Criteria for Greatness
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 • 1 John 5:9-13 • John 17:6-19
“What if God picks me?” For more than three years, Matthias had followed Jesus practically everywhere he went. He was there when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. He was there when Jesus fed the five thousand with only five barley loaves and two fish. He walked behind him into the holy city of Jerusalem, and he saw him overturn the tables of the money changers and drive out those who had made God’s temple a marketplace. He had watched from a distance as Jesus was crucified, and he had seen the risen Lord when he appeared to Peter and the other disciples. And now Matthias prayed with all his heart that, if God should choose him, God would make him worthy of the task.
I wonder if Matthias was nervous. I wonder if he was anxious. I wonder if he thought to himself, “It’s about time my name gets mentioned among the other disciples.” I wonder if he whispered a prayer so quietly that only God could hear him: “Please, not me. Please, anyone but me.”
Matthias had felt the sting of Judas’ betrayal. That infamous disciple had traded his teacher’s life for thirty pieces of silver, and Matthias had taken it personally. Over the last forty days, he had experienced the same roller coaster of emotions that the other disciples had felt. He had watched in disbelief and horror as Jesus was nailed to the cross. He had felt the confusion and bewilderment that came with reports that the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid was found to be empty. And he had known the jubilation and rapture of seeing the risen Christ and hearing him speak his name.
Matthias was there when Jesus opened the disciples’ minds to understand why his death and resurrection were necessary. He had heard Jesus commission them to preach the good news of repentance and forgiveness to all nations. He had seen Jesus lift up his hands in blessing and watched as he ascended high into the clouds, disappearing from the disciples’ sight. And now he knew that the time had come for Jesus’ disciples to take up the work that God had given them to do—to carry the good news of God’s love to the ends of the earth.
But, first, they needed to choose another apostle to take Judas’ place. They needed to reconstitute the perfectly symbolic dozen in order to demonstrate to the world that not even Judas’ betrayal could interfere with God’s plan of salvation. So Matthias prayed. The Bible does not tell us what words or emotions filled Matthias’ heart and mind and prayers, but our experience of faithfulness in our own lives and in the lives of other saints of God teaches us that anyone whom God would choose for this sort of task would be committed to a life of prayer.
Peter stood up and said, “One of the men who have accompanied us during all 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.” So the company of believers proposed two qualified candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
“What if God picks me?” Matthias must have thought to himself. What if I am the one whom God chooses? What if I am the one to take Judas’ place? What if I am the one who is to be reckoned among the other disciples—great men of God like Peter, James, John, and Bartholomew? Will I be worthy? Will I be faithful? Will I have the courage to face the struggles that are ahead? Will I accept gracefully the death that Jesus said awaits us all? How can I possibly embody the life of holiness that Jesus demands of his followers when I am just an ordinary person? What if I fail him? What if I disappoint him? What if I let him down?
“But what if God doesn’t pick me?” Matthias must have also wondered. What I if I am not worthy enough to be called Jesus’ disciple? What if I have devoted my life to following him only to discover that I am not good enough to follow him all the way? Maybe Justus would be a better choice. Maybe he’s better than I am, holier than I am, more faithful than I am. Maybe it’s foolish for me to think even for a second that I could be counted among Jesus’ disciples. Who am I fooling? Not God, for sure.
The time came for the crowd of believers to pray together, “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.
For three years, Matthias followed Jesus everywhere he went, but his name was never mentioned a single time in any of the gospel accounts, and still God chose him. After this moment, when the lot fell on Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles, his name was never again mentioned in the whole New Testament, and still God chose him. Although the tradition teaches us that, after his selection, Matthias either went to Cappadocia or Colchis or Ethiopia, or that he stayed put in Jerusalem, there is no convincing evidence that Matthias was anything more or anything less than a faithful follower of Jesus, and still God chose him.
What made Matthias so special? What did God see in his heart that led God to choose him to become one of the twelve apostles? The Bible only identifies one characteristic that made Matthias worthy of this sacred calling, and that is his willingness to show up. “One of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us…one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” No one debated his eloquence. No one asked about his intelligence. No one inquired whether Matthias was the sort of person whom Jesus would have picked to replace Judas. The only thing that mattered was that Matthias had been with them from the beginning—through thick and thin—and that alone qualified him to serve God in this way.
You are not chosen by God because you are extraordinary. You are made extraordinary by God because you are chosen. All you have to do is show up and keep showing up, and God will use you to do amazing things. Prayer is the means by which we offer ourselves to God each day. When we pray, we make ourselves available to God. Our prayer is not a gesture of pretense or arrogance but an expression of confidence in God—confidence that God can and will use us—even us—to do the wonderful, marvelous, miraculous things that make God’s love more fully manifest in this world. You have been chosen for that holy work. Yes, you. And, because God is the one who has chosen you, you cannot fail.
© 2024 The Rev. Evan D. Garner
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas