Lesson 7: Judas Iscariot, Matthias

Read Luke 22:1-6; Acts 1:15-26

Video blog (by Mike)



Flip of the Coin (by Richard)

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26).

On first reading, this is another one of those verses, the ones I wish were not in the Bible, like the story about the bears running out of the woods to eat the teenagers that taunted Elisha.

Some argue that "lots" means "votes" but this is worst kind of Biblical interpretation, disrespectful to God's Word itself and to you, the reader. Why? It's very dangerous to try so hard to "explain away" something that is God-breathed. Any impartial review of the use of the word "lot" would lead us to the conclusion that it means "lot"; the eleven remaining disciples, in effect, flipped a coin to decide between Joseph and Matthias for the position made available by the suicide of Judas Iscariot.

It is difficult to take ourselves out of our own environment and prejudice, but it's good, honest work and sometimes yields great bounty. For example, did you know that "casting lots" was not only a part of Jewish culture, but that is was commanded by God?

• David divided priests by lot (1 Chronicles 24:5).


• Canaan was divided by lot (Joshua 16:1-10).


• Jonathan was found in contempt of his father Saul by lot (1 Samuel 14:41-42).


• Achan was found guilty of covetousness by lot (Joshua 7:16-18).

Why?

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD (Proverbs 16:33).

The Jewish people used lots to determine an outcome when a decision was required between apparently equal alternatives. The apostles followed this cultural precedent:

1. Required: "Therefore it is necessary to choose ... " (Acts 1:21a).


2. Equal : "The men have been with us the whole time" (Acts 1:21b).

Notice that they did not abandon their reasonable or spiritual sensibilities; this is the key to the making sense of our initial recoil to the verses.

1. Reasonable: They had criteria that made sense (Acts 1:21-23).


2. Spiritual: "They prayed" (Acts 1:24a).

What seemed so odd at first glance now makes perfect sense. Let's put this model to a sanity test:

I am afforded an opportunity to work in more than one ministry...

1. I think through the alternatives and come up with criteria for measuring them one against another.


2. I include others I trust in the decision making process.


3. I exclude some choices based on what I've considered so far.


4. I examine my motives.


5. I ask for God's help.

If we deconstruct the selection of Matthias in Acts 1, we find an excellent model for discerning between equal choices. If I follow their lead and still end up with two equally great choices, then I'm okay with flipping a coin, our cultural equivalent to the casting of lots. I'll choose to be grateful to God for this bounty:

1. More than one great choice


2. People I trust to help me in life decisions


3. God's willingness to expose my motives


4. God's willingness to act


5. God's availability through prayer

Is there a decision you need to make right now?
Are there steps you're leaving out of the decision making process?
Are you grateful to have more than one great choice?

Study Questions

Feel free to answer any or all questions in the comment section below for interaction with fellow participants~Thx

1. Do you know anyone who was a follower of Jesus and then, after a time, betrayed the very Lord he/she had pledged to follow? Have you ever thought about forsaking Christ?

2. Was Judas ever really a Christian? Defend your answer.

3. God knows ahead of time those who are truly His and those who are not (John 13:21). Does that mean a person is no longer responsible for his choices since God has already decided his fate?

4. Matthias is picked to take the place of Judas (Acts 1:24-26). Following Matthias's appointment, the Scriptures are interestingly silent as regards him. What do you think his story might have been?