The Christian religion is a great field to study. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ had twelve disciples, followers, apostles. Each of them, before meeting the Savior, lived his own life, fulfilled duties, and played a role in society. The life stories of the apostles are extremely interesting. In this article we will talk about the life of the Apostle Matthew. Akathist to the Apostle Matthew is read in all churches on the day of remembrance - November 16.
Matthew before meeting with the Savior
During the Roman Empire, people often had two names. So, the Apostle Matthew also had another name - Levi. Matthew Levi was the son of Alpheus and the brother of James, the other of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Matthew lived in his own house in the city of Capernaum, which was located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jews, like other residents of the territories conquered by the Roman Empire, were required to pay taxes to the treasury of the empire. Tax collectors collected taxes. It is not surprising that people did not like those who held such a position, because very often publicans oppressed the people, abusing their official duties, showed cruelty and mercy. One of the tax collectors was Matthew Levi. Thanks to his position, he made a decent fortune. But Matthew, although he was a tax collector, still did not lose his human appearance.
How Matthew became a disciple of the Savior and an apostle
Matthew more than once heard the sermons of Christ, who settled in the same Capernaum, and saw the miracles he performed. The calling of the Apostle Matthew to the disciples occurred because the Lord saw how Matthew treated him, his teachings, saw a willingness to believe and follow him. Jesus, accompanied by people, once left the city and went to the sea. In time for the place where Matthew collected taxes from passing ships. Approaching the future apostle, the Lord said that he should follow him. The Apostle Matthew, with his heart and soul aspiring to Christ, without hesitation went after the Master. Matthew Levi, not believing himself that Jesus chose him as a sinner, prepared a refreshment in his house. Everyone was invited to the holiday. Among the people present in the house of the apostle were publicans, as well as all friends and relatives. Jesus sat at the same table with tax collectors and sinners, in order to give them a chance to repent and be saved. The Apostle Matthew himself confirmed with his example the divine destiny of the Teacher, who said that he had come to save sinners, but not the righteous. The future apostle left all his possessions and followed the Lord. Soon, Matthew was included among the twelve apostles.
Apostle and Evangelist Matthew
Matthew was a faithful student. Together with the other apostles, he saw all the miracles performed by Jesus, listened to all his sermons, accompanied him everywhere. Matthew himself went to people, trying to convey to them the teachings of Christ, and thereby giving the opportunity to be saved.
The apostles, including Matthew, his brother Jacob Alfeev, as well as the apostle Andrei, with a shudder of heart, saw the arrest of the Master, His torment, death, and then - the ascension. After the Lord ascended into heaven, the apostle, along with other disciples, preached to the people of Galilee and Jerusalem the doctrine of Christ - the Gospel. When it was time for the apostles to disperse all over the world and bring the teachings of Christ to all nations, the Jews, the rest of the disciples and the apostle Andrew, the very first of the called disciples of Jesus, expressed to Matthew their desire to carry on the teaching further. Matthew Levi, following the universal desire, wrote his Gospel - the Gospel of Matthew.
This was the very first gospel of the New Testament. This book was intended primarily to convey the teachings to the inhabitants of Palestine, and was written in Hebrew.
Conversion by Apostle Matthew
After the apostle left Jerusalem, he traveled to preach the Gospel in Syria, Persia, Parthia, Media, Ethiopia or India. Here he tried to convert the wild people of cannibals (anthropophages) with bestial customs and mores into faith. (The Akathist is read to the Apostle Matthew on the day of his death in Ethiopia on November 16.) At the very beginning of his stay in Ethiopia, the holy Apostle Matthew converted several people to the Christian faith, appointed a bishop, and built a small church. He prayed all the time that the whole tribe would be converted. And then one day Matthew was on a high mountain in fasting and prayer. God appeared to him in the form of a young man and handed the rod to the apostle, saying that Matthew would stick the rod more firmly at the temple. A tree with juicy and tasty fruits was supposed to grow from a staff, and a spring with clear water was to appear from the base of the tree. Everyone who tasted the fruit had to become meek and kind, and after drinking from the source, gain faith. The apostle Matthew began to descend from the mountain with a rod, but the demon-possessed wife and son of the owner of the city of Fulvian began to obstruct the apostle, shouting that the apostle wants to destroy them. Matthew in the name of Christ cast out demons. And the wife and son of Fulvian went after the apostle, becoming humble.
The miracle created by the apostle Matthew
In the city, near the temple, the apostle firmly stuck the rod, and a miracle happened in front of everyone.
As the Lord told Matthew, a huge tree grew, unprecedented fruits appeared on the tree, and a stream began to flow from the foot of the tree. People gathered from all over the city to see this miracle, to taste the fruits and drink water from the stream. The apostle stood on a dais and began to preach. All who were near believed and were baptized in water from a spring. The wife and son Fulviana were also baptized. But Fulvian, at first with reverence and surprise for the
deeds of the apostle, was very angry when he realized that a new faith excludes people from idols. And the owner of the city conceived to kill the Apostle Matthew.
Attempts to seize the Apostle Matthew
At night, the apostle himself appeared to Jesus, encouraged him, saying that he would not leave in the torment that Matthew has to go through. When Fulvian sent his soldiers to the temple to bring Matthew, they were surrounded by darkness, so much so that they could barely find the way back. Fulvian was even more angry and sent many more soldiers for the apostle. But even those soldiers could not capture Matthew, since the heavenly light that illuminated the apostle was so bright that the soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in horror. Then Fulvian himself with an escort came to the temple. But suddenly he became blind and began to ask Matthew to have mercy and forgive sins. The apostle baptized the evil ruler. He gained the ability to see, but decided that it was only the sorcerers of Matthew, and not the power of the Lord. Fulvian decided to burn the apostle.
The end of the life of St. Matthew
Matthew was seized and nailed to the ground by the arms and legs with large nails. By order of the cruel Fulvian, branches, brushwood, sulfur, tar were laid on top, believing that the apostle would burn.
Instead, the flame died out, and the holy Apostle Matthew, alive and unharmed, glorified the name of the Lord. Those present were terrified and also praised God. All but Fulvian. On his orders, they brought even more branches and brushwood, put them on top of the apostle, poured resin. Fulvian placed around the alleged bonfire twelve golden idols that he worshiped. He wanted to burn Matthew with their help. But Matthew, under a blazing flame, earnestly prayed that the Lord would show his strength and ridicule those who still relied on idols. The flame turned to idols and melted them, singeing those who stood nearby. Then the
fiery serpent, escaping from the flame, went to Fulvian, who in fear wanted to run away. Seeing the futility of trying to avoid the serpent, Fulvian prayed to Matthew, asking him to save him from death. The apostle extinguished the flame. The ruler wanted to receive St. Matthew with honors, but the apostle last offered his prayer to the Lord and died.
How Fulvian became Matthew
Fulvian ordered the apostle’s unharmed body to be dressed in expensive clothes and brought to the palace, but doubts about his faith forced him to order the iron ark for the remains and, sealed it, put it into the sea. The ruler decided that if God, who saved the apostle from the fire, would not allow the body to drown, then he would believe and abandon the idols. At night, the bishop saw Matthew, who gave instructions on where to find his relics brought by the sea to the shore. Fulvian also went to see this miracle, and, finally convinced of the power of the Lord, he was baptized with the name Matthew. Thus the calling of the Apostle Matthew the Lord as a disciple converted a whole nation to faith.
The feats of the apostles are invaluable for the development of Christianity. And with his life he set an example to those around Apostle Matthew. The icon with his image will remind every Christian of steadfastness and achievement in the name of the Lord. The life of the Apostle Matthew is an instructive story for everyone.