Let another man take his office

“The Apostle of Our Confession”

(Acts 1:12-26, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 5, 2010)

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 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. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

15 In 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. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (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. 19 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.) 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.’

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 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.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Then they returned to Jerusalem ... (12-14)

In John 12, the author of the gospel quotes from Isaiah 6 about unbelief in the face of ministerial proclamation, and then he writes this: “Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” The gospel writer is claiming that when Isaiah saw the vision of the glory of the Lord where his sins were taken care of by a burning coal from heaven's altar, and where he responded by saying “Send me,” he was actually seeing the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think if we could see Jesus in the way that Isaiah did, high and lifted up in the heavenly sanctuary, and if he said, “I need someone to do something for me,” we would all say, “Send me!” I think that all the men and angels in heaven are very happy to be used by Jesus Christ in any way that they can. He is working all things together for your good and His glory, and I am sure that all of heaven is very happy to serve him in that wonderful project.

I think that the reason why “send me” was Isaiah's response, and the reason why it is the natural response of the current residents of heaven, is this: They are full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and He also had the benefit of a heart, mind, and will without any sin in them. Despite the shame of the cross, He was able to say to the Father, “Not My will, but Yours.” In other words, “Send Me!” After Acts 1:11, Jesus is in heaven. From this point on, with some very important exceptions, He is going to send the rest of us, as Spirit-filled disciples, to do all kinds of good works on this earth, rather than coming in person Himself at every point of our need and His desire. He came to to call Paul, and He is coming again at the end, but until that day, Jesus is normally present through people like you who have heard His call and are saying, “Send me!”

This idea of being sent is where the word apostle comes from. As the leading disciples waited for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, they were gathering together and praying. They were not alone, there were about 120 people who were worshiping there, like a small church with a number of ministers, what would seem like too many ministers, eleven leaders waiting to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They devoted themselves to prayer, these eleven and the leading women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus.

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers ... (15-20)

It was Peter who stood up among them to address an issue having to do with the number of apostles. Since the departure of Judas, there were only eleven of the original apostles remaining. Peter was convinced from the Old Testament Scriptures that spoke of Judas that it was according to the Scriptures that Judas was gone, and that it would be according to those same Scriptures that another man would take his place.

As Peter prepared this assembly to witness God's provision of another apostle, he recounted the story of Judas, who had been one of the twelve, but who had become a guide to those who arrested Jesus. He was numbered among them originally, and he shared in their ministry of teaching, preaching, and even working miracles. Whatever else could be said about Judas, after his betrayal of the Lord, his end was horrible, and the place that he went to, both now and eternally, was not good. This was not a private fall. The details of what had happened to him became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The place of his death, which was purchased by the blood money that he received from the leaders who wanted to see Jesus dead, the money that he tried to return to them which they refused, that place that was bought with that money became known as the “Field of Blood,” in lasting memory of what Judas had done. Here was one who had been sent as an Ambassador of Jesus, an apostle, but who had become instead a betrayer of the Lord. Now who would like to take his place? Is there anyone who wants to be sent? Peter had concluded from the Psalms, that this was necessary. See Psalms 69:25 and 109:8.

So one of the men who have accompanied us … (21-26)

Of course, we naturally think of this as a great honor. The Scriptures tell us that the one who aspires to the office of an overseer in the church desires a noble task. Yet if any of these men really had understood what was ahead of them. I wonder if there might not have been more vacant spots to fill. See 2 Corinthians 11.

This work was a work of witness-bearing wherever God would lead. That job required that the right man would have been a witness of the life of Christ beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist and ending with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They had to say more than, “I believe in the resurrection.” They had to be able to say, “I personally saw the resurrected Jesus. I will stake my life on that.” That is what it meant to be a witness. It was costly.

You heard the rest of Acts 1. Two approved men were brought forward, and one was chosen by a method that seemed to leave it up to God. But I cannot help but think that Matthias was only a place-holder for a different apostle who would be chosen more directly by God, the man who we hear about throughout this book from chapter nine till his imprisonment in Rome, the man who was in the habit of starting his inspired letters like this: “Paul, an apostle by the will of God.”

Yet even Paul was only a place-holder, just like Peter and all the rest. And if there are any truly “sent” people today, and I believe that you are sent, we are all place holders for the one Apostle of our confession, who said to the eleven, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” And John says, “He breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” A true apostle must show the power of heavenly lowliness, and there is no one who has done that better than Jesus Christ. He is the one Apostle above all the others who are sent. He is the vine. You are the branches. If you could see Him now in His glory, if you could glimpse at what Isaiah saw so long ago, if you could feel the coal from the heavenly alter on your lips, and know that because of his blood, your sins are forgiven, then you would surely say with all the heavenly host, “Here I am! Send me!”

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him...” (Hebrews 3:1-2)

1. Who was in the upper room and what were they doing as they waited for God?

2. What is the story of the demise of Judas? Why are we told about this?

3. How did Peter conclude that Judas would be replaced?

4. Was Matthias God's choice to be the new apostle?

OT Passage: Isaiah 6