Matthew was one of the original 12 apostles. He was a tax collector before he was called by Jesus to be an apostle (Matthew 9:9). Known formally as Levi, son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), Matthew wrote the first book of the New Testament. It is sometimes called the Gospel of Matthew or the book of Matthew.
Matthew gives a detailed account of the ancestors of Jesus, and about His birth through the Virgin Mary, and about the beginning of His public ministry in Chapters 1-4. Matthew's gospel includes a series of Jesus' speeches, including the Sermon on the Mount (see Chapters 5-7), the mission discourse (see Chapter 10), the parables of the Kingdom (see Chapter 13), the discourse on Christian living (see Chapter 18, and the final end time warnings in Chapters 23-25.
Ten miracles by Jesus are recorded in Chapters 8 and 9.
Matthew's work has been described as a textbook for Christian leaders. It is Gospel "to announce the good news", a presentation of the birth, ministry of teaching and healing, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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