What the Choosing of Matthias Teaches Us About the Church

Joseph or Matthias? 

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1.21-26 

(ESV) 

 Introduction 

     Jesus told the disciples in the upper room: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you..." (John 15.16). It doesn't get any clearer than that. In this Christian church no one should be elbowing their way into any position of leadership. God is the head of the church, and He is the builder of it (Hebrews 3.4). In this way the church is unique among all other institutions along with the family, which He also establishes in marriage. 

What Twelve Witnesses Shows 

     The temptation and demise of Judas is a great sadness and a great loss. But it is a reminder to us that we have to be on guard ourselves against the temptation of greed or any other temptation. We can be tempted, for the sake of silver or any other earthly thing, to betray Jesus. Jesus and His kingdom has to be the most important person and thing in our life. After the loss of Judas, Peter spoke to the ten other apostles reminding them that this was prophesied, and that he needed to be replaced. Why was it so important that the kingdom move forward with twelve witnesses of the resurrection rather than just eleven? It must have had something to do with the twelve tribes of Israel which God originally chose. The number twelve is always the number of God's people and always a reminder that it is God who makes us His people. On the island of Patmos, John saw a vision of the people sealed as the servants of God. There were 144,000 of them, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes (Revelation 7.4ff). Twelve is always a reminder that the church belongs to God. 

 Two Great Blessings 

     A bishop in San Francisco forbade a congresswoman from receiving holy communion because of her support for the sin of abortion. When this was first reported, another California politician decried the decision claiming the bishop didn't care about the people of San Fransico. This man has the view that the church is a manmade organization that needs to be in agreement with whatever the people believe. We hear this kind of talk a lot. The church needs to get with the times; it needs to adjust to the popular beliefs and morality of the world. It is the belief that the culture creates the church rather than the other way around. The twelve witnesses to the resurrection is another reminder that God created the church, and that the church creates its own culture whether the world likes it or not. This is the first blessing that comes out of the choosing of Matthias. 

     The second blessing is seen in the way Judas' vacancy was filled. The aposltes put forward two candidates: Joseph and Matthias. Then they cast lots with prayer to see which one God would choose. This again emphasizes that ultimate truth that God is the head of His church, that He is leading it, and He is giving to it His strength. Sometimes church workers are tempted to manipulate this calling process and to get themselves into positions of church leadership. The problem with this is that church servants are fighting against principalities and powers in their ministries. They have to have God's strength not their own. To know that you have been called by God to serve in His church gives that worker great confidence and strength. There is no second guessing here. 

 Conclusion 

     So here are two blessings: The church belongs to God and not to the world, therefore it stands on a firm foundation. Second, church servants are called by God and therefore strengthened by Him. The same applies to everyone called to full-time service or not. The more you see your situation in life as a calling under the control of God, the more you will also see the strength of God to help you in your service to Him. Amen.