Discovery BoxMatthew 9:9 
Context9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. 1 “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.
Matthew 24:3
Context24:3 As 2 he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things 3 happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 26:64
Context26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand 4 of the Power 5 and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 6
Matthew 27:19
Context27:19 As 7 he was sitting on the judgment seat, 8 his wife sent a message 9 to him: 10 “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; 11 I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream 12 about him today.”
1 tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.
sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Matthew (also named Levi [see Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.
2 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
3 sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.
4 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.
5 sn The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
6 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13 (see also Matt 24:30).
7 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
8 tn Or “the judge’s seat.”
sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and usually furnished with a seat. It was used by officials in addressing an assembly or making official pronouncements, often of a judicial nature.
9 tn The word “message” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
10 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
11 tn The Greek particle γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated here.
12 tn Or “suffered greatly in a dream.” See the discussion on the construction κατ᾿ ὄναρ (kat’ onar) in BDAG 710 s.v. ὄναρ.
