Post by clarkthompson on Apr 16, 2024 21:51:49 GMT
Acts 1:15-20 New American Standard Bible
15 At this time Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 people was there together), and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the residents of Jerusalem; as a result that field was called Hakeldama in their own language, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms:
‘May his residence be made desolate,
And may there be none living in it’;
and,‘May another take his office.’
These are my thoughts.
15 Peter was a leader however so would have been James and John as they were the inner circle of Jesus. All of the disciples though had a simple role as leaders as they were all called to continue the work Jesus had started with building the church. The church would start with 12 and then over 3 years of Jesus' earthly ministry became 120.
16 We often need to learn to draw from scripture to understand what is going on, there are things we may not understand from scripture but scripture can direct how we are to live even with those circumstances. God does not do evil, the world and satan build for evil however, God allows evil done by the world or satan and He has a greater plan and uses it for His great will that is bigger than the plans of the world or of satan. God does not let bad things happen to good people, there are no good people but, God does have greater plans for all people if we turn to Him. Judas betrayed Jesus because someone needed to fill the role but unlike Peter he never repented but isolated and died in his sin.
17 Judas would have done all the work the disciples had done up until the betrayal, it may even be likely he was a standout disciple. Judas would been a friend of Jesus, we often see him for what he did and miss who he was prior and all this would make the betrayal that made the church need to get past it and they did as Peter led, the way Jesus had trained him to do.
18 Now many may see this as conflict with Judas hanging himself but, oftentimes bodies were buried and put in tombs in those days not left hanging as Judas likely would have been. Judas likely just hung due to all the chaos and as the dead spend time out in the dry heat nature takes over and it is likely after he died from hanging that this happened with the body.
19 We see that in the gospels that the money that was returned was used to buy this field to bury men who were strangers, trying to make up for the evil they had done for spending blood money, the money that bought the life of Jesus, it was planned by God long ago, they just were used by satan for the evil but God allowed the circumstances because He had a greater good as the grave would not keep Jesus down.
20 So they find in scripture that they should replace Judas as Jesus had chosen 12. The number 12 symbolizes God’s power and authority, completeness and perfection. The church itself is lead by submission to God’s authority.