"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." (St. Matthew 11:25-30)
St. Matthia's Day
St. Matthia's Day
In the name of Jesus. Amen. At the end of St. Matthew's Gospel, the Lord sent the eleven Apostles to preach His good news to all nations. Didn't the Lord have twelve Apostles? Where's the twelfth?
Judas. The one who betrayed the Lord had once been in the Holy Ministry. His place was vacant. Who would tell all that Jesus had done and said? Whom would the Lord send to be His witness?
St. Matthias. The lot fell on Matthias and he replaced Judas. But who is Matthias?
St. Matthias was the one the Lord sent. That's who he was. He was the one chosen and sent to preach the Gospel, to forgive sins, and to baptize all nations. Matthias was one of the Twelve and that's what the Twelve did.
But did St. Matthias do anything really special? We never hear his name again in the Scriptures! He was at Pentecost when Peter preached. He stood with the Twelve. He was among the Twelve when the Lord called seven others to preach the Word.
That's all we really know for sure about St. Matthias. What good news! St. Matthias preached all that He saw Jesus do and say for us. He did what was given him to do. He told others that Jesus was for all who labor and were heavily burdened. He told them about the true rest which is found only in Jesus.
To celebrate St. Matthias' Day is not to take a break from Lent, but to rejoice in the Lord's salvation for us. The Lord suffered for St. Matthias and He suffered for you and me. The Lord died for St. Matthias and He died for you and me. The Lord rose for St. Matthias and He rose for you and me. That's the rest given for Matthias and for you and me: What Jesus did for us on the Cross and delivered to us in the Word.
Thank God for St. Matthias and all that the Lord did through him. Without any earthly glory, like Jesus, St. Matthias humbly plugged along without any fanfare.
Not to fear, though, the Lord knew all about St. Matthias. He knows everything that St. Matthias did. He was for St. Matthias, the substitute! He was St. Matthias' rest.
Jesus is St. Matthias' rest right now and ours too. Because of St. Matthias, we know that Jesus is our rest too. Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Higher Things Reflections are written by Rev. George F. Borghardt III, Assistant Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX