And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and said unto him,
Follow me.
And he arose and followed him.
All Commentaries on Mark 2:14 Go To Mark 2
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
He saw Levi (the son) of Alphus, i.e, He saw Matthew , who by another name is called Levi before he was called by Christ, for after his vocation he is always called Matthew 0f Alphus, i.e, the Song of Solomon , as the Syriac expresses it. This Alphus is a different person from the Alphus who was the husband of Mary of Cleopas, who was the father of James the Less and Jude ( Matthew 10:3). Luke and Mark call Matthew Levi, out of regard for his good name, because this name of Levi was known but to few. But he calls himself Matthew , to humiliate himself, and to profess openly that he was a sinner and a publican.
And rising up, &c, i.e, leaving everything. Wherefore Bede saith, "He left his own possessions who was wont to seize those of others. He left also the accounts of his taxes imperfect, and not cast up, because the Lord had so inflamed him that he straightway followed Him who called him."
