Jesus. : Trusting Jesus First, Only, Now, and AlwaysSample

When Jesus went back to Heaven to be with God the Father, He told His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would fill them up and give them the power to continue Jesus’s ministry (see Acts 1:3-8). 120 disciples did what He said, including the Twelve we talk about most.

While they waited, they chose a replacement for Judas Escariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide. Two men were nominated: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. This is the first and last time either man’s name is mentioned in the Bible. We don’t know much about them, but we do know that both men were well respected and had been with Jesus from the very beginning of His ministry (see vs. 21-22). Even so, Jesus had not chosen them to be members of the Twelve. At that point, Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias could have let discouragement keep them from following Jesus, but they didn’t.

The election in the upper room was the second chance for Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas to join the Twelve. Because the two men were equally qualified, the disciples decided to cast lots—like rolling dice—to choose Judas’s replacement. Before they cast lots, the disciples prayed and asked God to show them whom to choose. They trusted that the result of the cast was God’s answer. Matthias became a member of the Twelve. Joseph Barsabbas did not.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how either man reacted to this choice, but the Bible is very open about other mistakes the disciples made. Because the Bible doesn’t mention a bad reaction from either man here tells us they probably handled the situation with grace and humility. Matthias didn’t let jealousy creep in, and Joseph Barsabbas didn’t let pride creep in. As a result, Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias experienced many of the same things after the election. Both received the Holy Spirit, heard Peter’s sermon, watched 3,000 people get saved, and became part of a tightknit community of Jesus followers. This is the kind of good that happens when followers of Jesus focus on Jesus and not themselves.