Slices
Prepare
‘Every believer is in Christ; but not everyone abides in him, in the consciously joyful and trustful surrender of the whole being to his influence’ (Andrew Murray).* Before reading further, take a moment to still your heart before God.
*Andrew Murray, Like Christ: Called to be like the Lord, Editora Dracaena, 2015
Bible passage
Matthias chosen to replace Judas
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 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. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 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. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.’
18 (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. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 ‘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.”
21 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, 22 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.’
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’ 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Explore
One of Jesus’ last commands to his disciples was to return to Jerusalem and ‘wait for the gift my Father promised’ (v 4), so that’s what they did, praying constantly together – perhaps a precursor to today’s 24/7 Prayer (https://www.24-7prayer.com/).
Knowing the Old Testament helped the disciples’ faith grow in Jesus as their Saviour and Messiah. The Holy Spirit gave them understanding of messianic themes, foreshadowing and fulfilments in psalms and other Old Testament Scriptures (v 20). All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) and is about Jesus Christ (see Luke 24:27), even if there is no immediate or explicit prediction about him. How wonderful is that? How wonderful is Jesus?
When was the last time you made a major decision by casting lots (v 26)? Me neither. The key here was that they asked for God’s guidance (v 24). If we are open to it, God will challenge our mindsets, our comfort zones, our rationalisations. He seeks a people of faith who live by faith and walk by faith (Hebrews 10:38; 2 Corinthians 5:7), rather than by self-confidence and self-sufficiency.
Respond
Are you weighing up any particular decisions in your life right now? Why not offer one or more of them to God, asking him to clearly lead and guide you so that you can exercise your faith in following him?
Deeper Bible study
‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’1
Do you receive many round-robin letters at Christmas? Most focus on achievements and success. Rarely do you read about people failing exams or being unsuccessful in getting a job. I wonder what a round robin from Barsabbas would have included. Would he have mentioned he had not been selected to be an apostle?
Barsabbas plays a role in a passage that is about God’s plans being accomplished, despite all appearances. Judas was chosen by Jesus – but he betrayed him. Peter reassures his listeners that Judas’ actions were foretold in Scripture and needed to happen. Similarly, Peter says the Scriptures showed that someone needed to replace Judas. It was symbolically important that there were twelve apostles: there were twelve tribes of Israel and having the same number of apostles showed them to be the new leaders of God’s people.2
It may seem strange to make a decision by lot, but the choice of Matthias was clearly God’s will. There is no suggestion, though, that Barsabbas was a poor candidate. He fulfilled all the requirements: he had been with Christ from the start of his ministry and had witnessed his resurrection (vs 21,22). It simply seems that Matthias was more suitable. The Bible is very matter-of-fact about the selection and tells us nothing about Barsabbas’ feelings and how he coped afterwards, but we all know rejection is never easy. It can be hard to trust that closed doors are signs of God’s love and tough seeing others steam ahead when we are unsure what God’s plans are for us. The passage does encourage us, though, that God is at work even when it doesn’t seem that way, as was the case in Judas’ betrayal. Learning to trust through uncertainty and disappointment deepens our faith and refines our character – and that is real success in God’s eyes.
Are you struggling with disappointment or finding it hard to trust God with your future? Bring those feelings to God.
1 Heb 11:1 2 Luke Johnson, Acts of the Apostles, The Liturgical Press, 1992, p38
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Kings 6,7; Haggai 1,2
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that churches in the South East region will grow in confidence and vision as they reach out to those who do not know Jesus, so that children and young people will experience the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ for themselves.
