Book of Acts: Matthias replaces Judas

Matthias replaces Judas

The Passage: Acts 1:12-26

Structure:

A. 1:12-13, List of the apostles

 B. 1:14-15, the disciples pray

  C. 1:16-17, The OT citation  

   D. 1:18-19, Death of Judas   

  C’. 1:20-22, The OT citation

 B’. 1:23-25, the disciples pray

A’. 1:26, Matthias is added to the list  

Historical and geographical context:

The Eleven (they, cp. Mk. 16:14 and Acts 1:13) came back from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem. The trip was not more than a Sabbath day’s trip – about 1000 [normal] daily steps. Why would they mention that if it was not a sabbath day? They come back to the same place they used to stay during and after the Cross and Resurrection.

They come to the Upper Room – a place where Jesus instituted the His Supper, the higher ground that becomes the source of life for the world. (NB: the Altar in the church – usually – is placed on a higher ground).

The replacement of Judas happened within the 10 days (maybe the first one, but most likely not, 1:15) after the Ascension, prior to Pentecost.    

Theology:

Selection of the ministers – number, timing, personal characteristics.

Number – Peter proposes that the drop-out apostle should be re-placed: “one of these men MUST become with us a witness to his resurrection” (1:22). How many people saw/heard/experienced the resurrection? According to St. Paul – abut 500 (1 Cor. 15:6). This means that the verb “to witness” does not mean the fact of eye witnessing, but the ministry of the Word and Sacrament. The ministry is a witness of His resurrection. For as St. Paul puts is: “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). The same applies to the Sacraments – Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Sacrament of the Altar.       

Timing – There is an opinion that apostles “jumped the gun”. They should’ve waited for the conversion of Saul. God speaks of him as a “chosen instrument” (Acts 9:15). On the other hand, we do not have any significant acts – sermons, acts of mercy, or miracles – done by Matthias.
That’s where the historical and liturgical heritage helps to answer this question. LSB 517:13 is dedicated to St. Matthias. 

Characteristics. The list of “requirements” is substantially different than what St. Paul would design later for the ministry in diaspora (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-6, 7-9). Here: being with us all the time – from the baptism by John to the Ascension. Two criteria: we (1) know him through time (2). Then they prayed for the guidance of the LORD. Prayer and casting lots (cp. Purim, Ex. 28:30; 1 Sam. 14:41-42; Pr. 16:33) was the method of identification.   

Other themes:

Authorship of particular psalms confirmed. It is not an issue here, but later – in Acts 4 we’ll see an important authorship statement. 

120 – the number of disciples (as a whole) was fitting for the following task – sharing the Good News (the Gospel) with the representatives of 15 national and geographical groups. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23

 I wrote a few times that most of the people were not trained to recognize the literary patterns in the Bible. That's why I do my best to point them out - on a large scale (the outline of the books as a whole), or on a micro-level (a short passage or a single sentence). 

Here is an example of the beauty of Pauline writings. A single sentence is structured chiastic. 

Here is the text: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ.

I noticed that in the middle of the sentence there are two synonyms that even sound similar (in Greek): completely and whole. Then everything began to fall into its rightful place. Here we go: 

a. God 
 b. sanctify
  c. you 
   d. completely 
   d'. whole
  c'. spirit, soul, body
 b'. be kept 
a'. our LORD Jesus Christ

St. Paul was a prolific writer. No very often English or Russian or any other language can fully express his thought - not only the meaning, but beauty of a structure... Yet, in this case ESV translation team did a great job picking up the proper words in a correct order. SDG!     

 

Book of Acts: Story of Ascension

Story of Ascension

The Passage: Acts 1:1-11

Structure:

A. 1:1-2, until the day He was taken up

 B. 1:3, appearing to them during 40 days (showing)

  C. 1:4-5, wait for the promised power of the Holy Spirit

   D. 1:6, question of the disciples

  C’. 1-7-8, promise of the power of the Holy Spirit

 B’. 1:9-10, cloud took Him out their sight (hiding)

A’. 1:11, Jesus was taken up   

Historical and geographical context:

Gospel of Luke teaches that the Ascension happened at Bethany (Lk. 24:50)

Bethany – southeast side of the Mount Olives, glorious entry of Jesus to Jerusalem (Mk. 11:1), city where Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11:1), Jesus was anointed in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany (Mt. 26:6-13)…

It looks like Bethany was a “headquarters” town/city for the ministry of Jesus during the Holy Week and after the Resurrection until Ascension.  

40 days after the resurrection of Jesus – see, 40 in the Bible (incomplete list):

The beginning and concluding parts of the flood sequence were 40 days (Gen. 7:12 and 8:6).

Moses life is divided into three periods of 40 (years)

40 – in the house of pharaoh

40 – in the house of Jethro

40 – in the wilderness

Moses went to the Sinai Mountain top for 40 days (Ex. 24:18)

Elijah’s travel to the mountain Sinai is 40 days (1 Kg. 19:8)

Jesus’ wilderness experience is 40 days (Mt. 4:2) – the very beginning of His ministry, then 40 days at the very end of His ministry (cp. Flood, etc.)

 

Theology:

The Ascension of Jesus is underappreciated event on the ministry of Jesus. The celebration of Ascension falls on Thursday – people in the US are not used to go to church… But, Ascension is an important event in Salvation history. As Irenaeus [of Lyon, d. 202AD] puts it: The ascension confirms what had been spoken by the prophet: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.” Thus God who was announced by the prophets is truly one and the same as God who is celebrated in the true Gospel, whom we Christian worship and love with the whole heart as the maker of heaven and earth. And of all things within it” Against Heresies 3.10.5. (cp. 110:1, Mt. 22:41-46)     

Two important issues:

(1) fulfillment of the Scriptures

(2) finally, human nature came (ascended) to the throne of God.

As Leo the Great (d. 461AD) says: “And so while at Easter it was the Lord’s resurrection which was the cause of our joy, our present rejoicing is due to his ascension into heaven. With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor human nature was carried up in Christ above all the hosts of heaven. Above all the ranks of angels, beyond those heavenly powers to the very throne of God the Father.” Sermon 74.1-2 (Cp. 1 Cor. 6:3, Rev. 4 – 5)

Other themes:

Patience – the disciples need to exercise patience, waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit. The movement that Jesus began is not a business development strategy. The ministers rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, not on their own skills and understanding (cp. Acts 16:6).  

Grand plan of Evangelism – God could’ve created the heavens and the earth, and all within it in a micro or millisecond but He did not – He laid out a pattern of creation and transformation for us to follow (since we are the images of God, Gen. 1:26-27). In the same way Jesus gives to His disciples a pattern of progressive outreach. Beginning with our own community, then to neighbors, then to somewhat distant people (both culturally and geographically), then “to the ends of the earth”.