Scripture tells us that Matthias was chosen to serve as a disciple after Christ's resurrection. Who was he and why was he chosen to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus in the garden? How did he come to be one of the founding witnesses of the Christian faith?
Luke writes the story of Matthias in the book of Acts. Jesus was resurrected from death, stayed among his followers for forty days and then ascended to sit beside the Lord God. After Jesus was gone physically but before the Spirit of Christ was poured out on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up among the disciples, now called apostles, and called for someone to be chosen to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle.
Why did they need another apostle?
Jesus personally chose twelve disciples to receive his instruction and teaching. The significance of the number twelve among the Jewish people of first century Palestine is plain to see. The nation of Israel descended from the twelve tribes of Israel, through whom God passed on the covenant relationship with Abraham. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to His people.
In addition, Peter states that another “must become a witness with us of Christ’s resurrection” (Acts 1:22). Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power from His Spirit and would be his witnesses of the resurrection to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). According to Old Testament teaching, the truth of a matter was established by the word of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). While twelve witnesses may seem like overkill, the apostles traveled to distant parts of the world in groups of two or three, taking their eyewitness accounts of the resurrection with them everywhere they traveled.
The Qualifications of Apostleship
Of the many men who followed the teachings of Jesus and remained in Jerusalem, two men were nominated for apostleship based on their trustworthiness and upright character. Joseph called Barsabas and Matthias were considered worthy of consideration to be an apostle. It is likely that many were nominated, but these two made the final cut.
Because the work of an apostle was to provide eyewitness testimony of the resurrection and to teach the words of Jesus, the main requirement of apostleship was that the apostle had traveled with Jesus since the beginning of his early ministry. As Peter put it, they must choose a man who had traveled with them the whole time, “since John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us” (Acts 1:22).
The Manner of Choosing
Casting or drawing lots, which were small pieces of clay, was a common practice in Israel at the time. While the first apostles had been chosen by personal invitation, the newest apostle was chosen by lot. This was not considered superstitious. Different methods for drawing lots in decision making was employed by the priests and many others in the ancient Israelite culture. The apostles prayed that God would make the right choice for them, admitting that God knows the heart and would show them who was the right choice. The lot that was drawn pointed to Matthias and he became the new apostle, an eyewitness to the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus (Acts 1: 23-26).
Not much is said about Matthias or Joseph called Barsabbas after this event. Both men continued in the work of spreading the gospel message. Early church tradition suggests that Matthias carried the gospel message to Ethiopia and started the Christian movement in that area of the world.
Do apostles exist today?
We can not travel back in time to walk with Jesus from the time he was baptized by John and become eyewitnesses of his resurrection from death. There are no more apostles living today. But we are not alone.
The next event reported by Luke in Acts is the day of Pentecost. As the apostles were all together praying, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them just as Jesus had promised. The Spirit of Christ is given to those who trust in him and follow his teachings as a guarantee that the promises of Jesus will come true. As Paul wrote, “The Spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).
We may not be qualified to be apostles, but we can give testimony to others that Jesus is alive and loves them. The Holy Spirit that is given to everyone who believes in Jesus takes our stories and experiences of Jesus and uses them to help others understand the love of God. In this way we are witnesses that the gospel story of Jesus is real.
May our lives bear more and more witness of the life and love of Jesus.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).
Copyright @ TA Boland 2023
Image: Unsplash
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