And as Jesus passed forth from there, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him,
Follow me.
And he arose, and followed him.
All Commentaries on Matthew 9:9 Go To Matthew 9
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Named Matthew. 'Tis remarked by St. Jerome, that the other evangelist, out of respect to this apostle, did not call him Matthew, (the name he generally went by) but Levi; whereas he, in his own gospel, to show the goodness of God who from a publican had made him an apostle, styles himself Matthew the publican. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
(St. Augustine, de Concor. Evan.) It is most probable, says St. Augustine, that St. Matthew does not mention what had happened to him, before he began to follow Jesus; for it is supposed that this evangelist was called antecedent to the sermon on the mount; for St. Luke named the 12 that were chosen, and calls them apostles. St. Matthew mentions his vocation to the apostleship as one of the miracles that Jesus performed, for certainly it was a great miracle for a publican to become an apostle.
Rose up, and followed him. When we hear the voice of God calling us to virtue, we must not delay. The devil, says St. Basil, does not advise us to turn entirely from God, but only to put off our conversion to a future time. He steals away our present time, and gives us hopes of the future. But when that comes, he steals that also in the same manner; and thus by giving us present pleasure, he robs us of our whole life. (St. Basil)
Sitting in the custom-house. Jesus called St. Matthew with two words only, follow me; and presently he left all, and became his disciple; doubtless by a particular inspiration and motion of divine grace. (Witham)
