In the book of Acts, Luke tells us that soon after Jesus had returned to heaven, and before he sent the Holy Spirit, the apostles had to choose the replacement for Judas. Two names were put forward: The first was Joseph Barsabbas, who had the nickname Justus; the other was Matthias. We do not know much about these godly men except that they were with Jesus when he started his ministry until his death. Church father Eusebius says both were part of the 70 disciples Jesus had sent out earlier in his ministry.
According to what we know from history, the names of the candidates were written on stones, and then the stones were placed in a vessel, and his vessel was shaken until one fell out. Luke’s report tells us there were about 120 people present when the choice was made and announced.
Presumably, Joseph was a fine man since he was one of those considered to replace Judas. But there must have been some inward pain when the announcement was made that Matthias had been chosen. Joseph came in second.
I think most of us can identify with Joseph’s feeling. Most of us love to win. Since we were young, we had been taught through sports or any endeavor that it is good to be number one.
In our society, successful undertakings of nearly every sort quickly receive the admiration of most of us. We take great delight in banquets and other ceremonies at which honors and awards are given. After the university intramurals, we see streamers of the teams that won. And unless the first or second runner-ups are genuine saints, it is only with great effort that they fix a smile, and give a round of congratulation to the winner.
No one likes to lose. Just watch those ballgames or any awards ceremony, for that matter. The winners go home smiling, and the losers go home depressed.
Or have you watched the American Idol or the Miss Philippines contests? The winners are interviewed by reporters, while the losers receive a brief word of recognition, and go home forgotten.
Many books had been written about winning or coming in first. I have not yet seen a book written on how to be the first runner-up.
However, for those of us who fall short, and come in second or third or even last, there is some good news for us. If Jesus could speak directly to our success-oriented generation, he would tell us to press on in our efforts to be what God wants us to be — whether we are first or not. God simply does not care what honors (in the traditional sense) we receive, or how successful we are based on how the world measures those things.
St. Paul wrote: “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (I Cor. 10:31) If honors come our way as a by-product of faithful and diligent attention to the work we have chosen to do, it is to be accepted modestly. If they do not, the truth is that a higher measure is at work with us, one that sees “success” in quite different terms.
A young man played in a high school tennis tournament. He, as their star player, and a title was at stake. In a hard-fought match, he was a point away from victory. His father told the story. The boy’s opponent was serving to avoid losing the game and thus, the match. The first serve hit the net. The opponent drew a deep breath, lofted the ball, and hit it again as hard as he dared. “Fault,” called the referee. Double fault; end of match! But this fine young man went over to the referee, and explained that he, being closer to the ball than anyone else, saw the ball clearly hit the line. The serve, he said, had been a winner, and the match should continue. The referee, knowing true sportsmanship when he saw it, declared that the point would be replayed.
It doesn’t matter who won the match. A very proud father had a story of victory far greater than any tennis game to warm his heart forever. And somewhere in heaven — if you’ll forgive the figure of speech — someone must have smiled with joy.
Now there is nothing wrong with winning. I still like to win if it is possible. And I cannot help occasional disappointment, even jealousy, on rare occasions, because I am a human being, raised in a competitive society. I need to turn to my Savior for forgiveness and charity of spirit.
But the important thing to remember is that the true measure when Christ is in our hearts and lives is not how many honors, plaques, trophies, and accolades we have received. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, it is the kind of man or woman we have become in what God wants us to be.
According to Galatians, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23a) And this is the point of Jesus in the gospel of John as he consecrated his disciples to the ministry — that they may continue to share the fruits of the Spirit as Jesus did in his ministry.
And I assume, in spite of his disappointment, Joseph must have continued to do his ministry, sharing the fruits of the Spirit.
May God continue to bless our lives whether we are winners or losers, as we continue the ministry to which we are called.
