Matthias the Disciple with a Cool Name
What do ya know about Matthias?
Except for the fact he had a cool name…
The disciples needed to find a twelfth man to replace Judas. The remaining disciples had narrowed down the candidates to two people: Joseph (also known as Justus) and a man named Matthias (Acts 1:12-26). Both of these men had followed Jesus during his public ministry – since John the Baptist baptized Jesus and witnessed his resurrection.
After praying: “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
Doing a practice known as casting lots, the lots landed on Matthias. He was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. The best we have is some extra-biblical sources to rely on regarding the life of Matthias. From the Scriptures, we don’t know a whole lot about the person of Matthias. We can assume he was one of the 120 disciples who waited for the Holy Spirit to descend upon them at Pentecost.
Some have conjectured that he ministered to foreign lands, now modern-day Turkey. Others, writers have suggested he went as far as Ethiopia to preach the Gospels. Like the other apostles, he was likely martyred, but traditions vary - some note he was crucified, others reference that he was stoned or beheaded. That was his dynasty.
May the story of Matthias cause us to pause and ask ourselves, how do we make important spiritual decisions?