St. Matthew was a first-century tax collector who left his work and followed Jesus. He wrote about the life and ministry of Christ in his Gospel, Not much is known about the life of Matthew, but his writings tell us about Christ’s life and works, and the Church considered his Gospel to be of definitive value in verifying Jesus as the Messiah.
In the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and Matthew, they describe the first encounter of Jesus and Matthew. At the time, tax collectors were mocked and hated, often because they took extra money to earn their own living.
Matthew likely met Jesus near Capernaum. As Matthew wrote, Jesus saw him and called him, saying “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him.
By calling Matthew, Jesus was making a point about his universal mission — everyone was welcome, even tax collectors.
Matthew also wrote about Jesus’ instructions to go out and make disciples of all the nations. He is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr in a territory near present-day Egypt.
