Acts 1:21-26:
Therefore it is necessary to choose by us of the men who
come together in the entire time that the Lord Jesus went into and went out
upon us. After beginning from the
baptism from the baptism of John until the day which he was taken up from us –
this one to become a testimony of his resurrection with us. And they set up two: Joseph, the one who is
called Barsabbas and who is surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And after praying, they said, “Lord, you are
the searcher of all hearts. Show plainly
the one whom you select out of these two to receive this place of service and
send forth from that which Judas violated to travel into his own place. And they gave lots to them and the lot fell
upon Matthias and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
Thoughts for Today:
First Thought:
Here we clearly hear Peter indicate what Judas’ main problem
was: “Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” This is a great definition of
self-mongerism. “Judas turned aside”
implies that Judas was following Jesus but then he decided to go another way. “To go to his own place” implies that Judas
thought it more important to follow his own leading and his own thoughts more
than Jesus.
So often we look down upon Judas in the church – and rightly
so. But how quick are we to realize when
we have turned aside to go to our own place?
How often do we put our own desires for life well above what God is
asking of us? Are we any better than
Judas at those times?
Second Thought:
Today we are introduced to two guys that we never hear
anything else about. But how cool is it
that Peter confesses that they were a part of the “Jesus Movement” from the
beginning. They didn’t get the
notoriety, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t a part! They were still called to witness Jesus to
the world.
How often do we feel like we’re an outsider with respect to
what “God is doing and who God is using?”
Does that mean we actually are an outsider or is it just because we have
made ourselves feel that way?
Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 2:1-4
3 comments:
I have always thought that the 11 were moving out ahead of Jesus a bit here. Don't we all do this often!?!!?!?
I think Jesus' choice for the twelveth position was clearly...Saul/Paul. The disciples, in my opinion, were like we are and wanted to get the show on the road and so they moved forward ahead of God. It is so hard to be still and wait for God. But as we can see, the disciples choice did not stop God's plan in the least. And who do we know of....Paul, not Matthias!
So, I think that even the disciples still were learning to follow Jesus and not go there own way (of course not to the extent that Judas did). This is encouraging to me. This Christian life is a journey, and we will still make mistakes....and that is okay. God has a plan and His plan will be done regardlessly!!!!!
I've always liked the name Matthias, its a cool name. <-- random thought of the day :)
Thanks, Leandra. Random is always fun!
As for your comment about Paul being the 12th apostle, there are many good theologians out there that concur with your thought, Lisa. So you are in good company.
Personally, though, I don't know that they are jumping ahead of Jesus. Part of why I say that is because I don't really personally think that Jesus cares about the number of disciples. Jesus doesn't give them any instruction about replacing Judas that is recorded - and had Jesus done so you would think it would have gotten recorded somewhere. So I don't personally think that they are doing anything wrong ... I think more likely what is happening is that the disciples are stuck in their tradition and unable to see that Jesus doesn't really care about keeping that tradition intact. But, I might be wrong in that.
As for Paul, I don't see Paul as the 12th disciple because of his own testimony. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Paul seems to take great strides to convince people that he is the least of the apostles, not even worthy to be called an apostle. If Jesus had conferred such an honor onto Paul, I don't think he would have denied it so fervently in the text. Furthermore, Paul is so clearly called to go among the Gentiles that his calling just doesn't fit with the Jewish concept of the 12 tribes of Israel. I actually see Paul as the Maverick who is called to break the tradition of the "12 tribes" as he begins to go out among the Gentiles and bring Gentiles into the circle of leadership among the Christians. Now, clearly, this does make Paul an apostle. But I don't see him as the 12th apostle. I also think the testimony in the book of Acts tells us that the traditional Christians in Jerusalem didn't see him as the 12th apostle. If they saw anyone as the 12th apostle beside Matthias, it would certainly have been James the brother of Jesus.
But again, this line of thinking is primarily because I don't think after the resurrection that Jesus is all that concerned about keeping the tradition of "12 tribes" intact. Jesus wants the Gospel to finally get out to the world. Like the animal sacrifices and the need to worship God in Jerusalem, it was a tradition that was replaced by Jesus and allowed to die out until the world is remade again for all eternity.
However, as I said, there are many good theologians who teach that Paul is the 12th apostle and the replacement for Judas. So you have good company in that thought.
Post a Comment