My dear friend and mentor, Dr. Ron Tyler, would often say, “the apostles didn’t waste papyri.” Luke was not an apostle, but he was equally not wasteful. Yet, when we come to the last event Luke mentions before Pentecost, the replacement of Judas, a considerable length of papyri is used. Two questions come to mind. Why tell the story at all? Why give it so much space?
The story
There are some interesting aspects to this story that are noteworthy.
The disciples gather in a large upper room that held 120 folks, suggesting the home of someone of wealth.
The listing of the names of the 11 remaining disciples confirms that Levi and Matthew are two names (not uncommon) for the same person.
Those in the upper room include an unspecified number of women. Luke wants his readers to know that women (including Mary, the mother of Jesus) were welcomed and considered important for Jesus and for His male followers.
The physical brothers of Jesus, who once didn’t believe (John 7:5), now are included. This, by itself, argues strongly for the resurrection.
Yet, why include the rest of the story about replacing Judas?
Judas
There is a mystery of God’s foreordained purposes and Judas’ choice. That mystery can’t and shouldn’t be solved, and certainly not here. For Luke, this is about the need to fulfill Scripture. Especially in Luke, Jesus insisted that He must fulfill all Scripture. Peter sees two Psalms that point to such fulfillment. The first is Psalm 69, about an innocent, righteous sufferer, beset upon by his enemies. Judas’ suicide and his field, fit Psalm 69:25. The second is Psalm 109, which is much like Psalm 69, but which includes, “May another take his [the sufferer’s enemy] place of leadership.” This points us to the selection of Judas’ replacement.
12, Israel, and the New Covenant
For us, some numbers carry more freight than others. Last year, at this time, we celebrated our 50th anniversary, and we made it a big deal. This year, we love each other no less, but it’s just one more anniversary. For the Bible, some numbers are truly significant. Among them are three (Father, Son, and Spirit), seven (creation, week, Sabbath), and twelve (Patriarchs and Tribes of Israel). Jesus thought twelve so significant that He chose twelve designated disciples, although many more followed Him. It appears that Jesus viewed His twelve designated disciples as the foundation of a fulfilled New Covenant of true Israel. In Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem’s wall has both gates with the names of the tribes of Israel and foundations with the names of the Lamb’s apostles.
Some whom I’ve known (including a past elder), and several whose works I’ve read, believe that Peter should have waited. This selection, they insist, was a mistake since that spot was reserved for Paul! If this was a mistake, Luke didn’t get the memo. Although Paul is clearly Luke’s hero, he didn’t qualify for this role. “Apostle” means one sent. Paul was sent to the Gentiles. He saw, as one untimely born, the resurrected, ascended, Jesus, and that conferred upon him his apostolic authority, but neither he, Barnabas, nor others called apostles were among the twelve.
The 120 (perhaps a significant number) looked at all those who followed Jesus from John’s baptizing until the ascension, and brought forth two candidates, “Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias” (Acts 1:23 NIV). However, the final choice would belong to the One who called each of the 11 remaining apostles. Here, casting of lots was not a matter of chance. The discomfort we may feel about this is not, in itself, a good reason to exclude it today. The Spirit would be poured out soon, but here among these praying disciples, Jesus, as He promised, was among them.
So, why does Luke tell his largely Gentile readers, including us, this story? He wants us to know that we are NOT part of a brand-new religion. We, in Paul’s words, have been grafted into the ancient tree of Israel, or in the words of Hebrews, have joined with Israel’s great cloud of witnesses. Gentile converts would abandon their old, pagan temples, but these followers were constantly in the Temple, praying and worshiping. It would get them into trouble, but they were faithful Israel.
The heritage in which many of us were raised emphasized discontinuity from previous “dispensations.” While we have been brought into a new chapter, it is from the one story. The Old Testament is our Bible, and the only one the New Testament Christians had. The Old Testament stories are our stories. Not being “under” the Law doesn’t allow us to ignore the Law. The selection of Matthias tells us that in Christ, we are the Israel of God, whatever our ethnic heritage.
Tim Kelley
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1 “May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.” Read the entire Psalm in light of the suffering of Jesus.