Scripture scholars note that Saint Matthew wrote his account of the Gospel primarily for a Jewish audience, writes Father Anthony Strouse, pictured, pastor of Saint Matthew in Flint upon the parish's patronal feast day, September 21. As proof, they note that Jesus has five main sets of teaching that mimic the Torah (the first five books of the Jewish Scriptures), and the Gospel begins and ends with God’s presence with us (Emmanuel), as prophesied by Isaiah. Jesus also presents Himself as a new Moses in the Sermon on the Mount (“You have heard it said…but I tell you…”).
That Saint Matthew wrote his account for a Jewish audience may not, at first, strike us as odd, as Saint Matthew followed Judaism before he encountered Christ. However, we also have to remember that Saint Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman government, so others did not consider him a good Jew. This would be like being an IRS agent for a foreign government that also tried to impress a different religion on us. And yet, having followed Christ, Saint Matthew, an enemy, became a great evangelizer for the very people who hated him.
In this way, Saint Matthew can inspire each of us, as he inspires me, to preach the Gospel even when I may not seem like the obvious choice. God sometimes uses the most unlikely of characters to accomplish His work, which should give us each hope and push us to spread the Gospel by word and deed.
Saint Matthew, pray for us!
* For more information on Saint Matthew parish in Flint, go to: https://www.stmatthewflint.org/
