Chapter 8 - Matthias
...In that moment, I felt totally secure, I knew that I was fully known by God and that I was completely loved… and held… and precious to him...
Acts 1:12-16,21-26
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.’
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’ 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 2:1-12
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’
All scripture quotations taken from
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Background:
Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, a new beginning, a new understanding, a new boldness, and more… the promise of the Father fulfilled. Pentecost changed everything for the disciples, and birthed a movement that went on to change the world. But if receiving the Holy Spirit was all they needed, then why wait? Why not send the Holy Spirit sooner?
I think the answer is preparation. We see the Holy Spirit is active throughout the Old Testament from the creation story onwards (Genesis 1:2), and he is also active in Jesus’ ministry. So, strictly speaking, the Holy Spirit did not need to be ‘sent’, he was already there. It’s not that he is coming for the first time, but that now the disciples are finally ready to receive the gift that was always available.
It might help to think of God’s long-term plan as:
In the Bronze Age of civilization, God picks one family to work with, Abram and Sara (Genesis 12), and from there, starts to patiently mould a people over generations, preparing them to be ready to hear and understand the message of love that Jesus would bring.
Jesus is born into the world and picks a small group to invest in, working with them to prepare them for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost, the preparation of the disciples is complete, and we enter a new age, where the Holy Spirit works with the Church to prepare the way for the coming of God’s kingdom in all its fullness.
As before, there are other questions that it will help to explore before we look at the Bible passage again… Where were the disciples meeting to pray? How did they ‘constantly devote themselves to prayer’ (Acts 1:14) for 10 days? Why does the Holy Spirit wait ten days after the ascension before coming in power? Why make the disciples wait?
Where did all this happen?
Acts 1:13 says that they went to the room upstairs where they were staying and Acts 2:2 says that the sound filled the whole house where they were sitting. But we also know they could be overheard, because a crowd gathered at the sound of them speaking in tongues (Acts 2:6). So, it would seem they were meeting in the upper room of a house with a window that looked out over the streets or square below. Probably the same place where they had celebrated the last supper with Jesus, and where he appeared to them after the resurrection.
Acts 1:15 says that there were about 120 people there, so it must have been a reasonable sized room. However, as an upstairs room in a city like old Jerusalem, it can’t have been massive. I visualise a room that was much bigger than needed for the last supper, but would have been quite crowded with 120 people in it.
The Roman army completely destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD, so the exact location of the upper room is unknown. Tradition has it that the Cenacle, a room just outside the old city walls of Jerusalem, is the place where this all took place. However, the earliest records of this site being regarded as the location are in the 4th century AD, so it is unlikely that this was the original room.
How did they ‘constantly devote themselves to prayer’?
This was not an established monastic order, and it was not a group of spiritual giants that come together for the purpose of prayer, so I doubt it started out with any structure. Acts 1:14 shows us that the men and women prayed together, which was a departure from Jewish tradition, but was probably a continuation of what they’d done with Jesus.
Jewish men were required to pray three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. It’s likely that this was the pattern Jesus practised when he was with them, and the pattern they fell back into when they were together. So, ‘constantly devoting themselves to prayer’, probably meant meeting in the upper room at set times of the day to pray together. I suspect that a core group of at least the 11 and the others listed in Acts 1:14 would have been there for most of the time, with others of the 120 gathering for prayer when they could. Most of them would have had other responsibilities, so they couldn’t have been there the whole time and may have missed some of the prayer meetings.
It is likely that they followed the set Jewish texts to be recited in prayer, which include the Shema (so called because it begins, ‘Sh’ma Yisraeil…’ – translated ‘Hear O Israel’)[1]. And I imagine they would include the prayer that Jesus taught them, the Lord’s prayer.
So, for 10 days many of them came and went, gathering when they could. Over that time, they would have been engaged in prayer, conversation, eating together and practical living, as well as going through the process of appointing Matthias to replace Judas.
We know that the Holy Spirit came at 9am in the morning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:15), which was probably as the disciples were meeting for morning prayer.
Why does the Holy Spirit wait 10 days before coming in power?
Jesus had told them to wait, but he didn’t say for how long they would have to wait. During this time, there is no further teaching from Jesus to help them understand more, so why wait 10 days?
I think what happened during that waiting was significant; this was about preparation. The Holy Spirit has been around since before creation, but he waits until their hearts are ready before coming in power.
I’ve chosen to share this story from the perspective of Matthias, the disciple chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve apostles (Acts 1:26). Luke includes the detail of the several names given for the disciple that was not chosen; Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus. But for the one that was chosen, we just have the single name, Matthias. They were both probably part of the 72 that Jesus sent out, but the detail given about Joseph’s name makes me think that he was the more well-known disciple, the one who was expected to be appointed.
As before, before reading on pause, and ask God to speak to you through this reflection. Read Acts 1:12-16,21-26 again, and then imagine that Matthias is with you and sharing his story.
As before, when you read through the Bible passage and the story:
Take time to notice how you feel about what you are reading.
Are there things in the story that jar, or resonate with you?
Are there things that surprise you, or that you disagree with?
Why is that?If you were Matthias, how would you feel about being elected as the 12th apostle? How would it feel when you were filled with the Holy Spirit?
At the end of the story, before moving on to the thoughts and questions for reflection, pause and ask God what he might be wanting you to take from this.
If you find it helpful, make notes in a journal as you read and pray.
[1] Translated, the Shema begins: Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, The Lord is one. And you shall Love the lord your God With all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
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