According to the Acts of the Apostles, an apostle had to be chosen to replace Judas Iscariot who proved to be a traitor, thereby fulfilling earlier prophecies (Ps 41:9; 109:8). The remaining 11 faithful apostles are listed at Acts 1:13.
The calling of this apostle is unique, because it is made before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the early church, and Jesus whom personally selected a body of 12 appointed representatives, had already ascended to heaven.
Some of the apostles that were appointed by Jesus had been disciples of John the Baptizer before becoming Jesus' disciples (John 1:35-42), Judas Iscariot being considered the sole Judean.
The Greek word "a.po.stel'lo," meaning "send forth (or off)". Its basic sense is illustrated in Jesus' statement: "A slave is not greater than his master, nor is one that is sent forth greater than the one that sent him." (John 13:16) When names are translated from Hebrew to Greek, they often go through a few changes. The name Judah is pronounced Judas in Greek. The word "Jew" is an Anglicizing of the word 'Judahites' or 'Judeans.' Jesus is betrayed by a man named Judah. In many ways, Judas' rejection of Jesus as King foreshadows the way the whole nation of Judah will respond to the Son of God.
Matthew's Gospel is often summed up by the theme "Jesus is the King." The irony and beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus is not merely the King of the Jews, He is the King of the Gentiles (Nations). Matthew introduces Jesus as the Anointed Son of David who begins His Ministry as a light to the Gentiles in Galilee (Chapter 4). In Matthew, Jesus' ministry takes place exclusively outside Jerusalem.
When Jesus finally comes riding toward the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, it is His first and final visit in Matthew's narrative. Jesus is celebrated by his fellow Galilean pilgrims outside the city gates, but when He enters the city, Jerusalem's response is,"Who is this!"(Matt. 21:10). They are deeply disturbed by the uproar the "Galilean Leader" has caused.
Judas Iscariot acts as an agent of the Jerusalem establishment, and he embodies the resentment of the ones in power and the subsequent rejection of Jesus. The way he acted toward Jesus is the way the nation of Judah in general responded to their Messiah. John writes in his opening chapter: He came to His Own, and His Own People did not receive Him" (John 1:11).
After Jesus' resurrection, He does not march to the city of Jerusalem, instead He meets with his disciples in Galilee of the Gentiles. There Jesus proclaims Himself to have "all authority in Heaven and on Earth," sending His People to make disciples of all nations.
Judah is sadly absent. Acts 1 says: "With the payment Judas received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language "Akeldama," that is, "Field of Blood." .. It is written in the Book of Psalms:"May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. May another take his place of leadership." (Acts 1:18-20)
Peter, knowing the Scriptures were to be fulfilled, proposed that another man be chosen to take Judas Iscariot's place among the 12 apostles to maintain their number and their ministry. There were at least 72 other men, besides the Twelve, whom the Lord had commissioned for ministry (Luke 10:1).
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