2. The Unknown Apostle
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said "… 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." So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, "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." Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:15-16, 21-26).
The first chapters of Acts tell us that between two momentous events – the ascension of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit – a much less conspicuous event occurred, regarding a person of little note, of whom virtually nothing is known: the choosing of the man Matthias to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle.
Although Peter tells us that Matthias was "with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us," he is not mentioned in any of the four Gospels or earlier in Acts and must have been one of the many other disciples who followed Jesus (Luke 10:1, etc.). Certainly, it is not recorded that Matthias had distinguished himself in some notable way, and he seems to have been, in fact, one of many otherwise unremarkable followers of Christ. Yet there is perhaps a lesson in this fact. It is interesting that the early Church Father, Clement of Alexandria, wrote:
"Not that they became apostles through being chosen for some distinguished peculiarity of nature ... But they were capable of becoming apostles on being chosen by Him who foresees even ultimate issues. Matthias, accordingly … [was] substituted for Judas." (Stromateis vi.13).
Clement makes the important point that Matthias was apparently not chosen for what he had done – his résumé seems to have been a short one – but that he was chosen by the One who sees "ultimate issues" or outcomes. What was the outcome in Matthias' life? Neither Acts nor any of the Epistles seems to mention him again, yet we may have some clues. Despite varying traditions, several early scholars of the Church tell us that Matthias first preached the Gospel in Judaea, and then in Ethiopia where he was eventually martyred. A marker in a remote Roman fortress at Gonio (Apsaros) in that area of Africa claims that Matthias was buried there.
Although we have no exact details of Matthias' ministry and he probably remains the least-known of the apostles, we have no reason to doubt that in choosing this man God accomplished many things through him before his work was done. And there is a moral in his story for all of us: we may feel that our spiritual résumés are short and our accomplishments in God's service are few or largely unnoticed, but Matthias' life reminds us that we do not need to be in the spotlight to accomplish a ministry that may be important in God's eyes. What we do may even seem to be very far from the work being done by notable servants of God, but as long as we answer the call and persist in the work that is given to us, we are doing the work of the One who foresees ultimate outcomes.