Matthew the Publican
He
is mentioned by the name Matthew in five different verses. He is mentioned with
Thomas in Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; and Luke 6:15. He is mentioned with
Bartholomew in Acts 1:13. Matthew 9:9 mentions his call to follow Jesus.
Matthew was his Grecian name. It meant “Gift of Jehovah.” Mark and Luke record
his leaving the position of publican using his Hebrew name “Levi” (Mark 2:14;
Luke 5:27-29).
Matthew
held the office of Publican. A publican was a tax collector for the Roman
government. These individuals were about as respected as tax collectors for the
American government. The Jews hated those who were publicans. The tax
collectors were hates because the collectors were themselves, Jewish. They were
viewed as the Benedict Arnolds of their time period. They were turncoats
against their own people. No one could understand how someone could agree to
exact money from their own people for a foreign government. Publicans were
viewed as very dishonest individuals. This is because they were dishonest
individuals. If there was an opportunity to cheat someone out of more money and
get gain from the transaction, they would. Remember what Zacchaeus said when he
stood before Jesus. “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any
thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” (Luke
19:8) He is, in essence, saying that he will right any wrong he has committed against
his fellow man. Theocritus, a Greek poet, being asked which was the cruelest of
all beasts, answered, “Among the beasts of the wilderness, the bear and the
lion; among the beasts of the city, the publican and the parasite.” It is even
said that the publicans were not allowed to enter into the temple, synagogues,
engage in public prayers, or give a public testimony in a court of justice.
It is unknown exactly where Matthew preacher
later in his lifetime. Some say that he preached in Ethiopia, Persia, or in other
places. While history records the fact that he was martyred, we do not know
how. Some say that he was burned, stoned, or beheaded.
Simon
the Zealot
Simon in mentioned for times in the New
Testament. None of these verses give us any idea of his character. Matthew 10:4
mentioned him as “the Canaanite” and he is mentioned with Judas Iscariot. Mark
3:18 refers to him as “the Canaanite.” This does not mean he was from the land
of Canaan. Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13 give us a better idea of its meanings. In
these two verses he is mentioned as “the Zealote.”
Simon was part of a group who called themselves “The
Zealotes.” Josephus, a Jewish historian, referred to this group as the “fourth
philosophical sect” of the Jews. These were individuals who hated the Roman
government. They thought it was a high crime for a Jew to pay tribute to the
Romans. Judas, a Gaulonite thought that “taxation was no better an introduction
to slavery.” They believed that rebellion was the act of every patriotic Jew.
The group started out well enough with moderate actions but grew to an
extremely violent group of individuals who were thought as being no better than
assassins. In fact, the actions of these men became so extreme that it is
thought by some that the Zealotes were one of the reasons Rome destroyed
Jerusalem in AD 70.
There is not much known about Simon. We do not
know the areas where he preached later in life. We know nothing of his death or
his early life.
These are two men whom Christ chose to be His
apostles. While they are extremely different in character there is much we can
learn from their lives.
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