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Today, we are going to peek into the process of selecting Judas’ replacement in the early church. The whole of the New Testament has a lot to say about leadership and the qualifications of the men and women who step into these roles. In fact, our story today has a lot to say about it. Selecting your leaders is a very serious task.
Just take a look at King Saul. He seemed to be very kingly. He was from the Benjamite tribe. He was wealthy. He was ruggedly handsome. He was broad-shouldered and strong. I bet he looked like Thor from the Avengers. He fought bravely in many battles, but we all know how his story ends, don’t we. He was impatient. He didn’t fully obey God’s instructions. He got jealous and greedy. He slowly turned from God, trusting in his own strength, the might of his army, and even went to visit a Medium to consult the dead. Many looked to his outward appearance and might to qualify him as their leader, but they got it wrong.
Selecting leaders is one of the most important things you will do in the church, so it is crucial that we get it right.
Outline
1. Devoted Prayer
2. Alignment with the authority of Scripture
3. Obey the guidelines scripture provides
4. Seek and Acknowledge God’s will
Acts 1:12–26 ESV
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“ ‘Let another take his office.’
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Section 1 – Upper Room
Mt. of Olives > Jerusalem
This section begins with a description of the journey from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, which is a sabbath’s day journey. There is no specific distance given in scripture, because people were simply supposed to rest on the sabbath and not do work. It was Jewish tradition that defined the distance, which was between 1/2 – 3/4 of a miles depending on the rabbinical source.
Upper room
The text doesn’t tell us which room is being described here. It is possible that it could be where the disciples spent passover with Jesus prior to his arrest, or it could be where they hid from the Jews after His death.
In the end, the location really doesn’t matter. What matters is the gathered assembly of believers.
The Gathered
The names found here are the same 11 disciples mentioned from the list provided in Luke’s gospel (minus Judas).
Along with the disciples are mentioned a group of women to include Jesus’ mother Mary. This was no small thing to mention women in line with a list of men, since Israel was a patriarchal society. By including them, Luke his highlighting the importance of women in the New Testament Church, especially since one is his mom and the others are those who supported him during his ministry and cared for him at his death. Luke is also possibly even alluding to Joel’s prophecy that the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh – both men and women.
And then lastly, Jesus’ physical brothers are said to have also been present. Why mention his brothers? Well, because not all of them were keen to follow Jesus during his earthly ministry. Matthew 13:55, Mark 3:21 , and John 7:5 tell us that many were opposed to him and thought that he was crazy. And really, who can blame them?
Just think about your own siblings for half a second. You know all the bone-headed things he has done. How many stories can you recall where you would start with, “Hey remember that time when…” Would you ever believe that your brother is Deity?
And yet, after his ascension, they are all there has devoted followers.
Everyone with one accord were Devoted to Prayer
The phrase One accord in the Greek means – together / with one mind / united, which is commonly used throughout the book of Acts. It goes beyond the commonality of personal feelings to show them being united in purpose.
The word Devoted means – to be constantly diligent. They devoted themselves to prayer in the same way they devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching later in Acts 2:42.
In fact, they prayed in the same way Jesus modeled prayer (Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28, 29; 11:1; 22:32, 41; 23:34, 46). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus would withdrawal from crowds to pray. Sometimes he would pray all night. In the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed with such intensity (and under a tremendous amount of stress), that his sweat had blood in it. He gave his disciples a model to follow in the Lord’s Prayer. In all circumstances and in fulness of passion, Jesus would pray.
Point 1: In selecting godly leaders, this is where we begin. Prayer is the seedbed in which godly plants grow. If we are to succeed in building the Kingdom, there is no other logical place to begin. And this isn’t just a whimsical, half-hearted, 15 second prayer for God to reveal the right person. This is a unified group of devoted believers who were completely devoted to prayer. That is our model.
Section 2 – Judas Condemned
Peter takes the lead
Before the Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter had already begun to take the lead role among the other disciples, even though he denied Jesus three times during the trial and crucifixion.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me wonder – Why Peter? Wouldn’t this denial have put him in a bad position to lead? This denial seems to make him the least-likely candidate to be the leader of the early church, right?
Wrong. 100% wrong. Praise God, we aren’t defined by our failures. We are defined by what Jesus says of us.
If you remember, though Peter did deny Jesus three times, he wept bitterly and repented of that egregious error. Later in the story, he was restored by Jesus 3 times when Jesus asked Peter over and over if he loved him. And when Peter confirmed his love, what was Jesus’ response? Feed my sheep.
And what do we see Peter doing here in our passage? He is doing exactly what Jesus restored him to… feeding His sheep.
Next, we are told that about 120 people were gathered. According to Jewish law, 120 men at minimum was needed to establish a community with its own council. Perhaps this could be the reason this small add-on is described here. It also shows that Jesus’ faithful followers had not completely disbanded after his death since many saw him alive after the resurrection.
Judas’ Fate
Then, in a complete change of scenery, we get an unsavory description of Judas’ gruesome fate. He was once numbered among the 12 and allotted a share of ministry but became the ultimate betrayer. When he hung himself, he eventually fell to the ground where his stomach burst open and his insides became his outsides.
This field became known as Akeldama (pronounced in Aramaic: ḥăqēl dĕmā), meaning Field of Blood.
In the Gospels, Judas is seen giving the money back to the Priests. So, how did he buy the field? And, by the way, how do you hang yourself and your intestines come out?
First, the field was purchased with the money Judas took, so evidently this was Luke’s way of saying that, in a roundabout way, Judas bought the place where he died. That doesn’t seem to be an issue.
Secondly, it is likely that enough time had passed after Judas’ death for decomposition to set in and for the body to bloat. If the rope snapped and he fell on rocks, well then… you can use your imagination.
This was a bit of a tangent from the storyline, so why do you think Luke added it here? I believe one reason is to allow Judas to be a warning sign to all who would reject and/or betray Jesus. This is a likely outcome. We are to be reminded of the futility of rejected Jesus.
Scripture Foretold Judas’ Betrayal AND replacement
Referenced OT scriptures are: Ps. 69:25 and Ps. 109:8.
These are Royal Imprecatory Psalms (meaning to call down a curse on an enemy).
To get a flavor of these, let’s take a look at some of the surrounding verses:
Psalm 69:22–28 (ESV)
Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
Psalm 109:1–12 (ESV)
Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
So, we see Peter making a connection between David’s enemies and Judas. How? Well, we aren’t sure, but it is not uncommon for the Psalms to speak of the Messiah, so it would stand to reason that it wouldn’t be uncommon to link the Messiah’s enemies to them either.
These are psalms of David. David is Israel’s existing King at that time and the Messiah will be Israel’s future King. So, by implication, the enemies of one King can easily be referenced as prophetic types of the future King.
So, what we see here is that God has judged Judas as an enemy of Jesus the Messiah in the same way He judged the enemies of David in the Old Testament.
Take Ps. 110:1 for example:
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
So, Yahweh (most common name of God) said to my Adonai (which means sovereign ruler)… sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.
David is seeing God the Father speaking to Jesus: The Lord said to MY Lord. Yahweh said to Adonai…
Section 3 – Matthias Chosen
Why a replacement?
The first and most important reason is an adherence to scripture. If the Apostles were led by the Spirit to these two Psalms to point to Judas, then Ps. 109:8 clearly states that a replacement must be found.
Would that have made sense to the Apostles? It doesn’t matter. If scripture has spoken, we are to obey regardless of the depth of our understanding.
This is point number two. Like a builder uses a level or plumb line to discern that his wall is perfectly straight, we must also use the scriptures to discern right from wrong… good from evil… what to do from what not to do. The disciples had to align with what scripture said. Fill Judas’ spot. On a personal level, you and I must also search the scriptures daily to discern God’s will in living a life that is pleasing to him. On a leadership level, we must know the what the position requires and then look to scripture to see what alignments are necessary for the leader to possess.
But, it is likely they did understand (if not at that time, then eventually) that a full roster of 12 apostles is a representation of the 12 tribes of Israel, and there are many parallels of the Old and New Covenants.
So, if Judas vacated his seat, another must take his place, because according to Jesus in Matthew 19:28, the Apostles will sit on 12 thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel:
Matthew 19:28 (ESV)
Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Now, you may be wondering… what about Paul? Wasn’t he also an Apostle? Yes! He sure was, but one who was specifically sent to the Gentiles. These 12 seats are facing the 12 tribes of Israel, so there is a purposeful difference.
Follow the Rules
With that understood, Luke moves on to explain the stipulations for filling Judas’ vacant seat.
What were these stipulations?:
1. Had to be selected from those who were among them during Jesus’ earthly life.
2. An eye witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
Point 3. If they didn’t meet the criteria, they weren’t eligible. Likewise, we must be prudent to identify the criteria for selecting godly leaders. Scripture shows us how. Moses got some pretty good advise from his Father-in-law on how to delegate matters to reputable and trustworthy men. Paul has multiple lists of moral conduct throughout his letters. In his letters to Timothy, he clearly lists the criteria for selecting Deacons and Elders. So, we see the first step is to align with what the scriptures tell us, and then, we follow the criteria it provides.
Lots Cast
Once the criteria was laid out, two men fit the bill: Joseph (called Barsabbas and Justus), and Matthias. This is the only place in scripture where they are mentioned, so we don’t know much about them, except that they were upstanding enough to make the cut in the first place.
Once these two men were identified, the gathered assembly returned to prayer, seeking God’s will.
Point 4. How often to you and I earnestly seek the Lord’s will in prayer? And again, not just a 15 second prayer, but a deep, invested time spent asking and listening for the answer? As our final point in selecting godly leaders, we must not only pray at the beginning of the process. We can’t stop at aligning ourselves with the authority of scripture or even knowing the criteria, but we must seek God’s will. It is so easy for us to interject our own will and even trick ourselves into thinking that our own bias is really the Lord speaking. We must train ourselves to seek out the will of God.
For the group, and after time in prayer, they chose the method of casting lots to reveal God’s choice.
At first glance, this seems rather silly. They are literally rolling the dice on these guys. How on earth is this a reliable method to reveal God’s will?
There are two answers to this question.
First, you can look back through the Old Testament and see this method being used to make many decisions. This was a common and accepted practice in the ancient world.
Secondly, and more convincingly, I would like to point to Proverbs 16:33, which reads:
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
This may be an awkward way to make a decision for something like say, a moral decision. To do that, it would require the searching of and alignment to the scriptures. But, this wasn’t a moral decision. This was a selection between two qualified men, and according to the scriptures (and because it is aligned with scripture, the accepted practice), then the casting of lots was used.
Mind you, this method was used prior to the giving of the Holy Spirit. Once Pentecost came, they had the Spirit to guide them into all truth and the method of casting lots would no longer be required.
To Sum it Up
Our passage of scripture today gives us a glimpse into the minds and practices of the early church (as well as ancient Israel).
Not only that, we can discern from this passage alone, how we can select godly leaders in the church who are qualified, trustworthy, and spiritually mature people that we know will carry out God’s will and not their own.
We do this by:
1. Praying earnestly
2. Align with the authority of scripture
3. Obey the guidelines scripture provides
4. Seek and acknowledge God’s will