The Christian religion is a great field for study. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ had twelve disciples, followers, apostles. Before meeting with the Savior, each of them lived his own life, fulfilled his duties, and played a certain 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. The Akathist to the Apostle Matthew is read in all churches on Memorial Day - November 16.
Matthew before meeting the Savior
During the Roman Empire, people often had two names. So, the apostle Matthew had another name - Levi. Matthew Levi was the son of Alpheus and the brother of James, another 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. The Jews, like other inhabitants of the territories conquered by the Roman Empire, were obliged to pay taxes to the treasury of the empire. Publicans 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, showing cruelty and mercilessness. One of the publicans was Matthew Levi. Due to his position, he amassed a decent fortune. But Matthew, although he was a publican, still did not lose his human appearance.
How Matthew became a disciple of the Savior and an apostle
Matthew more than once heard the preaching of Christ, who settled in the same Capernaum, and saw the miracles he performed. The call of the Apostle Matthew as a disciple happened due to the fact that the Lord saw how Matthew relates to him, his teaching, saw the readiness to believe and follow him. Jesus, accompanied by people, once left the city and went to the sea. Just to the place where Matthew collected taxes from passing ships. Approaching the future apostle, the Lord told him to follow him. The Apostle Matthew, striving for Christ with his heart and soul, without hesitation followed the Teacher. Matthew Levi, not believing himself that Jesus had chosen him, a sinner, prepared a treat in his house. Everyone was invited to the celebration. Among the people present in the house of the apostle were publicans, as well as all acquaintances 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 by his word. The Apostle Matthew himself confirmed by his example the divine predestination of the Teacher, who said that he had come to save sinners, but not the righteous. The future apostle left all his property and went after the Lord. Soon Matthew was added to the number of the twelve apostles.
Apostle and Evangelist Matthew
Matthew was a faithful disciple. Together with the rest of the apostles, he saw all the miracles performed by Jesus, listened to allpreaching him, accompanied everywhere. Matthew himself went to people, trying to convey to them the teachings of Christ, and thereby giving them the opportunity to be saved.
The apostles, including Matthew, his brother Jacob Alfeev, as well as the apostle Andrew, with a shudder of the heart, saw the arrest of the Teacher, His torment, death, and then - the ascension. After the Lord ascended to heaven, the apostle, along with the rest of the disciples, preached to the people of Galilee and Jerusalem the teaching of Christ - the Gospel. When the time came for the apostles to disperse throughout the world and convey the teachings of Christ to all peoples, 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 the teaching further in writing. Matthew Levi, following the general desire, wrote his Gospel - the Gospel of Matthew.
This was the very first gospel of the New Testament. This book was aimed primarily at bringing the teachings to the people of Palestine, and was written in Hebrew.
Conversion of people to the faith by the Apostle Matthew
After the apostle left Jerusalem, he went preaching 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. (Akathist to the Apostle Matthew is read on the day of his death in Ethiopia on November 16.) In the city called Mirmenah, at the very beginning of his stay in Ethiopia, the holy Apostle Matthew converted several people to the Christian faith, appointed a bishop andbuilt a small temple. He kept praying that the whole tribe would be converted. And once Matthew was on a high mountain in fasting and prayer. God appeared to him in the form of a young man and handed over the rod to the apostle, telling Matthew to stick the rod stronger at the temple. A tree with juicy and tasty fruits was to grow from the staff, and a source of clear water was to appear from the base of the tree. Everyone who tasted the fruit was supposed 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 hinder the apostle, shouting that the apostle wants to destroy them. Matthew cast out demons in the name of Christ. And Fulvian's wife and son followed the apostle, becoming humble.
The miracle performed 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, taste the fruits and drink water from the stream. The apostle stood on a raised platform and began to preach a sermon. All who were nearby believed and were baptized in the water from the source. His wife and son Fulvian were also baptized. Fulvian, who at first regarded the deeds of the apostle with reverence and astonishment, became very angry when he realized that the new faith would turn the people away from idols. And the owner of the city planned to kill the Apostle Matthew.
Trying to grabApostle Matthew
At night, Jesus himself appeared to the apostle, encouraged him, saying that he would not leave him in the torment that Matthew had to go through. When Fulvian sent his warriors to the temple to bring Matthew, they were surrounded by darkness, so much so that they could barely find their way back. Fulvian became even more angry and sent many more soldiers after the apostle. But even those soldiers could not seize Matthew, since the heavenly light that illuminated the apostle was so bright that the soldiers threw down their weapons and fled in horror. Then Fulvian himself, accompanied by 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 this was only the sorcery of Matthew, and not the power of the Lord. Fulvian decided to burn the apostle.
The end of the life of Saint Matthew
Matthew was seized and nailed to the ground by the hands and feet with large nails. By order of the cruel Fulvian, branches, brushwood, sulfur, resin were placed on top, believing that the apostle would burn.
Instead, the flame went out, and the holy apostle Matthew, alive and unharmed, glorified the name of the Lord. Those present were horrified and also praised God. All but Fulvian. By his order, they brought even more branches and brushwood, put the apostle on top, and poured resin over it. Fulvian placed twelve golden idols around the alleged fire, which he worshiped. He wanted to use them to burn Matthew. But Matthew, under a blazing flame, earnestly prayed that the Lord would show his power and ridicule those who still hopedon idols. The flames turned towards the idols and melted them, singing those standing nearby. Then the fiery serpent, escaping from the flames, went towards 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 Saint Matthew with honors, but the apostle offered up a prayer to the Lord for the last time and died.
How Fulvian became Matthew
Fulvian ordered the unharmed body of the apostle to be dressed in expensive clothes, brought to the palace, but doubts in faith made him order to forge an iron ark for the remains and, after soldering it, lower it into the sea. The ruler decided that if God, who saved the apostle from the fire, did not allow the body to drown, then he would believe and give up idols. At night, the bishop saw Matthew, who gave instructions on where to find his relics brought ashore by the sea. Fulvian also went to see this miracle, and, finally convinced of the power of the Lord, he was baptized with the name Matthew. So the calling of the Apostle Matthew by the Lord as a disciple converted an entire nation to the faith.
The deeds of the apostles are invaluable for the development of Christianity. So the apostle Matthew set an example for those around him with his life. The icon with his image will remind every Christian of perseverance and feat in the name of the Lord. The life of the Apostle Matthew is an instructive story for everyone.
