Who Was Matthew?

To provide context to one of the most mysterious yet famous figures in the Bible, it’s important to note the political climate. During New Testament times, the Roman government held the Jews under an iron thumb, and publicans were the tax collectors who worked for the oppressive system. As such, they were ardently despised by the Jews. Any Jew who became a publican was considered a traitor to the faith and culture. So notorious were the publicans that of the 22 times that they are mentioned in the New Testament, at least half put them in a bad light and/or group them with sinners, harlots, or heathens. They were their own category of evil.

From this hated occupation came the apostle Matthew, also called Levi. Indeed, Jesus called Matthew to follow while the latter was in the middle of doing his job. Immediately, Matthew “left all” and obeyed.

What Set Him Apart?

Christ Ordaining the Apostles (Christ Ordaining the Twelve Apostles), by Harry Anderson. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

As far as we know, the other apostles hailed from lowlier vocations. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, of course, were fishermen.  Matthew was likely alone in his more politically prestigious background. On top of enduring the derision of his Jewish peers, he was present for at least three instances in which the Lord Himself negatively generalized publicans. Although the Lord pointed out that some publicans may be more righteous than the Pharisees, He nevertheless implied their status as horrendous sinners by making such a comparison. In justifying His dinner with “publicans and sinners” by explaining that He was a physician for the sick, He also admitted that He considered the publicans among the most spiritually infirm.

Each of the instances in which the Lord spoke of publicans with low regard was recorded in the gospel that Matthew himself wrote. In fact, his writings rival only Luke’s regarding the number of times that publicans are brought up. On the other hand, there is no record of Matthew ever interrupting the Lord to say that not all publicans are that bad. He didn’t try to defend himself or anyone else in his line of work. There’s no evidence that his ego was wounded. Not even in Matthew’s own gospel exists a hint of his discontent.

The Life-Changing Question

When Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, they all asked, “Is it I?”—Matthew included. Surely, however, it was not the first time Matthew had to say these words. It seems we can assume that he simply nodded and accepted the Lord’s criticism of the people in his line of work, focusing less on taking personal offense and more on asking himself, “Is it I?” That is, “Am I part of the problem that the Lord is describing? How can I rise above it?”

In Remembrance of Me, by Walter Rane. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library. This painting depicts Christ’s last supper before His crucifixion, the scene in which His apostles all wondered aloud if they would be the ones to betray Him.

Later, Matthew penned the book that became the first of the four gospels included in most versions of the Bible. This man, who was rejected by his fellow Jews solely for his profession, is known for having written specifically with the Jews in mind, mentioning numerous references to Old Testament prophecies in order to convince his audience that Jesus had fulfilled them. Like his Master, Matthew was ferociously hated by his own people; however, also like his Master, Matthew’s response to such hatred was to reach out with all his power to save them.

A Leader We Should Follow

Matthew endured constant and vicious criticism for being a publican, but he used it to become one of the most influential representatives of the Lord the world has known. He should be an inspiration to everyone who has ever felt ostracized, negatively generalized, or unfairly singled out, as well as those who are quicker to defend their sins than they are to abandon them. When Matthew the publican chose time and time again to ask, “Is it I?”—that’s when he became Matthew the Apostle.

Ashley Morales

Frequently whimsical and overly optimistic about how much time it will take to do things, Ashley Morales is deeply passionate about the gospel and all kinds of creativity. Her hobbies include philosophically analyzing nearly every book, play, video game, and movie that she consumes, writing music and short stories, promising herself that she will finish writing her novels, going to sleep too late, eating foods she’s never tried, putting off cleaning her house, browsing Zillow, spending as much quality time as possible with her wonderful husband, trying to be a good mother to her fantastic children, and never finding the balance between saying too much and too little. One day, she hopes to leave a positive mark on the world and visit every continent (except Antarctica) with her family.

John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. IRI Photo.

In recent years, the Syrian city of Aleppo has been a staging ground of death, violence and horror. Civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and legions have been forced to flee this ancient city — contributing to a global refugee crisis.

Like countless others, Richard Morley has viewed the Aleppo tragedy from afar, lamenting the suffering that has come to define a city built centuries before the birth of Christ.

A lifelong Church member from Price, Utah, Brother Morley has a family tie to Aleppo and its brief but meaningful Mormon history. The city was once home to a small but faithful group of Latter-day Saints and missionaries. In fact, the remains of at least two missionaries are buried there. Their graves were dedicated by a latter-day apostle and became lasting reminders of the sacrifice sometimes exacted in service to the Lord and His gospel.

Elder Jacob Spori from Logan, Utah, opened the Turkish Mission in 1884, signaling the beginning of missionary work in the Middle East. According to James A. Toronto’s publication “The Church in the Middle East,” branches of the Church — consisting primarily of Armenian and European converts — were eventually established in several cities in the vast region, including Aleppo.

Over the next several decades, dozens of elders and one sister missionary would serve in the nations of Turkey and Syria.

Counted among those missionaries was Brother Morley’s maternal grandfather, John T. Woodbury, who labored in Turkey and Syria from 1904 to 1909. At the conclusion of his mission, Elder Woodbury received permission from the First Presidency to marry and return to his Utah home with a Mormon Armenian woman (Brother Morley’s grandmother) named Nimzar Gagosian Woodbury.

Missionary work in the Middle East around the turn of the 20th century was difficult. Political and religious turmoil often undermined the work. Conversions were scarce, the members risked persecution and, sadly, several missionaries lost their lives while fulfilling their callings.

Five missionaries succumbed to natural ailments such as small pox and pneumonia, according to Brother Morley, who has spent years researching the experiences of his grandfather and his fellow missionaries in Turkey and Syria.

The mission, wrote Brother Morley, “was finally closed in 1928, when [mission president] Joseph Booth died from exhaustion and pneumonia. His remains were laid to rest in Aleppo, Syria, at a cemetery near mission headquarters and near the grave of young Elder Emil J. Huber, who died there on May 16, 1908.”

Five years later, on June 18, 1933, Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Aleppo and dedicated the graves of President Booth and Elder Huber.

The apostle would record his recollections of that sacred day:

“[President Booth’s] grave is at the very upper edge of the cemetery. It is visible from all parts of the cemetery itself and from the highway below. We held two meetings with the Aleppo saints; one in the early forenoon and another in the late afternoon. At the close of the afternoon meeting, members and friends present walked to the cemetery to gather around the grave. There a brief outdoor meeting was held.”

In his writings, Elder Widtsoe noted that he addressed the small group before dedicating the graves and a monument that had been placed at the cemetery. The service closed with a prayer and singing of “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.”

“The exercises ended just as the sun set behind the western hills,” wrote Elder Widtsoe. “A few clouds floated in the blue sky and made slashes of color in the sunset. It was a peaceful happy hour.”

That placid Aleppo afternoon stands in stark contrast to the destruction of the day. Missionaries no longer serve in the city and Brother Morley hopes that the final resting places of President Booth and Elder Huber have not been disturbed.

In a recently published family history, he wrote: “I hope that the God of heaven has miraculously preserved the otherwise barely known good works of the Lord’s servants in the [Turkish] Mission.”

Original Source:  Article by John Swensen. Content link: DeseretNews.com. 

Megan Finley

In between writing short stories she’ll never finish and marathoning Marvel movies, Megan Finley is often found missing the loves of her life, her two cats Leia and Loki. Her passion for “geek culture” extends into her passion for academics, as she is an optimistic MA student with plans to be the next Professor X (with hair). Her life’s dream is a simple one—to drink a hot chocolate in every Disney park in the world.