Housekeeping

For today’s reading from Acts we find ourselves back in chapter one. That is because this past Thursday we celebrated the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11) and next Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost (Acts   2:1-21). Our reading today is the text in between the two. We all know the story. With Judas gone, the disciples need to find his replacement -- though there are a few questions that we could ask here. First, “Why do they need a replacement for Judas?” We note that each of the gospels tell us about Jesus’ twelve disciples, they do not agree on their names. We also know that there were more than twelve who followed Jesus. In Luke we are told that he sent out seventy to go before him. The most probable reason is that twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel. It also is a number that indicates completeness. Another question is, “Why did they have to choose?” Was not Jesus with them for forty days? Could not Jesus have chosen Judas’ replacement himself? Was this a decision the disciples made on their own? Did the number no longer matter to Jesus since the message was to go to all the world? Was Paul to be the twelfth? We can only speculate on this question. All we have is this account. 

For whatever reason the disciples decided to choose another one. How they did it is much suspect to us in our modern world. Even though it may seem random to some, we do not choose leaders of the church this way. We have a much more formalized method: a committee chosen, forms filled out, candidates selected by the bishop, interviews, trial sermons, and finally a vote by the congregation. The method in Acts is much simpler. Draw lots. The one with the shortest stick is now pastor. While we find this method to be arbitrary, based on chance, the disciples did not. They saw God working through seemingly random events to enact God’s will.  They did have a guide to who qualified for the role. The candidate had to be someone who was with them the whole time they traveled with Jesus (giving them two candidates out of about one hundred twenty persons).

While this story might not be up to our modern standards it does demonstrate how the early church worked and can even give us guidance to how we are to work as well. First, it shows that the disciples had a plan that came from their understanding of their relationship to Jesus.  Their plan was based on what had happened before. But they were also open to change. They also knew their task. They were to witness to Jesus. Finally we also learn that they read the scripture (at that time the Old Testament only) and prayed. Verse 14 tells us they did this constantly.  Note that only after praying about it did they have Barsabbas and Matthias draw lots.

While we may not draw lots to decide what we should do or what God wants us to do, we do note that the rest of the story reminds us of what we do need to do. First and foremost we should read the scripture (Old and New Testaments) and pray. We also note that the disciples did this together. There was no “I can worship wherever I am” sentiment. They gathered together to pray. Just as they did, so do we. Gathered together we praise God, reading scripture and praying, so that when we go out into the world we will be prepared to do what the Holy Spirit calls us to do. That task is to show the world the love of God and the salvation won by Jesus.