WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MATTHEW:
• WROTE THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
• REFERRED TO AS LEVI
• SON OF ALPHAEUS
• A TAX COLLECTOR
• THREW PARTY WITH JESUS AND OTHER “SINNERS”
• ONE OF THE 12 APOSTLES
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SIMON:
• A ZEALOT
• ONE OF THE 12 APOSTLES
• ONLY APPEARS IN THE LIST OF THE APOSTLES (MATT 10:3; MARK 3:18; LUKE 6:15; ACTS 1:13)
Matthew 9:9-13 - As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him. 10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Tax Collector
In all likelihood, none of the Twelve was more notorious as a sinner than Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector—a publican—when Jesus called him. That is the last credential we might expect to see from a man who would become an apostle of Christ, a top leader in the church, and a preacher of the gospel. After all, tax collectors were the most despised people in Israel. They were hated and vilified by all of Jewish society. -John F. MacArthur Jr., “Twelve Ordinary Men”
The Zealot
Simon was apparently at one time a member of the political party known as the Zealots. The Zealots hated the Romans, and their goal was to overthrow the Roman occupation. They advanced their agenda primarily through terrorism and acts of violence. The Zealots were extremists in every sense. Like the Pharisees, they interpreted the law literally. Unlike the Pharisees (who were willing to compromise for political reasons), the Zealots were militant, violent outlaws. They believed only God Himself had the right to rule over the Jews. And therefore they believed they were doing God’s work by assassinating Roman soldiers, political leaders, and anyone else who opposed them. They were red-hot patriots, ready to die in an instant for what they believed in. -John F. MacArthur Jr., “Twelve Ordinary Men”
JESUS UNIFIES WHAT THE ENEMY DIVIDES.
YOUR POLITICAL AFFILIATION IN NO WAY DETERMINES OR CONFIRMS YOUR FAITH, SALVATION OR DESIRE TO FOLLOW JESUS.
SHARING YOUR POLITICAL AFFILIATION WON'T LEAD OTHERS TO JESUS. SHARING YOUR DEVOTION TO FOLLOW JESUS WILL LEAD OTHERS TO HIM.
1 John 2:17 - The world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
4 RELIGIOUS PARTIES OF JESUS DAY:
• PHARISEES (RIGID RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST)
• SADDUCEES (RICH & ARISTOCRATIC RELIGIOUS LIBERALS)
• ESSENES (RELIGIOUS CELIBATE HERMITS)
• ZEALOTS (AGGRESSIVE RELIGIOUS FANATICS)
WHICH OF THE DISCIPLES DO YOU RELATE TO?
• Matthew the Deserter
• Simon the Religious Fanatic
• Peter the Denier
• Thomas the Doubter
• Judas the Betrayer
Matthew 9:11-13 - "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
