The Acts of the Apostles 3

Subtitle: The Tragedy of Judas

Acts 1:15-26.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on May 15, 2022.

Today, we deal with the sad subject of a person who has ministered with Jesus, and yet, has not really believed in him.  Judas represents those who have had very high positions within the Church of Jesus, but in the end, serve to betray Christ himself.  Of course, this same dynamic existed from the very beginning of Creation.  Judas will forever be known as the betrayer of Jesus.

We can be tempted to read about the destruction of Judas, or others like him, with an attitude that says, “Good riddance!”  However, our attitude should be one of sorrow saying, “We’ve lost another one!”

Let’s look at our passage.

The end of Judas

The tragedy of Judas is inserted by Luke as an aside to the narrative.  It functions like a parenthetical statement to bring readers like the earlier mentioned Theophilus up to speed on why the apostles were doing what this part of the narrative describes.  Judas had betrayed Christ and then committed suicide.

I am going to deal with verses 18 and 19 first, and then circle back to verse 15 and following due to this parenthetical nature.  It will help the narrative flow better for our purposes.

There are several points of contention that some people try to make out to be contradictions.  The first has to do with the statement that Judas had “purchased a field with the wages of iniquity” (30 pieces of silver).  There is no doubt that the phrase in verse 18, “Now this man…” is referring back to Judas.  Some believe that this statement is in contradiction to Matthew 27:3-8.

In Matthew, Judas is remorseful because he did not expect Jesus to be condemned to death (vs. 3).  It is not disclosed what Judas hoped to achieve other than enriching himself with the imprisonment of Jesus.  Judas wants to return the money, but the priests refuse to accept it.  Judas then tosses the coins at them, leaves, and then hangs himself.

The priests are unable to accept the money into the treasury because it was blood money.  Thus, they solve the dilemma by purchasing the potter’s field where foreigners who die in the region can be buried.  So, who bought the field, Judas or the priests?  The key is in understanding that the money cannot be officially accepted by the temple.  The money still belongs to Judas and the field is essentially bought in his name.  A cemetery is all that Judas obtained with the wages of his sin.

The second “contradiction” regards the manner of death.  Did Judas hang himself as Matthew says, or did he fall headlong and split open with his guts pouring out?  Again, there is no real contradiction.  Judas did hang himself as Matthew states.  However, Luke never says that this is the way Judas died, nor is the text actually saying he was walking along, tripped headfirst onto something (rocks?) and was mortally wounded by it.  In fact, it is extremely unlikely that a stumbling person could injure themselves so badly that their entrails all gush out.  Even the word “falling” is an attempt to smooth over the translation.  It literally says that Judas came to be headfirst.  Of course, a common way of understanding that is a fall.  Luke is more focused on showing the gruesome end of Judas than establishing exactly how he died.  It is just as likely that Judas hung in there with his body decaying until the branch broke or the rope broke.  He could have then fallen headfirst and broke open due to the decay of the skin.  Luke is showing the aloneness and indignity of the place that Judas ended up.

As humans, we might gain some satisfaction over the death of a betrayer.  However, I don’t see this in Jesus.  He knew who and what Judas was from the beginning.  In John 6:70, right after everyone was tempted to leave him, Jesus challenged the Twelve.  “Do you also want to go away?”  Peter answered for the group, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus then states, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”  Peter’s answer is an answer of faith that is based on Jesus.  Judas had no such faith.  I don’t believe Jesus is saying that Judas wasn’t human, but was a devil masquerading as one.  Rather, I believe he is stating that Judas has given himself over to spiritual forces, devils, that were using him, and he was doing their bidding.

We should also notice some other passages.  Ezekiel 18:23 tells us that God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked.  He would rather they turned in repentance.  This is the same thing that Peter states in 2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord…is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  Whether Judas ever believed, Jesus clearly loved him and gave him a clear choice.  The end of Judas was the result of a series of selfish and wicked choices.

The field purchased by the priests in the name of Judas is also where Judas died.  Its name became Akel Dama, “Field of Blood.”  It would have been seen as a cursed place to avoid.  There is a sinister shade to the idea that the fruit of his betrayal was suicide in what would then become a cemetery for foreigners.

Judas is not the only betrayer of Jesus.  Jesus warned that many would betray him.  On the day that the Kingdom of Heaven is brought down to earth, Jesus describes the scene in Matthew 7:23. “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”  In John 6, Jesus made it clear that the problem for Judas was that he didn’t believe in Jesus.  There are many today who are betraying the cause and purpose of Jesus the Christ.  They do so all the while wearing a cloak of righteousness, but in the end, they are pursuing lawlessness. 

Do not focus on other to the detriment of your own soul.  If we believe in Jesus, then we will do what he commands.  Jesus held out a hand of redemption to judas to the bitter end, and so should we.

The position of Judas is filled by Matthias

In verse 15, the disciples are in Jerusalem waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit to be poured out, but someone needs to fill the position left vacant by Judas.  We are told that there are about 120 of them.  This could be broken down into The Eleven, The Seventy, and 39 others plus.

Peter broaches the subject of the vacant position by pointing to Scripture.  The Scriptures are quoted in verse 20 and they come from Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8. Both of these Psalms are written by David.  He is complaining in prayer to God that he has been hated by those close to him without a cause.  In fact, Psalm 109:5 states, “They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”

If you read these Psalms of David in their entirety, you can see David calling out to God for vindication.  David, who has been reproached like a cursed man, must endure those who have hated him seemingly being blessed.  They are entrenched in their inheritance in Israel all the while he is being pushed out of the inheritance that God has given him.  David asks God to give judgment and reverse the positions.

This idea of a portion, a lot, and an inheritance connects the story of David and his betrayers with that of Jesus and his.  It also connects back to the inheritance of the tribes of Israel.

In verse 17, it states that Judas had “obtained a part in this ministry.”  The word for “part” is connected to the Hebrew word for a Lot, A Portion, an Inheritance.  More on this later.

Scripture tells us that David was a prophet, and Peter declares that the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David.  Though he was focused on his situation, the Spirit of God spoke through him regarding the ultimate Son of David who would also be betrayed.  Those with whom God made covenants all lived lives that became prophetic enactments of future events connected to Messiah.  David’s initial rejection and betrayal was prophetic of the rejection and betrayal that the Messiah Son of David would experience.  Thus, Peter sees David prophesying that another should take the place of his betrayer.

A final point of how Peter saw this connection necessitating a person to replace Judas has to do with the number 12.  Why did Jesus pick twelve disciples to become his apostles?  We intuitively know it is connected to the 12 tribes of Israel.  I’ve already stated that the concept of a portion, or lot, grammatically ties these together.  However, Jesus promised the 12 that they would sit on 12 thrones ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel in his kingdom (Matthew 29:28; Luke 22:30).  Just as the tribes of Israel became the foundation of the nation of Israel and drew their inheritance by Lot, so the 12 Apostles would inherit the 12 tribes.  They are not each from the different tribes.  This points to a new order that Messiah would set up that was not simply based on natural blood lines.

Peter mentions some prerequisites to whomever would be picked.  They had to have accompanied the 11 throughout the time of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John up to his ascension into heaven.  They thus would be witnesses of his ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension.  Just as the tribes of Israel had witnessed the glorious deliverance from Egypt brought about by the Lord, so these were witnesses of the glory of Messiah.  Along with Jesus, these 12 would become the foundation and lay the foundation of the Called-Out-Ones who belonged to Jesus. They are to be his Church.  They would also be a foundational witness to the earth and to the heavens of the power and love of God shown to the sons of Adam through Jesus. 

You might recall the image of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven having 12 foundations, each one named for the 12 disciples.  One of them would have been named Judas, but he lost that glory.

Through this we can see the importance of having a 12^th apostle after Judas was lost.

Two men are chosen from among them, no doubt chosen from out of the 70. They are Joseph Barsabas and Matthias.  There is no electioneering here, and neither should there be.  Several men qualify, but only one can fill the post.  There were most likely others who qualified.  Serving God is not about the exact role or position that we receive.  It is not about the scope and number of people that it impacts.  It is simply about being faithful to whatever God gives you to do.  They would all go forth witnessing to the world of Jesus and the Resurrection, of the Gospel.

Matthias is the one who is chosen.  Two things stick out to me about the making of this decision.  First, the disciples prayed for God to reveal which of the two that He has chosen.  Two often, we can end up controlling who gets positions rather than letting God choose.  Prayer is essential in knowing the will of God.

Second, they cast lots to determine God’s will.  Historically, it was a common thing to cast lots in order to deal with decisions.  It served two purposes.  It was a way to satisfy strong, opinionated men.  They could all see how the lot fell and had a predetermined understanding of what its particular settlings would mean.  Though modern man would say that it is a random thing, the ancients often pointed to God controlling the lots.  We see this throughout the Old Testament, and as stated earlier, particularly with the inheritance of the 12 tribes of Israel.  There choice of casting lots is not by accident.  We never see them doing this again to make a decision (see Acts 15). 

Let us note that just as God had a portion for the 12 disciples, He also has a portion for you and me.  This lot in life involves our place in God’s Church, but also our place in the Age to Come.  Judas lost his place that day because he didn’t believe God.   Someone else ended up with a portion that could have been his.  Yes, this world can be a wilderness, but those who trust in Jesus will be blessed both now and in the Kingdom.  May we all serve in faithfulness in whatever post our Lord should give.

Tragedy of Judas audio