Deepertruth: The Apostle St. Matthias Story and Jesus Christ in History

Judas Iscariot betrayed Our Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).

After Judas committed suicide by hanging himself, the Apostles gathered together to replace him choosing between two Candidates, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias.

St. Peter opened the casting of lots with this forward message, "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." Acts 1:21-22

St. Peter lead the prayer, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place."

Matthias was selected and then enrolled to join with the faithful eleven Apostles. So now there were Twelve Apostles again as Matthias took Judas's office (Acts 1:20). Matthias was an important Candidate, he was present from the beginning of St. John the Baptist Ministry and all through Jesus public Ministry. Twelve was important to the Apostles in that this represented the twelve tribes of Israel. It played with the idea that the Church was the "new Israel", the "new Jerusalem.