“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.
Where to begin? There’s so much in this week’s lectionary. It’s like the committee that put it all together for us were trying to shoehorn in what they could before Pentecost. A little of this. A little of that. A prayer from Jesus’ own lips. The story of a new Apostle. What else do we need to know before Pentecost?
“Oh, by the way, we have a new apostle. Any questions? No? Great. Everyone have a great weekend!”
Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention him. Acts has this story and then . . . anything else we know of him is found in non-canonical histories and gospels. There’s a Gospel of Matthias that we have some fragments of. But this is really all we know.He preached the gospel in Cappadocia and later in what would become the nation of Georgia. He preached. He performed a few miracles. Some have it that he was martyred in Jerusalem, stoned and then beheaded. Some have it that he died of old age. We cannot get our stories straight. Not even about the saints of God.
There’s this one tale of him in prison. The guards were trying to poison everyone who followed Jesus. Some prisoners were struck blind by the potion, but it did not effect Matthias in any way. So, he performed miracles of healing on those who were blinded and then escaped. You understand, he was rendered invisible to the guards and simply left the prison.
This is the story that caught my attention. He was invisible. Amazing. Think about it for a moment. Invisible. Not like some super power . . . though that would be a great story . . . but simply rendered not visible. He was the last apostle. He replaced Judas . . . “He who shall not be named” . . . and then he disappears from the canon. Poof.’
“Oh, by the way, we have a new apostle. Any questions? No? Great. Everyone have a great weekend!”
And somehow I love him.
I do. He’s a favorite of mine because I think he represents most of the saintly in the church…
