The disciples decide they need a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord and then committed suicide.
"Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (Acts 1:12-14) This group has seen the risen Lord. According to His instructions, they remain at Jerusalem waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit. The group is comprised of the eleven remaining disciples, "the women" who may be the wives of the married disciples along with the women who have followed Jesus from Galilee and perhaps even the sisters and sisters-in-law of Jesus, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus. Prior to the resurrection Jesus' own brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). But now even the siblings of Jesus, who previously thought He was mentally unhinged (Mark 3:21) believe on Him as their Lord.
These believers spend their time praying together, waiting for further instructions from the Lord through the Holy Spirit. It is so important that we don't ever make major moves in our lives without praying and waiting for further instructions from the Holy Spirit! My husband and I have several decisions to make this year in regard to our work and some opportunities that look like they will be coming our way. We don't know what is best for us, so we have to start praying now for the Lord to guide us into the right decisions when the time comes. The followers of Jesus set a great example for us to follow by praying for guidance.
Prior to the crucifixion we noted that Peter has a bold personality and the gift of leadership, but at that time he trusted in his own power instead of in the Lord's power. After denying the Lord he knows he has to lean on Jesus every minute of every day. He knows the power to do anything worthwhile for the kingdom of God has to come from the Lord, so as he begins to step out in a leadership role in the church he does so with humility instead of with pride. "In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, 'Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.' (With the payment he 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.)" (Acts 1:15-19) Luke, since he is a physician, adds some gruesome medical details in parenthesis regarding the fate of Judas' body. We discussed this matter on day 81 of our study of the book of Mark and we talked about how Luke's account of Judas' death is not in contradiction to Matthew's account. We won't repeat that discussion here, but it is available for reading in the blog archives.
Peter continues to make his case for electing an apostle to replace Judas. "'For,' said Peter, 'it is written in the book of Psalms: 'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, 'May another take his place of leadership.'" (Acts 1:20) Peter quotes from psalms 69 and 109 in which David is speaking as one who has been accused and betrayed. David endured false accusations and betrayal by those close to him; because of these experiences the Holy Spirit was able to help him understand, at least in part, how the Lord Jesus would feel when He was falsely accused and betrayed. I don't know how well Peter knew the Scriptures before he became a disciple of Jesus, but he certainly has an extensive knowledge of them now. Peter was listening as Jesus sowed the seed of the word in his heart, and now that seed is bearing fruit.
Peter goes on, "Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." (Acts 1:21-22) Peter says it is vital that they choose a man who is qualified to testify to everything that has happened from the day Jesus was baptized until the day He ascended to heaven. All along Jesus has had other disciples who were not of the Twelve; the man they choose will be one of them.
"So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, 'Lord, You know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.' Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles." (Acts 1:23-26) The eleven choose two men that to their eyes are equally qualified to take the place of Judas, but they don't know which man is right for the job, so they ask the Lord (who knows the men's hearts) to choose the right man. In the Old Testament the casting of lots was done by the high priest, who carried two objects known as the urim and thummim in his breastplate (Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8). The casting of lots was done to ascertain the Lord's will as the high priest prayerfully and respectfully appealed to the Lord for guidance. The apostles aren't simply rolling a pair of dice when they make their decision. They are prayerfully and respectfully requesting the Lord's guidance. I don't feel this indicates we are to make our own decisions in this manner, for the apostles used this method before the Holy Spirit began to indwell believers in Christ. We are living in a time after the Holy Spirit has become present in the world in this new way, and we are to be guided by Him, not by a roll of the dice.
Some commentators have criticized the apostles by saying they were out of the will of God when they chose Matthias, stating that God Himself actually chose the Apostle Paul to replace Judas. But there's nothing in Luke's account that would lead us to think the disciples are doing anything wrong. They have been together in prayer with other believers for a number of days now. They sincerely desire the Lord's help. They truly seek His will in the replacement of Judas. If the Lord had not wanted them to appoint Matthias as an apostle, I feel He would have shown them they were in error. In addition, Paul doesn't meet the qualifications to be one of the Twelve; he has not been a follower of Jesus from His baptism until His ascension, and he has not seen or spent time with the resurrected Lord. Paul himself will say that the Lord appeared to him last, as to one born "out of due time", and that he did not deserve to be called as an apostle because he persecuted the church. (1 Corinthians 15:8-9) Paul says that he was not with Jesus from His baptism to His ascension. Paul says he did not see the risen Christ over a period of forty days as the other apostles and believers did. Paul saw Him later, unexpectedly, undeservedly, and he does not consider himself a part of the Twelve but, it would seem, as an extra apostle.
We don't know what happened to Matthias after he was chosen, but then we don't know what happened to the majority of the other disciples either. We don't know which twelve the Lord meant when He prophesied, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28) Jesus obviously wasn't making this promise to include Judas, for He could never have truly said Judas was His follower, but whether He intends for Matthias or Paul to be one of these Twelve we cannot say. This is one of those matters that is the Lord's business, and He will choose the proper man for the job as a judge of Israel. As we discussed yesterday, we are to be doing the work we've been commissioned to do: getting the gospel out to the world. We need not get caught up in details that don't concern us, because God knows what He's doing, and He can be trusted to do what is best.
When Peter spoke of choosing a man who had witnessed all the things that concern the Lord Jesus Christ, I was reminded of a particular song, so I'm including a link to it below. I hope it will be a blessing to you.
Were You There?
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