September 21 (Saturday) is the feast day for Matthew, the gospel writer who is regarded, both from internal and external evidence, to have been one of Jesus’ first followers and therefore an eye witness of many of the things he recorded. It is extraordinary that we have four contemporary accounts of Jesus’ life, from four somewhat different perspectives. Matthew repeatedly emphasizes his understanding that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah, the one sent by God to save the Jewish people and to bring all people into the right relationship with God, as proved by the miracles he performed. Matthew’s gospel (the word means “good news”) was evidently written after the Gospel of Mark because some passages in Mark are incorporated into Matthew. The name Matthew, which remains popular today, means “gift of God.”
