In Matthew 19:28, Yeshua referred to "you who have followed me". Does that include Judas? Or is Paul or Mattathias retroactively counted among the Twelve?
I like the chiastic symmetry of Judas replaced by Paul. They are like the two servants Yeshua also spoke of: One proclaimed faithfulness, but disobeyed in the end. The other proclaimed enmity, but obeyed in the end. This also parallels the way that lists of the 12 tribes vary, depending on which one is in apostasy and whether Levi is included.