Why Was St. Matthias Chosen as an Apostle?

On May 14th, we celebrate the feast day of St. Matthias the Apostle. Revealed as one of the original followers of Christ and appointed to reestablish the Twelve after the departure of Judas, Matthias is a foundational example of apostolic succession. His birthdate is not recorded, and his cause of death is debated, yet he was the fulfillment of a prophecy that King David laid forth in the Psalms.

Judas’ betrayal made way for Matthias to take his place as one of the Apostles, as it was foretold: “May his days be few; may another seize his position” (Psalm 109:8). Peter would lead the Apostles to fulfill this prophecy just after Jesus ascended into heaven, as they gathered with over a hundred other believers in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. They “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer…” (Acts 1:14) when Peter stood up and addressed the crowd: “‘Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus - for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts 1:16-17). After he shared David’s words from Psalm 109:8, he continued: “So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us - one of these must become a witness with us to His resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22).

Matthias was counted among those qualified, as was Joseph, known as Barsabbas or Justus. There were likely more among the group who had been with Jesus from the start of his ministry, but only those two were put forth for the decision. As the scene is laid out in Acts, it would seem that both men would have been present for Peter’s announcement.

One has to wonder about the hearts of Matthias and Justus in that moment. Did they realize when they gathered in that Jerusalem room that an apostle would be selected? As the qualifications were read, were they counting themselves among the candidates? And if they were, what name would they have given to the feeling that arose within them? Fear would have been an acceptable response, as the disciples would have known the dangers of claiming Christ at that stage. Excitement could also ring true, as there was certainty that Jesus would send the Holy Spirit as a helper and guide. Awe, disbelief, unworthiness…any of these would have been understandable and relatable feelings in the hearts of those gathered.

There was no vote. As was modeled in the Old Testament when duties, lands, and positions were established through casting lots, the apostles cast lots as a way of acknowledging the will of God in determining Judas’ successor. The belief was that “The lot is cast into thy lap, but the decision is the Lord’s alone” (Proverbs 16:33). The lots fell in favor of Matthias. He became the 12th apostle, keeping intact the 12 tribes of the New Israel that Jesus established. He would have been present at Pentecost and eventually his mission field, although no more exact mentions of him occur in the Bible.

There are conflicting traditions surrounding the end of his life, although the common thread among them is that he went to heaven as a martyr. Whether beheaded or stoned to death, whether spreading the Gospel in Judea or Ethiopia, Matthias was a chosen Apostle who helped bring Christianity to the world.

St. Matthias the Apostle is the patron saint of carpenters, tailors, smallpox sufferers, and alcoholics, as well as hope and perseverance. He is the first and last example we have of apostles naming successors through the casting of lots. They were biblically based in doing so, but from the time of Pentecost, the Church would rely on prayer and discernment to be led by the Spirit into God’s will. Through his appointment to apostlehood and obedience to his mission, we have a beautiful blueprint of how the Church moves forward despite the humans who sometimes fail it.