Daily Devotional • June 17
A Reading from Acts 1:15-26
15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Brothers and sisters, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus, 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his house become desolate,
and let there be no one to live in it’;
and
‘Let another take his position of overseer.’
21 “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 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.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Meditation
Why did the disciples call Matthias at all? On the one hand, Jesus was already ascended — what need was there to restore the somewhat arbitrary number of twelve apostles? On the other, if this was so important, why not ask Jesus to select the newest apostle while he was still here, just as he chose all of Matthias’s predecessors?
The answer likely lies in the context in which the calling of Matthias took place. Jesus had just ascended, and the last question the disciples asked him was, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” By his answer, his subsequent ascension, and the testimony of the angels following his ascension, the disciples learned that his work was not complete.
What this means is that these mere apostles must now become the Church, beginning a renewed ministry following the model of Jesus. And what was the first action Jesus took at the start of his ministry? He called the Twelve. It is fitting, therefore, that the first act of the Church be the restoration of the Twelve.
Note one other element of the timing of this restoration. The Son had ascended, but the Holy Spirit had not yet descended. If the calling of Matthias is the shape of the vocation of the Church, then the Holy Spirit affirmed this by giving her the capacity to call disciples from every nation of the earth.
The calling of Matthias thus shows us that the primary calling of the Church is evangelization. By calling new disciples, the Church reaffirms the authority Christ vested in her, and we take our place as disciples every time we ourselves bring a new disciple to Christ.
James Cornwell lives and teaches in the Hudson Valley with his wife Sarah and their six children.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lake Mary, Florida
The Diocese of Muyinga – The Anglican Church of Burundi
