We begin this morning by recognizing that today is the secular holiday of Mother’s Day. As a Christian Church we rejoice in God’s gift of the Holy Estate of Motherhood. Indeed as we might understand God speaking through Paul in his first letter to Timothy reminding us that the Savior of the world was born through a woman, as Paul expresses it in kind of a strange way, “Yet she (women) will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:15). So we rejoice in Motherhood. We rejoice in God giving us a Savior through the woman. And we say, “Happy Mother’s Day to our mothers.” We are so glad you are here today.
As we begin this morning we also make note that last Thursday was a holiday. Unfortunately, it probably went unnoticed by most people. Last Thursday we celebrated the holy day of Ascension. We celebrated that after Jesus showed Himself to be alive for forty days after Easter, that He gathered His apostles, disciples and followers and ascended before their eyes to heaven, from where He had descended.
Our text for today is the account that follows, beginning at verse twelve, “12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13And 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. 14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (v. 12-14).
Our text comes during the ten days between the ascension of Jesus and the day of the sending of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, which we will celebrate next Sunday. Our text is the choosing of a replacement for Judas. In our text Peter explains what happened. We continue at verse fifteen, “15In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16‘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. 17For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ 18(Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19And 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.)” (v. 15-19).
Peter reminds the group that had gathered that Judas was one of them, a follower, a disciple of Jesus. Actually, Judas was an apostle. Peter reminds the Apostles that Judas was one of them, yet he strayed. Peter’s words show us his attitude in keeping the eighth commandment. Peter reminds us today of the truth of the old saying, “but by the grace of God, there go I.” Peter was not judgmental in speaking about Judas, he simply spoke the facts.
Peter says that Judas earned what he deserved. Again, notice that Peter does not say what Judas earned, only that he got what he deserved. What Judas earned was a field. The money Judas got for betraying Jesus, which he threw into the temple before he committed suicide, was used to buy a field to bury people with no other place to be buried.
And Peter says that Judas went to where he deserved. Again, he does not say where that was, just that it was where he deserved to go.
Our text continues with Peter explaining what needs to happen. We continue at verse twenty, “20‘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.” 21So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning 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’” (v. 20-22).
Peter quotes from Scripture showing the need for a replacement for Judas. Notice how the Bible is the rule for making decisions. We do not make decisions according to our own feelings or intuition. We do not make decisions according to what we believe to be best simply for ourselves. We make decisions according to the guidance and direction of the Lord, especially as He guides and directs us through the means of His Word.
According to Scripture, Peter is convinced that Judas needs to be replaced. So, Peter notes the criteria for the one that is to be the replacement for Judas. First, he must have been with the group from the time of Jesus’ baptism until His ascension. This was important because the replacement was to be able to bear witness to others from first hand experience what happened, from the time of Jesus’ baptism until His ascension.
The second and probably the most important criteria was that the replacement must have been a witness of the resurrection. How can a person be a witness of the resurrection if they did not see it?
Our text continues with the “call” process. We pick up at verse twenty-three, “23And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ 26And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (v. 23-26).
The call process consisted of choosing someone who fit the criteria previously laid out, that is, that it was someone “who ha(d) accompanied [them] during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among [them], 22beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from [them].” Only two men fit the criteria, “Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.”
Next Peter prayed a prayer. Peter’s prayer is an example to us today of how to pray. Peter’s prayer was not a lengthy, drawn out preachy prayer, rather it was a short, simple, to the point prayer. God does not answer our prayers because of their length or because of their eloquence. He answers our prayers because He is our good, gracious, and kind God who loves us. He answers our prayers according to what He knows we need according to what He knows is best for us.
So, prayers were said and the lots were cast. The lots that were cast were probably two small stones that were different colors. One stone was for Justus, the other for Matthias. They were put into a gourd and shaken until one stone was shaken out. That was the stone of the man that was chosen. The stone that came out, the lot that was cast, was in the favor of Matthias. And interestingly enough, we do not hear either of Justus or Matthias any more in the Bible.
So, what does this text have to do with us today? Or, what does this mean? We could use our text to describe our call process and perhaps to some degree it does. Yet, I think that there is more to our text than just describing the call process. I think this text describes our lives. We are constantly making decisions in our lives. We could make decisions with a fatalistic attitude. We could say whatever is going to happen will happen and there is nothing I can do about it, so I make no decision. Or we could remember that God gives us a brain so that we can use our brain to help us in making decisions.
As we make decisions we begin by realizing that we are sinners and as sinners in and of ourselves we will tend to make decisions that are contrary to God’s will and Word. Thus we struggle with decisions.
The way of the world is that we make decisions that are based on our feelings and on what will gain us power and authority. The way of the world is to tell us that we are nothing unless we are something in the eyes of the world. The way of the world is the way of power and authority. Notice how this flies in the face of God. God’s way is the way of service and self-sacrifice. God’s way is the way of living our lives according to His good and gracious will. God’s way is shown to us in the giving of His Only Son. Jesus is true God. As true God He was in heaven enjoying all power, authority and glory that were His. Yet, He gave up the glory of heaven, He gave up complete authority and took on human flesh and blood. He came as a servant, to give His life for ours so that we might have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.
How foolish God’s ways are to our world. The world would have us believe that it is foolish for a person to give up their own personal “power and authority” for the sake of another. Jesus tell us that a person can have no greater love for another, than the love of giving their life for another. As you have heard me time and again talking about our vocations and our calling as priests in the priesthood of all believers, we understand that as priests, our calling is to live our lives as living sacrifices for the Lord and this is how we are to live out our callings. The purpose of our vocation is to love and serve our neighbor and this love flows out of God’s first love for us. We are to live, not for ourselves, but for others. Using the examples of the vocation of a husband and a wife, Jesus tells us that husbands are to love their wives in the same way that He loves us, so much that they would lay down their lives for their wife. You do not see that happening too much in our world today. Maybe we need to work on that. Today we celebrate how Jesus’ love is also shown in the lives of mothers, who give up their power, authority and glory to serve in the tremendous task of being mothers.
The way of the world is that we make decisions that are based on power and authority. The way of the Lord is that we pray for His guidance in making decisions. We pray to the Lord and we let Him guide us. And He does guide us. His usual way of guiding us is through means, and in particular through His means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments. He guides us as He works through these means to give us faith, to strengthen our faith, to gives us forgiveness, life and salvation.
We are not apostles. We are not Matthiases. We are God’s children. We are brothers and sister and heirs with Christ. We are disciples, followers and learners of Jesus. By God’s grace, through faith, given through the means of grace we are eye witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. And so we are priests. And as priests, God has given us the privileged to live lives of faith. We are privileged, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to lives our lives in such a way that others see the faith that is in our hearts. We are privileged that, as others ask, we are able, again, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to give an answer, an apology, that is a defense of the faith which God has given to us. We are able to give an answer as God gives us the words to say. And He gives us the words to say as we use every opportunity to read and hear God’s Word through which our Lord gives us all His good gifts and blessings. And we rejoice and give thanks even share those gifts and blessings, faith, forgiveness, life and salvation, with others. And to that we say, to God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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