Leo Morris - Genially 2

Text: “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” Painting: As we see from the painting Jesus's hand gesture vissulay conveys the divine summoms, as immplied in the text as "follow me". Addtionally we note that this pose echos Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.

Jesus’s Gesture (Matthew 9:9):

While the Gospel doesn’t describe Matthew’s response beyond "he got up and followed him," the painting portrays this moment as one of surprise and self-questioning, implied by Matthew’s pointing gesture. In Interpretation, this elaborates on the transformation implied in the text, making Matthew’s spiritual awakening therby more visually dramatic.

Matthew’s Reaction

The text mentions Matthew sitting at the "tax collector’s booth," and Caravaggio depicts him in a group of well-dressed figures exchanging coins. From thus, the textual connection is that while the booth is not explicitly shown, the association with wealth, coins, and counting, aligns with Matthew’s occupation and a common theme in the Gospel of its critique of materialism.

The Setting and Tax Collectors

While Matthew 9:9 doesn’t mention light, the theme is consistent with the broader biblical theme of enlightenment and divine calling. From this, we can draw a possible link in that the light symbolizes the moment Matthew’s life changes. This is also a visual metaphor for the 'grace extended to sinners', a key theme in Matthew 9:13: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Beam of Light (Symbol of Grace)

The Gospel doesn’t describe Matthew’s appearance or his reaction in detail. The painting leaves his identity somewhat ambiguous, encouraging viewers to identify personally with divine grace's transformative power. I Interpret this as a subtle reflection in the universal applicability of Jesus’s call and likewise the inclusiveness of God’s invitation to all sinners as seen in the gospel.

The Ambiguity in Identifying Matthew

In The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, we see a balance between his potrayl of adherence to the Gospel and Caravaggio's own creative freedom. That said, the scene wich is depicted as Jesus calling Matthew does initaily stays true to the text’s message. However, the modern setting and clothing reflect Caravaggio’s effort to make the story relatable to his Counter-Reformation audience. We see this through his use of dramatic lighting and the ambiguity around Matthew’s identity add depth. All wich seem invite the viewer to engage more personally with the scene. In effect, these choices aimed to inspire a religious audience by showing divine grace as both accessible and transformative. Caravaggio’s approach blends actual scriptural accuracy with creativity to meet the cultural and spiritual needs of his time.

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