There has been some debate among Biblical scholars about who should have been the 12th disciple to replace Judas Iscariot and some say it should have been Paul. I don’t recall ever hearing a message about Matthias, the 12th disciple. Jesus had just spent 40 days with the disciples as recorded in Acts chapter 1:
after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Surely during that 40 day period, the issue of the 12th disciple must have been covered. Think about spending nearly six weeks with anybody you know. There would have been a multitude of discussion topics and the disciples would have taken every opportunity to have any and all questions answered. Soon after Jesus’ Ascension Peter spoke to the others about this very issue:
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples(altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
Peter quoted portions of Psalms as justification for replacing Judas:
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,
And let no one live in it’; (Psalm 69:25)
and,
‘Let another take his office.’ (Psalm 109:8)
Where and when did Peter get understanding about applying these two verses to Judas? I believe Jesus had to reveal this to him for Peter had been a fisherman, not an Old Testament scholar. What led the disciples to narrow the choices from nearly 120 down to 2? Peter then gave a specific requirement to be included as a possible candidate:
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
The candidate must have been with them throughout the last 3 1/2 years of Jesus’ ministry which began at Jesus’ baptism by John and was continuous to the day of Ascension. Yet we never heard any mention of either Barsabas or Matthias:
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Both of these men met the qualifications yet neither were mentioned anywhere in the Gospels. Both had effectively been hidden in plain sight. Finally, the selection is made:
24 And they prayed and said,
“You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Notice that Peter found it necessary to conclude this business before the Day of Pentecost. A new treasurer had to be selected to replace the previous one. Greed was found in Judas and he was disqualified to be counted among the twelve disciples. The office of Treasurer had to be filled with a righteous man who had been hidden among them for the last 3 1/2 years. The name Matthias means “Gift of GOD”. It is derived from the Hebrew name” Mattathias or Mattithiah = "gift of Jehovah".
Is there a confirmation that Matthias was the right one to replace Judas? I believe so. In 1 Chronicles chapter 9:
31 Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans (was entrusted with baking the bread used in the offerings).
He was trusted with the bread offerings and we now coincidentally use the slang term “bread” for money.
Today’s Application
People are looking for FATHER’S Divine Government to be set up and I would suggest the last phase of Divine Government required to be in place is the Treasury and those who can be trusted to oversee it. Peter found it necessary to fill the office of treasurer before the fullness of Pentecost. Must it also be filled before the fullness of Tabernacles will occur? Mystery Babylon is funded by the unrighteous mammon and their source of income must be dried up and replaced with the true riches of Heaven. Only those who are motivated by Love can be fully trusted with the wealth of Heaven in whatever form it manifests.
Matthias quietly fulfilled the office of Treasurer without any fanfare. I am sure he was there when Ananias and Sapphira gave a diluted portion of their assets to the disciples. There are some offices called to be at the forefront and others do a hidden work in the background. Both are equally important to FATHER. It’s okay to be one of the “hidden” disciples.