Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

The Call of Matthew

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus, Temple of Mercy

“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

Matthew 12:6-8

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Friend of Outcasts

“Your network is your net worth,” quips marketing expert Porter Gale. Who does Jesus hang out with? The Pharisees judged the young rabbi based on his choice of dining companions. In ancient Jewish culture, sharing a meal signified friendship and covenant bonds. Reclining at table with “tax collectors and sinners” was unthinkable. Yet Jesus chose Matthew, the reviled tax collector, to join his intimate circle of disciples. 

Divine goodness, embodied in Jesus, mercifully transformed all who came into his contact. While ordinary rabbis avoided defilement by association with outcasts, Jesus touched them and made them whole. 

Centuries earlier, the prophet Hosea condemned the Israelites for their hypocritical burnt offerings. Jesus supplanted the temple sacrifices by the oblation of himself for sinners.

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 (NKJV)

Traditional Chinese Translation

《聖馬太，使徒暨傳福音者》
 耶穌呼召馬太，“來跟從我”—
 上帝真實的聖殿和慈悲的祭司。