Was Matthew autistic? The Chosen makes it plausible

The decision to portray of Matthew as being on the spectrum has been warmly welcomed by audiences. Sharon Longo uncovers the thought process behind the creative decision and the impact it’s now having 

What if we could determine that people had been on the spectrum thousands of years ago? What if we learned that someone from the Bible was on the spectrum? How would this connect people on the spectrum across the centuries? 

Was Matthew on the spectrum?

The idea is entirely plausible and has become even more plausible through the talents and creativity of Dallas Jenkins, the creator, producer, writer, and director of the popular television seriesThe Chosen, which depicts the life of Jesus and his followers. When working on the back story of the “characters,” he thought about Matthew, the tax collector for the Romans who became a follower of Christ and authored one of the four gospels.  

Jenkins states, “When we were analysing what we knew of Matthew’s characteristics from the gospels, I saw three things that stood out…