John Bengel Commentary - Matthew 9:9 - 9:9

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John Bengel Commentary - Matthew 9:9 - 9:9


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Mat 9:9. Ματθαῖον, Matthew) A Hebrew by nation, and yet a publican. In St Mark and St Luke, he is called Levi.[402] It is possible that Matthew did not like the name which he had borne as a publican.-καθἡμενον, sitting) actually employed in the business of his calling. And yet Matthew followed. A great miracle and example of the power of Jesus. A noble instance of obedience[403] [productive of eternal joy.-V. g.]

[402] J. D. Michaelis, Einleitung T. ii. p. m. 932, etc., conjectures that Levi was the chief of the publicans, and Matthew his subordinate assistant. But it is not likely that either Matthew, consistently with his modesty, would have omitted to record the obedience of Levi to the Lord’s call-Levi being, by the hypothesis, Matthew’s principal and also host at the large entertainment given on the occasion-or that Mark and Luke should have omitted the call of Matthew, who was more distinguished than Levi on account of his apostleship. It is no objection, that Matthew is not mentioned by the men of Nazareth. Mat 13:55. among the four sons, i.e. sister’s sons of Mary: for not even Levi (who in Mar 2:14 is explicitly made the son of Alpheus) is reckoned among those four. What suppose we say that Levi, or Matthew, was the son of Alpheus though not by Mary, but by a different wife, and so connected with the Saviour by no tie of blood. At all events, the very etymological root of the names seems to establish the identity of the persons. For לוי (Levi) is from לוה adhered, attached to, and מַתָּיַ or מַתַּתָּי (Matthew) is from the Arab word מהת, he formed a tie of connection or propinquity. Moreover: in the same way as Saul, from that period of time in which, after being solemnly set apart to the work of preaching, he gained over Sergius Paulus as the first-fruits of his mission, and so became superior to Barnabas, was distinguished by the name of Paul, even by Luke himself (Act 13:2; Act 13:9): so also Levi (Luk 5:27), from the moment in which by solemn election he was enrolled among the Apostles, obtained the name of Matthew even in Luke (c. Luk 6:15). These considerations will enable the reader to decide the question.-E. B.

[403] This may be supposed to have been the series of the events: Matthew a short while before went to Jesus as a publican, and even then, at that early time, beyond all that he could have conceived, was called to the apostolic office, Mat 5:1, Luk 6:15 (comp. Num 11:26): whereby is evinced the extraordinary clemency of the Saviour towards this publican, thus selected out from the rest of his fellows. He was present, as an apostle freshly-appointed, at the Sermon on the Mount: where there is no doubt but that the words, Do not even the publicans the same? recorded by Matthew himself. ch. Mat 5:46. made the deepest impression on his mind. He did not, however, on that very day commence following the Lord daily, but had still some occupation in levying taxes, therein without doubt being observant of that righteousness which is commanded in Luk 3:13. There was, on the part of the Jews, a great abhorrence of publicans, even though they were themselves Jews; and it is to this abhorrence that the Saviour adapted His language. Mat 18:17. However, the publicans were not altogether excluded from the temple, whether they had the same degree of access to it open to them as the Pharisees had, or an access more remote: Luk 18:13. John admitted the publicans to baptism, on condition that, in the discharge of their office, they would allow themselves to be stirred up to the duty of justice: nay more, not even did the Saviour command them altogether to leave their employment, but to “make to themselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness.” Luk 15:1; Luk 16:1; Luk 16:9. Neither Christ nor His fore-runner were bound by the Jewish traditions, which excluded publicans from church-communion. And besides, it is probable that the Jews, from malice against Christ, subsequently established more severe enactments as to publicans. Accordingly Matthew, being called to the apostleship, and not as yet at that time ordered to leave the receipt of customs, may have discharged this duty up to the time that he was called to follow Jesus. But if Matthew did the same as Zaccheus, before his conversion, he was in duty bound to make amends to those whom he had defrauded on the same principle as Zaccheus, or even to compare and make up ail accounts whatever with the other publicans. Jesus, therefore, when he saw him sitting at the receipt of custom, saith. Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. Independently of the general crowd of hearers and disciples, coming to Him and going away from time to time, Jesus admitted certain followers to daily intimacy (Luk 9:59; Luk 18:22; Act 1:21), and twelve apostles, i.e. extraordinary messengers of the kingdom of heaven. Peter and Andrew, James also, with John, were made followers before that they were made apostles: Matthew was called to the apostolic dignity sooner than he was admitted to the intimacy of daily following the Lord, although not even this could have been put off for long, and in matter of fact was not delayed for more than a few days. At all events, he was not present in the journey to the country of the Gergesenes, who perhaps knew him well as a publican; but he may have been a spectator of the other acts of the Lord at Capernaum previous and subsequent to that journey. Even though he were ever so much behind the other apostles in following Christ: yet he followed soon enough for attaining the object proposed, as an apostle, Act 1:21.-Harm. 281, etc.