Introduction
We began to study the book of Acts together right before Christmas. We didn’t get very far: just one sermon on the first 14 verses of Acts 1. But we saw that the book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote one of the gospels. And in the gospel of Luke, Luke wrote about the things the Lord Jesus began to do and to teach. And the book of Acts is a continuation of that. So, yes, the Lord Jesus is now in heaven. After his death and resurrection, he ascended to heaven to sit enthroned as king at the right hand of God the Father. However, from his throne in heaven, he continues to act and to speak. But now he’s acting and speaking through his apostles and by his Spirit. And so, while this book’s official title is ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, a better title would be, ‘The Acts of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Apostles and by his Spirit.’ In this book, we’ll see how the Lord Jesus — acting through the apostles — called and drew sinners to himself for salvation. And we’ll see how — through the apostles — he was building his church here on earth and he was extending his kingdom through the nations. That’s really what the book of Acts is about.
And the Lord Jesus continues to do those things in every generation. He doesn’t work through the apostles now, but he continues to send preachers into all the nations to declare the good news and to summon sinners to repentance and faith. And whoever believes receives forgiveness and is added to the church and becomes a member of Christ’s kingdom, which he is extending throughout the nations.
In that first sermon, which I preached before Christmas, we saw how the Lord Jesus told his eleven apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the gift the Father promised to give him. He was referring to the Holy Spirit; and they are about to receive that gift on the day of Pentecost which we will read about in chapter 2. But after speaking to them about the promised gift, and how they will be his witnesses in the world, the Lord Jesus was taken from them into heaven. He ascended to heaven to sit enthroned at his Father’s side. And angels appeared and reassured the apostles that the Lord Jesus, who had been taken from them, will one day return. So, the Christ who was born in Bethlehem as a little baby will come again one day. We don’t know when it will be, but we know that he is coming. And when he comes, he will come in glory and with power to raise the dead and to judge the living and the dead.
And after the Lord’s ascension, Luke tells us that the apostles returned to Jerusalem to wait in prayer for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
So, that’s as far as we got before Christmas. Today we come to the remaining verses of chapter 1 which tell us how they chose someone to replace Judas Iscariot as the twelfth apostle.
Verses 15 to 22
We read in verse 15 that in those days Peter stood up among the believers. Luke tells us that the number of believers in those days was about 120. And Peter began to speak to them. This, then, is the first time that Peter acts as a leader of God’s people. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, Peter was very much a disciple or a learner like all the others. But now that the Lord has returned to heaven, Peter emerges as the leader of God’s people.
And he began to speak to them about Judas. And I wonder: Was Judas an embarrassment to them? He was one of the twelve disciples. He had been with them throughout the Lord’s ministry. He seemed to be like all the others and when the Lord sent them out to preach and to perform signs and wonders, he had gone with them and had done what the others had done. He was also their treasurer, looking after the money purse. So, within the group of disciples, he had been given a responsible job to do. Everything indicated that he was one of the Lord’s true disciples. And yet, in the end, he betrayed the Lord. He turned on the Lord Jesus and agreed to lead the guards to him so that they might arrest him.
In verse 18 of today’s passage, Luke inserts this little note about Judas and he refers to Judas’s wickedness. What better word is there to describe what Judas had done than to call it wickedness. It was a wicked thing to do, to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. And Luke tells us that with the reward that he got for his wickedness — and Luke is referring to the 30 pieces of silver he received as payment for betraying the Lord — he bought a field. Now, it was actually the Pharisees who bought the field, but they bought it with Judas’s money after he hung himself. But since it was bought with Judas’s money, it’s possible to say that Judas bought the field. And Luke goes on to tell us how Judas fell headlong and his body burst open and his intestines spilled out. It’s a little horrific, isn’t it? But this is presumably what happened after Judas hanged himself.
And look now at verse 19, where Luke tells us that everyone in Jerusalem heard about this and everyone called the field, ‘Field of Blood’. And that’s why I wonder was Judas an embarrassment to them? Everyone had heard about Judas. Everyone had heard how he died and presumably they had also heard what he had done. Here was one of the Lord’s disciples, but he ended up betraying the Lord. We can imagine people talking about it and saying: What kind of leader was Jesus if one of his own men turned on him? What kind of leader was Jesus if he was foolish enough to appoint someone like Judas? So, was Judas an embarrassment to the early church?
I don’t think so, because Peter explains to the others that while what Judas did was very wicked, nevertheless it was all part of God’s plan. God had foretold it in the pages of the Old Testament.
And so, look at verse 16. Peter got up to speak and he explained to the believers that the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. And he means that the Scriptures foretold what Judas would do. And since the Scriptures foretold it, then it had to happen, because it was part of God’s revealed plan.
And what he says about the Scriptures here is really very interesting. If you’ve ever wondered about the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, take a look at this verse. Peter says that the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David. There you have the inspiration of the Scriptures. David spoke, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. David spoke, but what he said was from God the Holy Spirit. The same could be said about any of the others writers of the Old and New Testaments. Moses spoke, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. Isaiah spoke, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. Paul spoke, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. Indeed Luke wrote his gospel and the book of Acts, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. That’s the inspiration of the Scriptures. While the Bible was written by human authors, what they said and wrote was spoken and written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that the Bible really is the word of God.
But look at what else Peter said. Peter refers to what the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas. So, long ago, long before Judas was born, the Holy Spirit spoke through David about what Judas would do and about what would happen to him. It’s remarkable. Hundreds of years before it happened, God the Holy Spirit knew what Judas would do and he spoke about it.
Where did the Holy Spirit speak about Judas? Jump down now to verse 20, where Peter quotes one of the psalms. It’s Psalm 69, which is a psalm about God’s servant who is suffering at the hands of his enemies even though he had done nothing to deserve it. And as you read the psalm, you can’t help but think that while it was originally about David, it’s also about the Lord Jesus. The suffering of King David foreshadows the suffering of Christ our King who was hated without cause. And Peter quotes one verse from the psalm. It’s verse 25 where the psalmist says to God about one of his enemies: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no-one to dwell in it.’ David was asking God to destroy his enemy. But Peter sees how it applies to Judas. Judas attacked the Lord Jesus the way David’s enemies attacked David. And just as David’s enemies were destroyed, so now the Lord Jesus’s enemy has been destroyed.
And then Peter quotes from another psalm: Psalm 109. In the psalm, David is calling on the Lord to help him because of the trouble he’s in. And he also calls down curses on his enemies. And he speaks about one enemy in particular. And in verse 8 of the psalm, which is the verse Peter quotes, David asks that someone else will take over this enemy’s place of leadership. And though the verse was originally about David and his enemy, Peter applies it to the Lord Jesus and Judas: may someone take over Judas’s place of leadership as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, was Judas an embarrassment to the early church? I don’t think so, because they could see that what Judas did was part of God’s plan, which God had revealed long, long ago. It was always God’s plan that his Only Begotten Son would die on the cross to pay for the sins of his people with his life and to make peace for us with God. And it was always God’s plan that one of his closest companions would betray him and hand him over to his enemies. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David wrote about these things. And when the time was right, these things were fulfilled.
And since the Holy Spirit inspired David to speak about another taking Judas’s place, Peter announced in verse 21 that it was now necessary to choose someone to replace Judas and to take over his place of leadership as an apostle. And you can see in verses 21 and 22 the qualifications required for such a person: it had to be someone who had been with them throughout the Lord’s public ministry, beginning with his baptism by John and going right up to the time of his ascension. In other words, they were looking for someone who would be witnesses with them of all the Lord Jesus had said and done and who could bear witness especially to his death and resurrection. Judas’s replacement must be an eye-witness of the resurrection. He must be able to say that he has seen the Lord, who had died, alive again.
Verses 23 to 26
And the believers agreed with Peter about choosing a replacement for Judas. And presumably they thought about it and took a look around them to see who possessed the required qualifications. And they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. And then they prayed to the Lord. Some of the commentators say that when they prayed to the Lord, they were praying to God the Father. Others say they were praying to the Lord Jesus. It’s not clear, but if they’re praying to the Lord Jesus, it’s as if they’ve acting as if he’s still the one who is leading and guiding them. Although he’s not physically present with them now, they’re still looking to him for guidance and direction. So, they’re saying to him: ‘Just as you used to do when you were on the earth, show us now what we should do. Show us which of these two men should replace Judas.’ Indeed, they know that one of them has already been chosen by the Lord. The Lord has already chosen who it should be, because the Lord has planned all things before the world was made and he has determined everything that happens and he is presently working out his will in the world. And so: ‘Since you have already chosen who it should be, let us know your choice. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry from Judas.’
And having prayed, they cast lots. Casting lots was not an uncommon way to determine God’s will in those days. After all, the Proverb says that ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.’ You see, there are no random events. Nothing happens by chance. How the lot falls is determined by God; where the dice lands is according to his will. Nothing happens by chance. And so, presumably they wrote the names of the two men on two stones and then drew one stone from out of a bag. And whoever’s name was on that stone was the one the Lord had chosen.
As I say, drawing lots was not uncommon. It’s how the Israelites decided how to allocate the land when they came into the Promised Land in the days of Joshua. Drawing lots is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24 and 25 in connection with deciding who would do what in the temple. It’s also mentioned in Nehemiah 11 in connection with deciding who should live in Jerusalem. And the sailors in Jonah 1 cast lots to determine who was responsible for the storm.
Luke, of course, is not commending the practice to us. He’s simply reporting to us that this is what they did in order to discern the will of the Lord. But this is the last time, I think, we hear about the casting of lots in the Bible. However, how we choose our leaders today is not very different. For instance, when we need new elders, we announce the required qualifications. For instance, the new elder must be a voting member of the congregation who attends church regularly. And the new elder must possess certain qualities and characteristics as set down in the Scriptures. And once we’re clear on the required qualifications, it’s up to the congregation to nominate suitably qualified individuals. And those who receive the most nominations are selected. We trust that God will work through this process to make clear to us who he has already chosen, because we believe that he has determined the result of the process even before any of us casts our vote.
And Luke tells us that after they cast lots, the lot fell to Matthias. And he therefore became Judas’s replacement. Some people say that this was a mistake and that if the apostles were more patient, they would have discovered later that God’s choice of replacement for Judas was not Matthias, but Paul. They say that we never hear of Matthias ever again and that in itself is proof that his selection was a mistake and that the early church realised their mistake later on and never mentioned him again. That’s what some people have said.
However, there’s no indication in the text that Luke believes they made a mistake. And while it’s true that we never hear about Matthias again, it’s also true that we never hear about most of the other apostles ever again. Luke focuses on Peter and John and Paul. And, of course, Luke has also made clear that this was all part of God’s plan which he revealed beforehand in the days of David: that Judas would be destroyed and that his place would be filled by another. And so, choosing Matthias was not a mistake, but it was according to the will of God.
Why twelve?
But why was it necessary to replace Judas? After all, he was only one among twelve. There were eleven left. Was eleven not enough? What difference would one more make? From time to time, someone resigns from the Congregational Committee. And while we’re allowed to fill the vacancy, often we don’t bother, because it’s only one person and there are many others on the Committee. So, why was it necessary for the apostles to fill this vacancy in their number?
It’s because the number twelve is significant. The number twelve is significant. The people of God in Old Testaments times came from the twelve sons of Jacob. So, God chose Abraham. And Abraham and Sarah had one son, Isaac. And Isaac had two sons: Jacob and Esau. And Jacob had twelve sons; and from those twelve sons there came the twelve tribes of Israel. So, the people of God in Old Testament times, the church of God in those days, came from the twelve sons of Jacob. They were all physically descended from Jacob’s twelve sons.
But God was about to do a new thing, now that Christ had died and had risen and had ascended to heaven. The people of God, or the church, would no longer be confined to one nation, but the people of God would come from every nation of the world. That’s why the Lord told the apostles to go out into all the world. Membership of the people of God, membership of the church, was for everyone who believes in Christ, no matter where they come from. And since that’s the case, then the people of God would no longer come from the twelve tribes of Jacob. Instead they would come from the twelve apostles.
And so, they needed twelve apostles, and not eleven, in order to match the twelve sons of Jacob. Just as the twelve sons of Jacob were the foundation of the Old Testament church, so these twelve apostles would form the foundation of the New Testament church. And they are the foundation of the New Testament church, because the church of Jesus Christ is built on what the apostles taught about the Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross to pay for our sins with his life; and his resurrection from the dead; and his ascension to heaven; and his future return.
By having twelve apostles to replace the twelve sons of Jacob, the Lord was making clear that he was doing something new. There’s continuity with the past, of course. It’s not as if God has scrapped and forgotten what he did in the past in Israel and Judah. It’s not as if he’s set aside all his promises to his Old Testament people. This new thing he was about to do was in fact the fulfilment of what had gone before. But what was new made all the difference, because in the past, you had to be descended from one of Jacob’s sons in order to be a member of God’s people. And if you weren’t descended from them, then you were always regarded as a stranger. But now, membership of God’s people is for everyone who believes. Everyone who believes what the apostles proclaimed about Christ the Saviour is added to the church.
The church today is made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. It comprises all who believe what the apostles proclaimed about Christ the Saviour. And so, when we get to Revelation 21, and John’s vision of the new Jerusalem, which is the church in glory, we read that the wall of the new Jerusalem had twelve foundations. And on the twelve foundations were written the names of the twelve apostles.
And so, why was it necessary to replace Judas and to have twelve, instead of eleven, disciples? It was because of the symbolism: old Israel came from the twelve sons of Jacob, whereas the new Israel — the new people of God, the church of Jesus Christ — comes from the twelve apostles and their witness about the Saviour.
Conclusion
And so, membership of the church — and salvation from our sins — is no longer a matter of physical descent or hereditary or family connections. It’s about faith in Christ. No one here today should think that you can rely for salvation on what your family did in the past; or on what your parents did or believed; or what your spouse did or believed. What matters for your salvation is not what they believed. What matters for your salvation is that you believe: that you believe what the apostles have said about Christ; and that you’re trusting in him and in him alone for salvation.
And the good news is that all you need to do in order to be saved is to believe. And so, no matter who you are or where you have come from or what you have done, no matter what kind of a mess you have made of your life, and no matter how far you may have fallen, if you trust in Christ for salvation and for peace with God, then that is enough. Sinners are justified — pardoned and accepted by God — through faith alone in Christ alone. That’s the message the apostles proclaimed. It’s the message we still proclaim today in the church. And it’s the message that brings salvation.
Think of Judas who betrayed the Lord. Instead of believing in Christ for forgiveness, he hung himself in despair and unbelief. And — as it says in verse 25 — he went to where he belongs, which is hell. Hell is for those who die without believing in Christ.
But think now of Peter. He betrayed the Lord by denying him three times. But by faith he received forgiveness from the Lord. And instead of hanging himself in despair and unbelief like Judas, he went on to serve the Lord faithfully and fruitfully for the rest of his life before entering the glory of the Lord in heaven. And so, if Jesus Christ is your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him for salvation, then rejoice: because your sins are forgiven; and you’re a member of Christ’s church which he’s building throughout the world; and when you die, you will enter his glory, where you’ll enjoy perfect peace and rest for ever.
Sermons and Stuff 