The Twelfth Apostle
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts 1:21-22
After he rose from the dead, Jesus Christ appeared to his apostles for forty days and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He walked with them and ate with them. He gave instructions as to their next step: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised. … You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth…Then he ascended, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:3-9).
The apostles returned to the upstairs room in Jerusalem where they were staying. “Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James” (v.1). They prayed constantly, joined by a group of about a hundred and twenty believers, including Jesus’s mother, Mary, and his brothers (vv. 13-15).
Peter told them the fate of Judas who had betrayed Jesus. With the payment Judas had received for his wickedness, he bought a field where he fell headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines spilled out (vv. 16-19). This fulfilled the Scriptures that said a close friend would betray Jesus, his dwelling would be deserted, and another would take his place of leadership (Psalm 41:9, 69:25 and 109:8).
Peter gave the requirements for the one who would take Judas’s place: “one who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us… a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22).
Those gathered nominated two men. Praying God would reveal which one he wanted, they cast lots. The lot fell to Matthias who became the twelfth apostle (vv. 24-26). They then prayed and waited for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to go to the ends of the earth with the message of the risen Jesus Christ.
Though not chosen directly by Jesus, Matthias became one of the twelve apostles. Like Judas, Matthias had been there from Jesus’s baptism through his ascension. Unlike Judas, he saw the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise to rise from the dead.
We too can ask the Holy Spirit to empower us as we go to the ends of the earth with the message of the risen Jesus Christ. Where will you take the message you’ve been given?
Dig Deeper
Did you, like I did, think Paul was the twelfth apostle? Why didn’t he qualify according to the requirements Peter gave in Acts 1:21-22?
Why did Paul call himself an apostle? See 1 Corinthians 1:1, 9:1-8, 12:27-28 and Romans 1:1-6, 11:13-14. What is an apostle?
Read Revelation 21:9-12. How has God chosen to honor the twelve apostles, including Matthias?
Nancy J. Baker
This devotion is the part of part of a series on Not-As-Famous Men and Women of the Bible and a series on the Book of Acts.