Daily Lectionary | Acts 1:15-26 & Matthew 9:35-10:23
Acts 1:15-26
Summary
Today is the Feast of Matthias the Apostle. After the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples returned to the upper room. Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthews, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James were all present.
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, “shared in this” ministry, Peter relates. But Judas’ tragic story ends with his suicide. Peter invokes the imprecatory Psalms 69 and 109: “May his camp be desolate and let there be no one to dwell in it” and “Let another take his office.”
The number of Apostles had to be fixed at 12 at this point in salvation history to be and represent the new Israel as the church expanded beyond Jerusalem, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Peter sets out the criteria: “So one of the men who have composed 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 men must become with us a witness to his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22).
Two candidates are presented: Barsabbas and Matthias. After praying, they cast lots and the lot fell to Mattheias who was “numbered with the eleven apostles.”
Not much else is known about Matthias other than what’s recorded in this passage.
Reflection
In the passage the word “numbered” is used twice. Why is it so important that there be 12 apostles and not 11 moving forward into the book of Acts?
Peter lays out the criteria of Apostles. Later Paul says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). Why is this criteria significant in how we understand the reliability of the testimony given in Scripture about Jesus?
Matthew 9:35-10:23
Summary
Jesus is on the move, going from city to city, teaching, healing, and “proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom.” Crowds are forming around him and “he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
In this context, Jesus tells his disciples the harvest is ripe and to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers to work.
Immediately after this Jesus calls the twelve disciples and shares his ministry with them, giving them “authority over unclean spirits.” Jesus then sends them out, first with instructions to stay away from the Gentiles but go first to the sheep of the “house of Israel.” They are to embark on the journey with little resources entrusting themselves to those whom they serve. They are to go where they are received and “shake the dust off their feet” where they are not.
But there’s a warning: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). The disciples won’t just share in Jesus’ ministry, but also in his suffering. They will be delivered over to authorities, betrayed by brothers, and hated for the name of Jesus. “A disciples is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”
Jesus calls the church to share in his ministry, but the church will also share in sufferings.
Reflection
What sort of work is Jesus referring to that needs to be done in the harvest? What might this mean for the mission of the church now?
Jesus consistently warns about the opposition his followers will receive in following him. What sorts of opposition should Christians be prepared for today?