St Matthias the Apostle (Feb 24)

A Trusty Steward

Acts 1:15-26; Ps. 15; 1 Cor. 4:1-7; John 15:9-17

‘Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy.’ 1 Corinthians 4:1-3

The lot fell on Matthias

It could have fallen on Joseph called Barsabbas. There had to be a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser’. That sounds hard, and we can surely believe that losing the toss didn’t disturb Joseph’s faith. What had been the conditions? That the candidates were in good spiritual standing, had been with Jesus from the beginning, and had witnessed his resurrection. This probably means that they had been among the 70 or so disciples sent out by Jesus on mission, so they would be accustomed to preaching, teaching and healing. They had work experience.

So the disciples cast lots. In this way, they felt that God not only made the difficult choice, but that he was seen to make it. And the lot fell on Matthias. And that’s practically all we know of Matthias in the biblical text. For a time in the early Church a document circulated known as the ‘Acts of Matthias’, from which we learn that this apostle travelled to countries where cannibalism was practised. On his arrival there, Matthias was blinded and thrown into prison. Then God miraculously restored his sight, and he was released from the prison by Andrew (whether the ‘Andrew’ of the Gospels is not clear). We do not know how Matthias met his death.

Trustworthy and faithful

But he had shown himself a trusty and faithful steward of the gospel. It is easy to take the ‘outer circle’ of disciples for granted: those faithful men (and, for all we know, also women) who had formed an important part of the mission team, though without the ‘perks’ of the Twelve who according to the gospel record were included in special events such as teaching sessions and the Last Supper. It is more difficult to maintain fervour and commitment when one is on the periphery of a group. And on this feast day of the one who made the transition from periphery to inner circle, let us pay tribute to all those unknown but faithful disciples.

We may be in an inner circle, or on the periphery, or perhaps we’ve never pondered the question. Does it really matter? If we’re in God’s will, we’re in the right place. But if we’re unhappy, frustrated, unfulfilled, perhaps God is telling us he wants us somewhere else, doing other work. If we dare to ask him, he will tell us, in his good time. Like Matthias, we may discover in Christ new fields for an expanding mission.

Suggested Hymns

A charge to keep I have; O Jesus, I have promised; Soul of my Saviour; You shall cross the barren desert (Be not afraid).