NT Characters: Matthias & Joseph (Jackson Cheng)

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/matthias-a-joseph/">website</a>.</p><p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Jesus chose twelve men from among his disciples to become apostles. The number twelve is symbolic and important; it signifies being chosen. God chose the twelve tribes of Israel to be His chosen people. So after Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, they needed to replace him in order for the number to be complete.</p><p><strong>Acts 1:12-26</strong><br />Here we see two men who were proposed to take Judas’ spot as an apostle: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.</p><p>There is no other mention of these men in the New Testament. Church historian Eusebius numbers Matthias among the 70 whom Jesus sent out in Luke 10. Matthias is believed to have been stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem (according <i>Fox's Book of Martyrs</i>). What we <i>do </i>know about these two men is that they were faithful disciples of Jesus from the very beginning, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, until the time Jesus ascended. Were there others among the 120 who also qualified to replace Judas? We do not know. We do know that among the 120, Joseph and Matthias were the ones proposed by consensus. That speaks of their reputation among those who remained faithful. What we can learn about them is through deduction.</p><p><strong>Scriptural Study</strong></p><p><strong>Mark 2:1-2</strong><br />It is easy to be a Christian when it is popular.</p><p><strong>John 9:18-23</strong><br />It is a test of one's faithfulness when there is persecution or opposition - when being a Christian is not popular.</p><p>(One of the threats from the Jewish leaders was to ban anyone who acknowledged Jesus as Messiah from the synagogues. The synagogue was the heart of the Jewish communities throughout the various nations and cities of the Roman Empire. They were established after Israel and Judah were unfaithful to God and taken captive by the Assyrians a