The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Acts 1:12-26
Vacancy and Call
Seventh Sunday of Easter, 20 May 2012
Immanuel Lutheran Church Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
The sermon text for this Seventh Sunday of Easter is the
appointed First Lesson, From Acts chapter 1. It tells of the aftermath of the
Ascension of Jesus.
Acts 1:12-26 looks to be one of the most neglected texts in
the New Testament. It was only appointed to be read in our churches according
to the historic one-year lectionary on the festival of St. Matthias. February
24th doesn’t appear on a Sunday very often, and then, the feast is
often ignored if it falls during Lent. The Three Year lectionary we currently
use also appoints this lesson for St. Matthias’ Day, yet also for today.
This is an important reading for your consideration—not only
because it comes after the Ascension of our Lord—not only because it is the
next story in Acts next—not only because it appears to be an ignored text. This
is worthy of your consideration and careful attention today for two other
reasons. Since the text talks about the filling of Judas’ vacancy and the first
call meeting of Christians, it is an appropriate text to consider as we
consider Immanuel’s pastoral care need and prepare for our next call meeting.
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they
had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and
John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James
the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these
with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among
the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120)…
St. Luke carefully lays down the timing of this call meeting
in earlier and later context. Earlier, on the fortieth day since the
Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, hence, our large Paschal candle, lit in
remembrance of His Resurrected life, (which was lit at the Easter Vigil,) is
now extinguished. Later, as Acts Chapter 2 begins, the day of Pentecost
arrives, the fiftieth day. We can narrow the occurrence of this event in the
life of the early church down to within a ten-day period.
And there were about 120 there. Only eleven of the Twelve
are here. Judas’ death left a vacancy. Many of the seventy or seventy-two sent
out by Jesus are probably in attendance, too.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company
of persons was in all about 120) and said,
"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit
spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to
those who arrested Jesus. For he was
numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." (Now this man bought a field with the reward
of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his
bowels gushed out. And it became known
to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own
language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
We will continue with David’s Spirit-given words from the
Psalms shortly, but right now St. Peter’s words have my attention. Did he get
yours with his rather gruesome references to Judas? St. Luke in his Gospel
account makes no previous reference to these things, but Matthew 27 satisfies
our curiosity.
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of
the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and
delivered him over to Pilate the governor.
Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned,
he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and the elders, saying, "I
have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to
us? See to it yourself." And
throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went
and hanged himself. But the chief
priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them
into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the
potter's field as a burial place for strangers.
Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this
day. Then was fulfilled what had been
spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces
of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of
Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed
me."
With the money Judas earned for betraying Jesus, the Chief
Priests and the elders bought a field as a burial place for strangers. Blood
money bought the Akeldama, the Field of Blood.
I won’t spend long on the other, more gruesome aspect.
Judas, not believing that even Jesus could help him, went and hung himself.
Then, either due to divine intervention or simply the passage of time, Acts
1:18 was fulfilled. Let’s leave it at that.
St. Peter continued, "For it is written in the Book of
Psalms, " 'May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell
in it'; and " 'Let another take his office.'
Men come and go, but the Office of the Holy Ministry
remains. Judas’ place of habitation is to remain deserted, but another will be
called to the vacant office.
By common consent, St. Peter exercises the role we usually
attribute to the congregational president. He leads the call meeting. After
first explaining the need in a brief “congregational self-evaluation,” he then
teaches a part of the doctrine of the Call as the District President often does
in our Wyoming District. Peter elaborates on what will be in this very special
set of call documents.
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the
time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism
of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become
with us a witness to his resurrection."
Here is a unique qualification. Again, this is another
example of not going for the least common denominator. Why settle for that?
They didn’t want just anyone. They wanted someone who knew the whole of what
would be recorded in the four Gospel accounts. Apparently, only two men met
this qualification.
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was
also called Justus, and Matthias.
Joseph was an extremely common name in ancient Jerusalem, so
he is identified by his surname, Barsabbas, literally, son of Sabbas, the aged.
His Roman name, Justus is also given, not unlike the use of Saul’s Roman name,
Paul. Multiple names are given to make sure exactly which person is being
referred to. A similar practice regarding ancient name has been in the news due
to the discovery of a bone box: James, son of Joseph, the brother of Jesus. And
then, the second candidate on the call list is Matthias.
We are now waiting for a third call list from President
Boche. We have made three calls as a congregation and all three have been
declined. It is a privilege for me to serve you. I ask for your continued
prayers and encouragement. It is easy to let self-doubt get to me when I’m
stretched, stressed, and tired. I’m getting the essential bases covered, but
not everything I wish I could. I readily acknowledge that I am nowhere near
perfect. For any and all sins of omission or commission on my part, I ask your
forgiveness.
As we continue considering the pastoral care need for a
congregation of over 800 baptized but under 200 on average in Church on Sunday,
we should think about things other congregations have in similar situations.
How you may we best care for an additional servant of the
Word? As our new call documents are prepared, ask:
Is his proposed salary comparable to service elsewhere? Does
it acknowledge the realistic cost of living in Sheridan and the lack of a second
parsonage?
Will our second pastor have ample vacation time to visit
far-away family, time away with his spouse, time for personal renewal and rest?
Will you pray for him, speak well of him, defend him, support
the preaching of the whole pure Word in good times as well as difficult ones?
Will you put the best construction on everything, say everything in the kindest
way, and give him the benefit of the doubt?
Will you support this pastor’s wife if he is married? (Will
you respect her as an individual, not expecting her to do everything every
other pastor’s wife has ever done? Will you choose to help her with her
children, especially during a service, when her husband is rendering you
service elsewhere?) Will you pray for her, their children, and provide for
their time together as a family?
Remember, pastors are human, too. A pastor is a servant with
authority in the office of the Holy Ministry, not Superman. He is a sinner in
need of forgiveness just like you are. Do not despise preaching and God’s Word,
but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it! That is the best thing you can
do to support any pastor, even me.
What follows has much in common with Jesus’ original
choosing of the Twelve in Luke 6. In these days he went out to the mountain to
pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples
and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter,
and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called
the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor.
Our Lord Himself places men into this Office. Our Lord’s
placing of men into the Office follows a pattern of elements: calling the
disciples together, prayer, electing, and specifying either by naming, or
laying on of hands. The pattern repeats itself in Acts 1 and in our
congregations today.
And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the
hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in
this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own
place." And they cast lots for
them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
When the occasional scholar does speak to this text, Acts 1,
there is one place of disagreement: did they vote, or literally cast lots as
done in the Old Testament and at the foot of the cross.
So which is it? In favor of the view that this verse refers
to election by ballot is the fact that the Greek here is not one of the regular
terms for casting lots and the verb seems to refer to voting. If this is the
case, the “lots” referred to would be the balloting counters given to the
voters to deposit in the “ballot box.” “The lot fell upon Matthias” would mean
that he got the most votes and so the office was allotted to him. Also
supporting this view is the text used to translate the King James or Authorized
Version.
Favoring the interpretation that the reference is to drawing
lots rather than casting ballots is the fact that “they cast lots” elsewhere
refers to the falling of a lot. The bottom line is very simple. We go to what
is most certain and sure—the Lord.
About the only thing Matthias has going for him is that the
Lord Jesus chose him. That was enough for the early church--and the church
absolutely believed this. They knew Jesus had chosen the other eleven; you
heard what Luke wrote in Luke 6: “And when day came, he called his disciples
and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…” The method was a little
different this time. The first time Jesus had done the choosing with his voice;
this time he did his choosing with the casting of lots. The result was the
same. The Lord Jesus made the choice.
We go back to the text (Acts 1:24-25) and trace the decision
to the Lord. And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of
all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in
this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own
place." And they cast lots for
them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
And so there is a happy ending, numerically speaking. Jesus
now has His Twelve again. Just as there were 12 tribes of Israel, the Lord saw
fit to call 12 disciples, 12 apostles. Completeness is the promised pattern.
After Pentecost, there is no more mention of the Twelve apostles. They are out
doing what the Lord called them to do. They were apostles, sent ones. They were
sent, and off they went.
Your Lord’s promises remain with you. Christ has died.
Christ is risen. Christ will come again. He has not left you without comfort.
His Word and Sacraments abide with you. His ministry continues. Jesus is always
your Pastor, your Good Shepherd.
Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
