Matthew — A Biographical Sketch
Estimated reading time: 4–5 minutes
Matthew was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus and is traditionally associated with the Gospel that bears his name. The New Testament gives only a limited amount of direct biographical information about him, but what it does preserve is significant.
Matthew first appears as a tax collector. In Matthew 9:9, Jesus sees him sitting at the tax booth and says simply, “Follow me.” Matthew rises and follows him. Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 describe a closely parallel calling but identify the tax collector as Levi, leading to the traditional understanding that Matthew and Levi were the same person. Multiple names were common in the ancient world, although the New Testament never explicitly states that Levi and Matthew were two names for the same man.
Tax collectors were widely disliked in first-century Jewish society because they worked within the Roman taxation system and were often associated with corruption, exploitation, and collaboration with foreign rule. Jesus’ choice of Matthew was therefore socially striking. Soon after his call, Jesus ate with tax collectors and others considered sinners, prompting criticism from the Pharisees. Jesus replied that “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” and declared that he had come to call sinners rather than the righteous (Matthew 9:10–13). Matthew’s own calling thus became an illustration of Jesus’ mission to extend grace to those who were marginalized or morally discredited.
Matthew is later named among the Twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2–4; Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:13–16). Matthew’s Gospel notably identifies him as “Matthew the tax collector,” preserving the occupation from which Jesus had called him. He also appears with the apostles in Jerusalem after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:13). Beyond this point, the New Testament gives no further account of his ministry.
Early Christian tradition strongly associated Matthew with the Gospel bearing his name. The early second-century writer Papias, as quoted later by Eusebius, stated that Matthew compiled the logia—a term that may mean “sayings,” “oracles,” or a broader collection of teaching—in a “Hebrew dialect,” and that each interpreted them as he was able. Later writers such as Irenaeus and Origen also connected Matthew with Gospel composition. The precise relationship between this tradition and the canonical Greek Gospel of Matthew remains debated. The Gospel itself does not identify its author by name, and most modern scholars regard its final Greek form as the product of a later first-century setting, often dated approximately AD 80–90, although earlier dates and direct apostolic authorship continue to be defended.
This distinction is important. Scripture clearly identifies Matthew as a tax collector called by Jesus and as one of the Twelve. Early Christian tradition identifies him with Gospel composition. The exact manner in which the apostle Matthew stands behind the canonical Gospel cannot be established with the same degree of certainty.
Later Christian traditions describe Matthew preaching in regions such as Ethiopia, Persia, or areas east of the Roman Empire. Accounts of his death also vary: some traditions describe martyrdom, while others suggest that he died naturally. Because these traditions are comparatively late and inconsistent, Matthew’s later missionary activity and manner of death remain historically uncertain.
Matthew’s lasting importance lies first in his response to Jesus’ call. A man associated with an unpopular and often morally suspect profession left his former life to become an apostle. His story reflects a recurring New Testament theme: Jesus did not choose his followers because of social prestige or religious respectability, but called them into a new life of discipleship.
The Gospel traditionally associated with Matthew likewise presents Jesus as Israel’s Messiah, the Son of David, the authoritative teacher, Emmanuel—“God with us”—and the risen Lord who commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations.
Whatever historical questions remain about the exact process by which that Gospel reached its final written form, the biblical portrait of Matthew himself is clear: he was a tax collector who heard the words “Follow me,” left his former life, and became one of the Twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
This is the format I would now use for Mark and Luke as well, so the four major New Testament figures—Paul, Matthew, Mark, and Luke—read as a consistent biographical series.ition—the author associated with the Gospel that bears his name.
Yet Matthew is also a good example of why historical study requires careful distinctions. The New Testament tells us relatively little about his life, while later Christian tradition supplies much more. Some of that tradition may preserve genuine historical memory; some cannot be independently verified.
A Berean study therefore begins with what Scripture actually says.