Yielding to Urgency

Acts 1:15-26

One of the last things the Lord told his disciples was to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them. I don’t know about you but I find waiting difficult, and especially when I don’t have any idea what the schedule is, as for example when a flight has been delayed while waiting for a flight crew to arrive. The church spent the next several days in prayer.

Prayer, for the Christian, is like communication in a marriage. While everyone realizes it is good and necessary, it is easy to postpone it for more urgent matters, since we can pray or talk when we aren’t busy. Unfortunately, the time when we most need our mate’s input is when we are busy. The results are often not completely satisfactory because both parties were not fully informed or represented in the final action.

Peter was impulsive and quick to act, and this period of waiting quickly began to chafe him. What could they do while they were waiting? Surely they could pick a successor for Judas. After all, besides betraying the Lord, he was dead, and a replacement was needed.

“And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.” (Acts 1:15-19)

Zechariah 11:12-13 had prophetically pictured Judas’ betrayal, giving details as to how much the bribe would be and what it would be used for. “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”

Judas clearly regretted what he’d done, and tried to absolve his guilt by giving back the money, but he did not seek the Lord’s forgiveness or try to block the execution, and his guilt resulted in suicide. Matthew 27:3-10 provides the details, which the disciples knew.

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.” (Matthew 27:3-10)

That Peter credited the prophecy to Jeremiah rather than Zechariah causes no problem. Jeremiah prophesied for about thirty years. Clearly he said a lot more than is recorded in Jeremiah and Lamentations. The Jews had records of some of the other prophecies, and Peter was undoubtedly familiar with them, since they were regularly taught, even though they were not considered scripture. The record of Zechariah’s prophecy is all that is necessary to prove that Jesus fulfilled it, and a repeat would add nothing to our understanding.

Peter then summarized Psalm 69 as a basis for the disciples to select some one to take Judas’ duties as a bishop or overseer in the establishment of the church.

“For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take.” (Acts 1:20)

Since it was clear that someone else was to take Judas’ place, Peter recommended that the Apostles look at the other disciples and select ones who met the proper qualifications to fill the office. One of those would be ordained, or chosen, to be the Judas’ successor.

“Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)

The standard is that the Apostle must be one who had been personally taught by Jesus Christ. Only two men besides the original twelve chosen had been there the entire time, learning what Jesus taught, and could testify of everything he had done.

“And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” (Acts 1:23-25)

Knowing that there was only one slot to fill, the disciples then prayed that God would choose which one he wanted. Like many in a marriage, they didn’t discuss what the Lord wanted until they had narrowed the selection down to two, just presenting option A or option B, without considering that option C might be what God wanted. They ignored the fact that an Apostle was a special representative of God, not of the church.

“And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:26)

Each of the original twelve apostles was hand picked by Jesus Christ as his personal representative. Though the people counted Matthias as an apostle, the indication is that God picked Paul as the twelfth apostle, although becoming a Christian later, as he states In I Corinthians 15:8-9. “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

Interestingly, Matthias is never mentioned again as one of the apostles in scripture. One of the problems with allowing others to take leadership is that they will make mistakes. God never rebukes the disciples for choosing Matthias, he just fades away. New leadership must be allowed to deal with their own mistakes. Rushing back in to fix them destroys their ability to lead.