THE REPLACEMENT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

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.

“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.’”

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.”

So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (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 1:12-26

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus had chosen twelve men to be His first followers, men who He entrusted to be in His inner circle and travel with Him wherever He went to carry out His ministry. In return for their devotion and dedication, Jesus made sure they were cared for as they assisted Him in His Gospel sharing work, all the while preparing them to take His place one day.

But within the core of the Twelve was one dissenter, a man by the name of Judas Iscariot, who was not only a thief, helping himself to funds from the money bag he was responsible for as the group’s appointed treasurer, but a greedy traitor as well, selling out Jesus to the Jewish religious leaders for a mere thirty silver coins.

The scriptures tell us that Judas had a moment of repentance and remorse, realizing his sin and attempting to return the money, but the Jewish religious leaders only mocked him and left him awash in his grief and guilt. The damage had been done and nothing Judas could do would reverse it. He had placed His Master on the road to crucifixion and the shame was too much for him to bear. And so Judas went outside the city and hung himself, his body bursting open and his intestines spilling out. It was a very gruesome ending but fitting given the gruesome way he had betrayed Jesus.

So as Jesus was resurrected in power by His Father God and appeared multiple times to His most faithful followers, the final time at His ascension, we know there were only eleven disciples remaining. And as we continue to look at the first chapter in the Book of Acts, we find the eleven disciples seeking to add one more to their number, a replacement for Judas.

Before this took place, we read where the apostles had returned to Jerusalem, just as Jesus had told them to. They gathered in the same upper room as before and engaged in constant prayer along with the women who had traveled with Jesus and Jesus’ family, His mother Mary and His brothers.

Somewhere in the midst of this prayerful vigil as the apostles waited for the Holy Spirit to come upon them, we see where Peter stands up among the gathered group of almost 120 people and addresses them regarding Judas and the vacancy he left through taking his life. After detailing what had happened to Judas, Peter quotes Psalms 69 and 105 as grounds for selecting a new twelfth member of Jesus’ prestigious apostolic group.

Emphasizing how the replacing of Judas was a necessity, Peter lays out the ground rules for electing the newest apostle. It would be a man and one who had been with Jesus and His disciples throughout their ministry work, from the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River to His ascension. Think about this time span and it’s easy to see why there were only two men nominated: Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Both could be counted with the disciples as witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.

So how would they elect one of the two men?

Was there an election done by ballot?

Not quite.

For the apostles did as anyone should do when they face the choice of electing someone for an important position. They prayed about it and asked the Lord to lead them to the person He wanted to be His newest apostle. And then, the scriptures tell us that they cast lots (think biblical dice) and the lot fell to Matthias so he became the replacement for Judas.   

So what are we to take from this? What is the Lord trying to teach us from this special selection event?

I believe there are a few things.

First, we need to be totally obedient to the Lord.

In this account, the disciples immediately did as Jesus told them to, returning to Jerusalem and waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before they did anything else, they made sure they were where the Lord wanted them to be. We need to do the same as we seek to comply with the Lord’s will and way.

Second, we need to pray over important decisions.

As the eleven apostles joined with Jesus’ family and others, they engaged in constant prayer so they could be sure that whatever they did was in tune with His will and way. Prayer is our wireless connection to our Lord and we should be in constant and consistent communication with Him.

Third, we need to trust the Lord and the outcomes He desires.

Note that none of the eleven apostles or anyone with them disagreed with the selection of Matthias. Even Barsabbas failed to raise protest. The apostles put the selection of Judas’ replacement in the Lord’s hands and then fully accepted the man He chose.

Likewise, we need to fully have faith in everything the Lord does in our lives, especially when we prayed for His will to be done as we do in the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught us.

So the apostle group was back up to full strength at twelve men and they were all in Jerusalem, waiting for the Holy Spirit as Jesus has commanded. Tomorrow, we’ll see it was time for the gift to be imparted as we look at the opening verses of chapter 2. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow as we look at the event known as Pentecost.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com