RanBec Ministries

Obscurity

When Judas killed himself that left a vacancy among the disciples. In Acts 1 they replace Judas by choosing a man named Matthias. There must have been a reason they saw the need to seek a replacement. Perhaps it was because Jesus originally chose twelve and they thought they should make this a tradition. Maybe it was because there were twelve tribes of Israel and the symbolism was not lost on them. I guess it could have been because an empty place at the table reminded them of Judas and they thought that filling it would make that memory less painful. Who knows?

But there is an interesting side of this. They chose a man names Matthias. And, the interesting thing is that he is never heard from again. He didn't write a book of the New Testament. He didn't perform some act that made him stand out. In fact, his name is only mentioned twice in the Bible, both times in the first chapter of Acts. In one verse we learn that he is one of two men the disciples found as acceptable replacements. A few verses later we learn that he is the one chosen.

It reminds me that not everyone chosen to serve God will perform some amazing act of service. Others may never know our name and there may never be a mention of us in recorded history. In fact, I suspect there are more Matthiases than there are Pauls. While many wish to be like Paul most will be like Matthias. We will just faithfully serve because we have been with Jesus. That was Matthias' only claim: he has been with Jesus and had seen the resurrected Lord.

Isn't that good enough? I'm willing to pass into obscurity, but I'm eternally thankful that I have been with the Lord. I'll serve Him faithfully even if nobody ever hears of my service. How about you?

Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the 11 apostles. Acts 1:26 (HCSB)

--Randy Davis