In order to better follow Jewish culture and show respect for God’s name, Matthew, the author of the book Matthew, chose to use heaven instead of God in his message. He understood Jewish reverence for the name God, for this reason Jews avoided mentioning His sacred name.

The Apostle Matthew was himself Jewish, and a former tax collector by trade. Tax collectors were despised for being cheats. Sitting in their tax booths while working for Rome, they extorted monies from the locals. Any money they collected over and above what Roman government required, they kept for themselves. Continue reading →