[Meaning of Names in the Bible]
Matthew only lists himself twice in his gospel (Matthew 9:9, 10:3).
Matthew is one of only three New Testament writers who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry. The other two were John and Peter. Matthew and John are the only two witnesses who wrote a gospel.
The Largest and Smallest
In the King James Bible, of the four gospel accounts, the largest in terms of chapters is Matthew which has 28 of them. In terms of verses, however, Luke is the biggest with its 1,151 verses. Luke has 80 more verses than Matthew even though it has 4 less chapters!
The smallest gospel, both in terms of chapters and verses, is Mark. It has 16 chapters and only 678 verses.
A Wealthy Profession
Matthew, before his conversion, was a tax collector (Matt. 9:9 - 10).
Matthew may have been a local resident who had to bid for the office, agreeing to pay Herod Antipas (tetrarch of Galilee) a certain sum in advance. Any money he collected over the agreed sum was his. This practice, along with the usual extortion and theft that went with the profession (Luke 3:12 - 13, 19:7 - 8), meant that many tax collectors were quite wealthy!
God With Us
Matthew is the only New Testament writing that records Jesus being called Emmanuel.
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23, KJV).
The designation of Emmanuel comes from Isaiah 7:14 and 8:8.
[Why Don't We Call Jesus Emmanuel?]
Jesus' Birth
Only Matthew and Luke, of the four gospel writers, record the details surrounding Jesus' birth! They are also the only ones to write about, in any detail, the events that took place both prior to, and immediately after, he was born (Matthew 1 - 2, Luke 1 - 2).
[Timeline of Jesus' Conception, Birth]
The Wise Men
Matthew is the only writer to mention that "wise men from the east" traveled a great distance to worship Jesus whom they called "the King of the Jews."
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him (Matthew 2:1 - 2, KJV).
[How Many Wise Men Visited Jesus?]
Interestingly, the word Magi, commonly used to reference the wise men, is not recorded anywhere in the King James Bible!
Words of the Devil
The only two New Testament books that record Satan the devil's actual words are Matthew and Luke. Matthew's version of Jesus' temptation by the devil lists the adversary speaking 71 words.
If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:3, 6, 9, KJV).
The Greatest
Jesus said of John the Baptist, "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist . . ." (Matthew 11:11, KJV). Yet, remarkably, neither Matthew nor the other gospel writers recorded a single miracle he performed!
Repeated for Emphasis
The book of Matthew contains several occurrences where a name or title is recorded twice in a single verse.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21, KJV, see also verse 22, 25:11).
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37, KJV).
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46, KJV).
The Lone Vision
Matthew writes about a vision given by Jesus to only James, Peter and John. This vision, called the Transfiguration, is the only one recorded during the Lord's ministry.
[Where Did the Transfiguration Take Place?]
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light (Matthew 17:1 - 2, KJV).
Symbolism
The book of Matthew contains a host of objects, events, conditions, animals and so on that are symbolic. Some of these include an ass (Matthew 21:5), blindness (23:16), a cornerstone (21:42), a cup (26:39), a door (25:10), an earthquake (24:7), eyes (13:13), hunger (5:6), leaven (16:12), salt (5:13), the sea (13:47), sheep (15:24), a star (2:2, 7, 9 - 10), a veil or curtain (27:51) and a yoke (11:29 - 30).
Non-Healing Wonders
The gospel writers record ten non-healing miracles performed by Jesus. Of these, Matthew reports on eight of them including the last one done by Christ.
These miracles are the Lord quieting a storm (Matthew 8:23 - 27), the feeding of 5,000 and then 4,000 people (14:13 - 21, 15:32 - 38), and the sea become calm when Jesus stepped into a boat (Matthew 14:32 - 33).
The other non-healing miracles are walking on water (14:24 - 27) and then allowing Peter to do so (verses 28 - 31), a coin miraculously appearing in the mouth of a fish (17:24 - 27) and, lastly, causing a fig tree near Jerusalem to wither and die (21:19 - 22).
Parables
Matthew 13 is unique among the gospels as it has the most concentrate number of parables within a single chapter! These parables are the sower and the seed (verses 3 - 13), the tares among wheat (24 - 30), the mustard seed (31 - 32), leaven in flour (33 - 35), hidden treasure (44), the pearl of great price (45 - 46) and the dragnet (47 - 52).
Out of the many parables Jesus gave, 37 of them make their first appearance in the book of Matthew.
[Why Did Jesus Teach Using Parables?]
Some of the parables first found in Matthew include the salt of the earth (5:13), light of the world (5:14), new wine in old bottles (or wineskins) (9:17), the sower (13:3 - 23), the mustard seed (13:31 - 32), pearl of great price (13:45 - 46), the lost sheep (18:12 - 14), the wedding feast (22:1 - 14), the ten virgins (25:1 - 13) and the talents (25:14 - 30).
[Meaning of Pearls Before Swine Parable]
Miracles
The Bible, out of the countless miracles carried out by Jesus during his ministry (John 20:30 - 31), records thirty-nine of them. Matthew lists twenty-two miracles, with five of them being unique to his gospel.
These unique miracles are a blind, mute, demon possessed man who has the demon cast out after which he is healed (Matthew 12:22), two blind men are healed (9:27 - 31), a demon is cast out of a man who was unable to speak (9:32 - 35), Peter walks on water (14:28 - 31) and a coin appears in a fish's mouth to pay for Jesus' and Peter's temple tax (17:24 - 27).
By the Numbers
Matthew offers a rather unique take on forgiveness not found in the other gospels.
Peter, on the heels of Jesus' teaching about conflict resolution, asserts that forgiving someone seven times in a day seems acceptable to him (Matthew 18:21). This belief is partly based on the Jewish teaching that a person should only be forgiven three times.
"The Jews taught that a man was to forgive another three times, but not the fourth. Peter more than doubled this, and asked whether forgiveness was to be exercised to so great an extent" (Barnes' Notes on the Bible on Matthew 18:22).
[Should We Forgive AND Forget?]
Jesus responds to Peter's assertion by declaring, if needed, a person should be forgiven 70 times 7 in a day (Matthew 18:22). This number symbolizes forgiving someone as often as it is needed.
The Last Seven
Jesus' "seven last words" are the last seven phrases (if we consider John 19:26 - 27 one phrase) he spoke before his death. Only one of these seven phrases are found in Matthew.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46, KJV).
Death and Burial
Foxe's Book of Martyrs places Matthew's death in the Ethiopian city of Nadabah where tradition states he was martyred by a halberd (a shafted weapon with a cutting blade, beak and apical spike).
The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, however, lists Matthew's death (and likely grave) within the Parthian kingdom's city of Mabog (Hierapolis in Latin). The city, whose modern name is Manbij, is located in the northern part of modern Syria near the Euphrates River.