⁶ See Authorship of NT Gospels; also K. L. Moore, A Critical Introduction to the NT 60-63. “It was the Gospel that made Matthew famous, and not the other way around” (J. P. Lewis, The Gospel According to Matthew 1:12).

     ⁷ In the Synoptics those who held the position of ho telōnēs were “not holders (Lat. publican) of the ‘tax-farming’ contracts themselves, but subordinates (Lat. portitores) hired by them; the higher officials were usu[ally] foreigners, but their underlings were taken fr[om] the native population as a rule. The prevailing system of tax collection afforded the collector many opportunities to exercise his greed and unfairness. Hence they were particularly hated and despised as a class . . . . The strict Jew was further offended by the fact that the tax-collector had to maintain continual contact w[ith] Gentiles in the course of his work; this rendered a Jewish tax-collector ceremonially unclean” (BAGD 812).

     ⁸ See Matthew's Audience and Authorship of NT Gospels.

Related Posts: The Lineage of Jesus According to Matthew, The 12 Apostles (Part 1), Matthew's 'Two' Vs Mark & Luke's 'One' 

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