So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:21-26
St. Matthias, whose feast is celebrated today, is among the great unknowns of the New Testament. All that Scripture tells us about him is found in these verses. He had been accompanying Jesus throughout his earthly ministry from his baptism by John to his Ascension. He was present at Pentecost. He was selected by lot over Joseph – about whom the writer of Acts has almost more to say (he had three names!).
After Matthias’ selection, Scripture gives us radio silence. There are traditions – or legends – about him, but they are literally all over the map. According to one tradition, he preached for a time in Jerusalem and eventually he was stoned and beheaded. (He is often portrayed holding an axe, the instrument of his death.) Another tradition claims that he preached the Gospel to the barbarians and cannibals in the interior of Ethiopia and was crucified. Yet another tradition holds that he preached and was martyred in Colchis (now Georgia) on the Black Sea. We do know this: Matthias’ embrace of his calling as an apostle meant embrace of a life of evangelization, persecution, and even death in the service of the Lord.
Clement of Alexandria wrote early in the Third Century, that Matthias, like all the other apostles, was not chosen by Jesus for what he already was, but for what Jesus foresaw he would become. He was elected not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy. Think about that. It’s a message not just for eleven apostles choosing a twelfth to fill a vacancy, but for all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus. We are all works in progress, whether we have been members of Christ’s body for a long time, or whether we have newly come in the door.
There is no way for us to know God’s plan for the new Christian whose baptism we witness, or the newcomer whom we welcome into our community. But just as Matthias completed the Twelve – restoring them to the number Jesus called – the call to a Christian community is to welcome and to disciple newcomers. We need to think of newcomers as the apostles did, not merely as numbers to help grow our parish, but as people chosen by God to serve His Kingdom alongside us and in ways we may never anticipate.
Just like the apostles in Acts, we need to think of our parish community, one that includes long-timers and new members, as a fellowship with a purpose: as witnesses to the resurrection, and a people transformed by the Word to do God’s work in this world.
God bless you!
Richard and Catherine
