February 24, 2013 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
“At that time Jesus declared…‘All things have been handed over to Me
by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to
Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’”
Matthias is called as an
apostle. That is the Church’s focus on February 24, the date set apart to
celebrate and commemorate the Twelfth Apostle of Jesus. For most of you, the
record of Matthias’ selection is quite familiar; you hear it every Easter
Season. You heard the details again this morning: Jesus ascends to the Father;
Peter stands up in the midst of the followers of Jesus and says that there is a
vacancy, a hole created because Judas forfeited his place through his
treacherous betrayal of Jesus; there are supposed to be Twelve, not Eleven
apostles, so a replacement needs to be found.
The record of Matthias’
selection includes the manner by which he was chosen: “And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called
Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts
of all, show which one of these two You have chosen to take the place in this
ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered
with the eleven apostles.” With that, the apostolic band is back up to
twelve. All is restored to how Jesus had desired it to be.
Several things can be learned
from this event: the symbolic value of the Number 12; the nature of the
Scriptures as spoken of in Peter’s statements—that the Holy Spirit spoke
through David and that what happened to Judas was foretold; when lots are to be
used in decision making. But today the focus should be on the reason for
Matthias’ selection as an apostle. What was Matthias’ role? What was he to
become by being added to the number of the apostles? Peter’s declaration about
the need to have a replacement for Judas spells this out: “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until
the day when He was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a
witness to His resurrection.”
Another witness to Jesus’
resurrection was needed. Another man who had seen what Jesus had done and heard
what Jesus had said from the time that He stepped into the Jordan River and was
declared to be the Beloved Son of God the Father to the time when Jesus
ascended to His Father was to be given the job of being an apostle—an
authorized sent one to bear witness. That is why Matthias was selected. But why
was this witnessing to be done? So that Jesus’ words and works would be made
known to the world, just as Jesus willed it.
The reason for Matthias’
selection is not only found in the account of his being chosen. It is actually
disclosed in the statements of Jesus that you heard today. Jesus speaks
concerning His identity and His purpose: “I
thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things
from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes,
Father, for such was Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me
by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
Jesus states that He has entrusted with things by His Father; His role is to
reveal them to whom He chooses. But this is not just some sort of esoteric
knowledge or trivia to fill people’s minds. No, what is to be revealed brings
relief to people.
This is seen in the words of
Jesus that follows His statement about His identity and purpose. Jesus gives an
invitation: “Come to Me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” It is a summons for
all who are troubled, all who are burdened, all who are weighed down despite
all the work that they have performed. Jesus calls them to Himself, calls them
to take what He has to offer—the way of life that He brought from His Father
and manifested to the world through His words and works.
Jesus speaks of people who labor
and are heavy laden, those who have restless souls. He describes those who are
troubled. What troubles them? Guilt borne, as they know well their faults and
how they have harmed others by their actions. Misery of knowing their failures
and their inability to change circumstance. Suffering endured when injured by
the acts of others. Restlessness of trying to find a purpose in this world.
Frustration from trying all the fads, all the prescribed methods of helping
oneself, but never reaching the goal of improvement. Grief from the tragedies
and loss that death brings. These and more burden hearts and souls. It isn’t
that people hadn’t tried to find a remedy—they had labored, carrying around their
heavy loads. So Jesus calls out to them: “Come to Me. I will give you the
relief that you’ve sought. I will cancel your debt and remove your guilt. I
will give you a purpose for your life. I will bring you to an end that will
surpass all the goals that you’ve set. I will give this to you because I bear
all that is burdening you.”
Jesus makes a promise in that
invitation: “Come to Me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.” It is a summons that comes with a pledge. That promise and pledge
are rooted in what He does. Jesus makes the promise because of His identity and
purpose—what He was in the world to do. Everything that Jesus had done from the
time of His Baptism in the Jordan to His ascension into heaven makes His guarantee
possible. It is the outcome of His being the Suffering Servant of the Lord.
What you will hear again on Good
Friday concerning Jesus makes His promise valid: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised and we
esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet
we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for
our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.” These
words describe what Jesus endured. He has taken the yoke of the load that wears
down your souls and put it on His shoulders. In its place, He has given you the
yoke of His way of life, just as Isaiah prophesied: “Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His
knowledge shall the Righteous One, My Servant, make many to be accounted
righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities.” This is what the humility
of Jesus had brought about; the result of it is seen in His being exalted in
resurrection.
And this actually brings us back
to the reason for Matthias’ selection. Not that Matthias was the Suffering
Servant. No, he was chosen to bear witness to what Jesus, the Suffering
Servant, accomplished. He would proclaim what Jesus had said and what Jesus had
done. Like the other Eleven—Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and
Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James and Thaddeus, and Simon—Matthias would
be a witness to the words and works of Jesus that culminated in His dying and
rising again. That is how Jesus brings rest for souls. The yoke of Jesus would
be placed on those who heard His invitation spoken through the apostle’s mouth.
That activity continues today,
nearly two thousand years after Matthias’ selection as an apostle. Jesus’
invitation is still spoken. You heard Him call out to you: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The living voice of Jesus
summons you again. His invitation is given because He knows what you are
burdened with. Jesus knows, because He witnessed it in this world. But even more
than that—Jesus knows, because He has borne it. That’s part of His being the
Substitute for you. His call is given to you because of His promise: “This is the one to whom I will look: he who
is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word.”
So Jesus gives you the
invitation: “Are you burdened by guilt? Take My righteousness and clothe
yourself in it. Are you miserable because of your failures? Take My joy that
came from finishing the course, enduring the shame of the cross for you. Do you
suffer from being wronged by others? Take My healing that comes from suffering
in your place. Are you restless, looking for something established that doesn’t
change? Take My words that disclose the Father’s eternal will for you. Are you
frustrated by never finding something that will improve you? Take My
deliverance from this body of death. Do you grieve because of death? Take My
resurrection and life, I will raise you up at the last day.”
Jesus’ invitation comes to you
each time that you hear His words and listen to the account of His works. This
is what the apostolic witness—the witness of what Jesus did from His baptism to
His ascension—brings to you. These things may be hidden from those whom others may
consider wise and understanding. But they have been revealed to little children,
those to whom Jesus has chosen to disclose them—to a group of twelve made up of
fishermen, tax collectors, even a political revolutionary; to groups of common folk;
to slaves and freemen; to merchants and tradesmen; to eloquent teachers and
aristocrats.
The earthly distinctions don’t
matter. All who are humble and contrite in spirit, those who trembled at the Lord’s words are looked favorably upon.
That group includes you. Jesus’ words and works draw sinners to Himself. So
take Jesus’ yoke upon you, learn from Him, find the rest that He has for your
souls. It’s what the Father graciously desires for you and what the Son reveals
and what the Spirit brings to your knowledge. This is why Jesus has appointed
the witnesses of His resurrection, why His words and works have been made known
to you.
+ In the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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