Text:
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and the number of names together was about a hundred and twenty. 16 And he said, “Brothers, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus, 17 for he was numbered among us and had a share in this ministry. 18 For this man purchased a field with the wages of his unrighteousness, and when he fell headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And this became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their language, “The Field of Blood,” that is, “The Field of Blood.” 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, “Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one dwell in it; and let another take his office. 21 Therefore it is necessary that the men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, 22 from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us, one of them should become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they appointed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed, saying, “Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen, 25 to take this ministry and apostleship, which Judas has transgressed to go to his own place.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
the explanation:
In the Book of Acts, Luke depicts for us, after reporting the news of the Lord’s ascension to heaven (1:1-12), the apostles’ choice of one of the disciples instead of Judas, who betrayed the Lord and hanged himself (15-26).
The selection process begins with Peter standing among the “brothers,” the group of the first Christian disciples who were considered brothers to one another (see Matthew 8:3), “about a hundred and twenty in number” (v. 15). The apostle takes the floor without being interrupted by anyone from the gathering, and says: “Brothers, it was necessary that the verse of the scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was one of us and received his share in the ministry. He had acquired a field with unlawful wages, and he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out. All the inhabitants of Jerusalem knew this, so that this field was called in their language “the field of blood,” meaning “the field of blood.” For it is written in the Book of Psalms: “Let his dwelling be desolate, and let no one dwell therein.” It is also written: “Let another take over his office.” In the first part of his speech, Peter depicts Judas’ betrayal and his inevitable fate, which is in accordance with the ancient Scriptures. What the reader will notice here is that the news of Judas’ death does not correspond to the reason, i.e. the betrayal (which Matthew 27:3-10 mentions), but rather relates to the selection of a new apostle in his place. Peter’s speech provides us with important elements that help us understand the apostolic office that Judas abandoned: “He was one of us and received his share in the ministry.” The gratuitous nature of the service is revealed, for God gave Judas “a share in the ministry,” which he did not deserve. The apostolic office is “service.” It corresponds to the service that the Lord Jesus received from God the Father: “I am with you as a minister” (Luke 22:5) and extended it to his own people (22:27).
The next two verses then specify the conditions required for choosing an apostle in place of Judas. We read: “There are men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus was with us, from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken up from us. Therefore one of them must be a witness to his resurrection” (21 and 22). The need is for someone who accompanied the apostles and lived with the Lord Jesus continuously from his baptism to the day of his ascension. Some commentators have said that this specification is in accordance with the order of the gospel in the New Testament. As for the conclusion of this specification, it confirms that the apostle is, par excellence, a witness to the resurrection of Christ (compare Luke 24:48), for he is the one who proclaims the forgiveness of sins and the Gospel of salvation.
After this speech, the assembled people presented “two of them, Joseph called Barsabbas, also called Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said: ‘You, O Lord (the prayer here is addressed to the Lord Jesus), who know the hearts of all men, show which of these two you have chosen to carry out the ministry of the apostleship in place of Judas, who left it to go to his own place’ (23-24). What these verses make clear is that the brothers chose two of them who were not known, and this means that the ministry of the apostleship of the kingdom is a work that concerns all Christians. It is true that the apostleship is a private ministry, but the ministry and witness are related to everyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Christ. ’ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles” (26). Choosing in this way indicates that the assembly wanted the Lord to decide which of the two he wanted. The writer of Acts never again mentions such an election, which introduces us to an ancient method of delegating people to ministry, involving reading from Scripture, explanation and application to the present situation, and prayer.
In this passage, too, the question of the twelve apostles is raised for the first time. Why must there be twelve? There are many answers, but perhaps the best short answer is that the apostles who represent Israel at the end of days, and whom the Lord promised that they would “judge the twelve tribes of Israel” (Lk 22:30), that is, the whole world, were, at the beginning of their ministry, locked into an old way of thinking, for they did not imagine the new Israel in any other form than the old Israel. This will be dispelled by the Holy Spirit when he comes upon them, and the Church will not choose other apostles after the first ones have fallen asleep.
What remains to be said is that Judas’ betrayal did not invalidate the message. By choosing Matthew, the Lord declares that He is leading the Church from on high. He will not abandon her, because He is present in her with His Spirit, and He is able to make children of Abraham out of stones. The choice of Matthew requires us to realize that this disciple is an image of the Christian who accepts the company of the Lord and His apostles, and subsequently accepts the mandate of the community, and struggles to bear witness to the Lord who conquered death with His death, and is faithful to Him throughout his life.
The Church commemorates the Apostle Matthew on August 9. It is said that he preached the Gospel in Ethiopia and died there as a martyr.
Quoted from my parish bulletin, adapted
Sunday, August 3, 2003 / Issue 31
