Matthias

By Jeff Kissell

One of the disciples that little is known about is Matthias. We do know that he was chosen by the eleven to replace Judas Iscariot. He is with the believers in Jesus on Pentecost. Other than that he was with Jesus from his baptism until Jesus's return to heaven, nothing is known. Who was he, and what can we imagine about his family, occupation, or the man? Even his death is a mystery. Matthias tells the story of how it might have been. The scenes are from the scriptures as the disciples travel with Jesus, learning and working with him. Even though Matthias is not at the death of Jesus, he is to be the thirteenth disciple.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644165522

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Matthias

Jeff Kissell

ISBN 978-1-64416-551-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64416-552-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Jeff Kissell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Let me start by telling you who I am. My name is Matthias. I am a follower of Jesus, and this is my story.

I first met Jesus when I was about eight years old. My family lives in Bethlehem. They have lived there for many generations. I love the rocky hills around the small village, playing with my cousins and chasing the sheep. For you see, my family and I are shepherds. We have been shepherds for as long as anyone can remember. Being from Bethlehem, most people would think that we were related to that great shepherd king, King David. But alas, it is not so. We are not related to King David at all except in occupation.

However, we are very good at what we do. We are not your ordinary shepherds. No, we raise primarily lambs. Our lambs are of an extraordinary quality. And this must be because we are shepherds for the temple in Jerusalem. After the exile, when my family came back to Judea, there were few people who were raising lambs. Most of the people were raising sheep for their wool. However, my grandfather had developed a way of bringing the ewes into heat earlier than normal, and so we were able to have more lambs each year. This was brought to the attention of the Levites; and since there needed to be a huge number of lambs, especially at Passover time, they commissioned my family to be the official shepherds of the temple.

This does have certain privileges that go along with the title. We are allowed to run our sheep over the entire area between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We are also given permission to take our flocks into areas that might be denied to common shepherds, such as along the sides of Herodian, the palace complex of King Herod. There are also springs and valleys that are reserved only for my family. We also must come into Jerusalem often to bring in the lambs. My father tried cows a few years ago, because they are also offered for certain sacrifices, and so we do have a small herd of cattle, but for the most part, we go with the sheep.

I think that our sheep are the most incredible sheep there are. We have had to breed them so that they are pure white. There cannot be any marks in their wool. Otherwise, they would be unable to be used at the temple. The Levites come every three months to inspect our sheep. Special care is taken of the ewes. They must be protected from the rain, especially as it gets to the time for giving birth. The hills around Bethlehem are covered with caves that we use for shelter for the sheep as well as the shepherd. They must be given the best grass and plenty of water. We try for as many twins as we can get. Even though our lambs are special, they are born for only one reason. That reason is to die.

Now that you know a bit about me, let me tell you how I first met Jesus. It was during the time that Caesar Augustus decided that all subjects of Rome must register. This was a huge undertaking since it entailed every family going to the place where that family had originated. Since my family had never left Bethlehem, except during the exile, we were able to stay at home. But a large number of people were coming in to register for the census. I was so glad that I could be in the fields and not have to be in the town. It was very noisy and crowded. There were not enough places for people to stay. The few inns were soon filled to overflowing, and everyone was trying to be as accommodating and hospitable as they could. My parents sent all of us children to the caves in the hills. They figured that they might as well make a few coins on the side, as well as maybe make some new friends. We did not mind at all. The caves are where we often keep our stuff when we are out with the flocks. Also we use the caves for keeping the sheep when it rains or gets cold.

I was out in the field that night, along with my uncle and cousin. We had just built a fire to take a bit of the chill from the air and were talking about all the people we had seen that day. My father came out to join us. He had decided, after being asked by my mother, to join us on the hillside. It was just too crowded for us shepherds. So here we were in the fields, keeping our sheep.

Suddenly a huge beam of light shone from the sky! What could be going on? It had been a very pleasant night, not a breeze blowing or a cloud in the sky. It was like a bolt of lightning, blinding, and we all thought we were going to die! Then the light spoke. From the light, a figure seemed to emerge. It was like a man yet not like a man. He was gigantic. He also seemed to glow, either because of the lightning or maybe the lightning was coming from him. We were scared to death! Then the man, angel, whatever it was spoke. It said, Fear not. Like that was