How Old Was Matthew When He Met Jesus?

The story of the disciple Matthew is a fascinating one that reveals details about his life and encounter with Jesus. Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector who abandoned his lucrative profession to follow Christ. But how old was Matthew when this life-changing meeting occurred?

Let’s take a deep dive into the scriptural clues and historical context to solve this biblical mystery.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Matthew was likely between 20 and 40 years old when he met Jesus, with most scholars estimating he was around 30 years old.

Matthew’s Profession as a Tax Collector

Matthew worked as a tax collector in Capernaum when Jesus called him to be a disciple

Matthew, also known as Levi, was working as a tax collector in the busy fishing town of Capernaum when Jesus encountered him and said “Follow me.” As a tax collector, Matthew would have reached a certain level of education, skill, and maturity to qualify for that role.

Tax collectors occupied a controversial position in Jewish society, as they worked for the Romans and often cheated people out of money. Yet Jesus saw past Matthew’s reputation and profession and invited him into his inner circle of disciples.

Matthew’s quick response to follow Jesus showed his readiness for a radical change of life and occupation.

Tax collectors had to reach a certain level of maturity and skill

In first-century Galilee, the Roman authorities would auction off the rights to collect taxes to the highest bidder. These tax collectors would then keep anything they collected over and above the bid amount as their salary.This system led many tax collectors to unfairly exploit the people and charge excessively high taxes. To qualify for a tax collector position, a man had to have adequate education in math, reading, and writing, as well as sharp business acumen.

He also needed to be able to manage a team of subordinates to help collect taxes. Historians estimate a typical tax collector may have been at least 30 years old before taking on such responsibilities. They had to be shrewd, disciplined, and somewhat ruthless to extract as much tax money as possible from the local population.

Historical records suggest typical ages for tax collectors

While the Bible does not definitively state Matthew’s age, historians can draw some reasonable conclusions based on what we know about tax collectors in the first century:

• Tax collectors likely started as assistants around age 20 before working independently.
• Most tax collectors did not run their own operations until at least age 30, since the job required financial resources and connections.
• Tax collectors had incentives to work into their 50s and 60s since their income depended on having an established network over many years.

Therefore, a reasonable estimate would be that Matthew was between 30 and 40 years old when he met Jesus. Some church traditions suggest Matthew may have been older, around 50 to 60 years old, but there is no way to confirm that with certainty.

In any case, Matthew would have been mature, experienced, and financially settled in his profession when he chose to leave everything and follow Jesus on a new spiritual path.

Date of Matthew’s Call to Discipleship

Determining the exact date of Matthew’s calling to be a disciple of Jesus is difficult, but we can piece together some helpful details from the Gospels and other historical sources.

Matthew’s calling occurred sometime during Jesus’ Galilean ministry

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) record that Jesus called Matthew to follow him while Jesus was preaching in Galilee, before traveling to Judea or making his final trip to Jerusalem (Matt. 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-28).

So Matthew met Jesus sometime during His Galilean ministry, likely around 27-30 AD.

Jesus’ ministry lasted approximately 3 years

Most scholars believe Jesus’ public ministry, from his baptism to his death and resurrection, lasted about 3 years. The Gospel of John mentions 3 different Passover feasts during Jesus’ ministry (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55), implying his public work lasted about 3 years.

So if Matthew was called during this time, he would have been with Jesus for most or all of His 3-year ministry.

Scholars estimate Jesus began preaching around 30 AD

Although the exact dates are uncertain, most scholars believe Jesus was baptized and began preaching sometime around 30 AD. Jesus’ ministry then lasted until his death and resurrection around 33 AD. So if Matthew was called while Jesus preached in Galilee, it likely occurred between 30-33 AD.

Typical Ages of Jesus’ Disciples and Contemporaries

Most disciples and followers were in their 20s to 40s

Jesus gathered disciples and followers from all walks of life during his public ministry. According to historians, most of them ranged from age 20 to 40. This was considered a prime age during those times where people had gathered enough life experience to make informed decisions about following an influential teacher like Jesus, yet still young and energetic enough to travel around the region spreading his message.

Several of Jesus’ disciples like Peter, Andrew, James and John were working as fishermen before meeting Jesus (Mark 1:16-19). This profession typically began in the late teenage years which suggests they were at least in their 20s when becoming Jesus’ followers.

Other disciples like Matthew worked as a tax collector, also indicating he had reached young-adulthood (Matthew 9:9).

Younger and older followers were not absent though. Mary Magdalene has been estimated to be in her late teens or early 20s when she first began following Jesus, while Nicodemus was likely in his 40s or older as a member of the Jewish ruling council.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were old enough to run fishing businesses

As commercial fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John seemed to be running successful family fishing businesses on the Sea of Galilee before meeting Jesus. Historical customs suggest these businesses were typically inherited from fathers once sons reached sufficient maturity and experience, usually by ages 20-25.

Archaeological evidence indicates many fishing boats operating on the Sea of Galilee during Jesus’ time could support crews of 4-5 and handle heavy catch loads (see: https://www.jstor.org/stable/986497).

The gospel accounts portray these four fishermen working together (Luke 5:2-7) and owning boats and nets in a multiple boat operation (Mark 1:19), indicating a respectable thriving business prior to following Jesus as disciples.

This evidence infers Peter, Andrew, James, and John all had likely reached ages of 24 or older when called by Jesus, in-line with the average age of inheritance at the time.

Nicodemus was mature enough to be a member of the Sanhedrin

Nicodemus is specifically identified in the Gospel of John as a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin (John 3:1). This exclusive group was comprised of distinguished priests, elders, and teachers of religious law that oversaw civic, social, and religious life in ancient Israel.

According to historical sources, the extensive education required to reach the ranks of the Sanhedrin meant candidates would have typically been around 40 years of age or older (see: https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com).

This suggests Nicodemus had achieved an advanced maturity and standing among religious Jewish society when he came to meet with Jesus.

Conclusion

In summary, although we don’t have an explicit age for Matthew given in Scripture, the clues point to him being around 30 years old when he left his tax collecting profession behind to follow Jesus. Factors like the typical ages of tax collectors in that era and the probable ages of Jesus’ other disciples make the best estimate land somewhere between 20 and 40, with 30 being right in the middle.

While we can’t pin down Matthew’s age with certainty, we know his encounter with Christ changed his life forever, compelling him to leave worldly riches behind and gain far greater spiritual treasure.