Acts 1:15-26

redbeardcombatives

Sep 6

4 min read

Acts 1:15-26 Let his office fall to another

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Acts 1:15-26

Recap

Peter and John return back to the upper room and wait for the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit

Scripture

Acts 1:15-26 (NKJV) 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men [and] brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;

In verse 14 he described the 11 apostles, the women and mother and brothers of Jesus being all together (assumably in the upper room)

V15 Peter then publicly addresses the disciples which number around 120.

This seems to be a later or separate meeting

The topic of the meeting was Judas Iscariot and his betrayal.

Notice what he doesn’t say:

We live in a fallen world

No, he says: it had to happen to fulfill scripture

Then he says that it was David who prophesied of this by the Holy Spirit all the way back in the OT.

Jesus talks about this as well:

At the last supper, after Jesus washes their feet, he tells the apostles that He chose them.

John 13:18-19 (NKJV) 18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’

19 “Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am [He.]…

21 “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Jesus chose them knowing he would be betrayed

But He allows it to happen that the scripture might be fulfilled

This speaks to us about the absolute certainty of God’s word

I tell you SO THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS, you may believe that I am He

What is the purpose of prophesy? It’s not to avoid pain and discomfort. It’s to build your faith.

It is more important that we learn to trust God than it is that we are removed from betrayal or suffering

Peter continues explaining:

17 “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry (Judas was counted among us).” 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity (30 pieces of silver were used to purchase a field for the dead); and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.

Matthew 27:5 says that Judas hung himself

But Acts says that he fell headlong and his stomach burst

How do we reconcile these verses? Both are true. He hung himself. The body bloated and his rope was either cut or broke and when his body hit the ground it burst.

This verse represents a supposed contradiction

How we handle supposed contradictions says a lot about how we view scripture

Scripture will NEVER make any sense to you if you are unsurrendered to it.

It’s the reason why most people read books about scripture vs scripture itself

Because I can always find an author to frame scripture the way I want to see it.

What are some ways we can handle conflicts in the scripture?

Wrestle with the text to preserve both passages
Simply surrender to the fact that I don’t have an answer

19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’

After Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, he felt guilty and returned the money to the Pharisees.

The Pharisees couldn’t accept the money back into the treasury because it was “blood money”

So they bought a field to bury the dead of poor people. That field is called “field of blood”

This was all widely known around Jerusalem

But it was also prophesied to happen in Psalm 69:25 and 109:8

21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

He quotes the psalm saying “let another take his office”

Then he describes what the requirements were to take the office as an apostle:

Had to be part of their ministry with Jesus directly
From the time John the Baptist baptized Him
Until His ascension

This passage is sometimes used to defend apostolic succession

But here’s the problem, hes quoting the psalm saying it was prophesied that one among us would betray Jesus and let HIS office be replaced.

It does not say let every apostles office be replaced whenever they die

After the first century was there anyone left who fit the requirements for apostle according to peters requirements? No

23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

So they looked among the 120 disciples at this meeting and chose two who met the requirement