“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 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.”
And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:21-26).
After the original Apostles cast their lots and determined who would take Judas's place, they chose a man named Matthias. Matthias had much to recommend him, apparently, because from among all the men who accompanied Jesus during his ministry (As you may recall from Luke 10, Jesus had a number of regular followers from whom he also chose to do His work), he was one of only two chosen as a possibility. Ultimately, he was just as qualified for the role as a man named Joseph (AKA Barsabas), with the surname of Justus. From a human perspective, it really could have gone either way... but ultimately God chose Matthias. So Matthias accepted a leadership role among the 11 remaining original Apostles, a place of prominence among the growing church.
But what about Joseph, AKA Barsabas, surnamed Justus? We honestly don't know what happened. We do know, because Scripture tells us, that he was a part of the extended circle of Disciples who followed Christ. But after that? After Matthias was chosen over him to replace Judas? We just don't know.
There is a church tradition suggesting he became Bishop of Eleutheropolis, and was ultimately martyred. On the strength of this tradition, he is venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Justus of Eleutheropolis.
What I don't believe happened, however, is that this Joseph Barsabas walked away from the fledgling church. See, the selection of an office isn't the final word on a person's worth. Barsabas wasn't rejected from the body of Christ; he simply wasn't chosen for a position. He was still a disciple of Christ, still an original member of the church, still a worker for the Kingdom of God.
I like to think -- though we don't know for sure -- that Joseph Barsabas rejoiced with Matthias and the rest of the church after the choice was made, and then got back to work serving God in whatever ways he was needed. God had a plan for Joseph. We may not know now what that plan was, but that doesn't matter. Like so many Christians since, the work of Joseph Barsabas wasn't about him, but about the Kingdom.
Like Barsabas, you are chosen. You have work to do. Maybe you weren't chosen for a prominent role on earth, maybe you were. Remember, this world is temporary; the Kingdom of God is eternal. You are chosen by God to be one of His. And that's the choice that really matters.
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