Acts #2 - May Another Take His Place

Acts 1:12-26 (NIV)
Read by: Eric Peterson

One thing that’s both difficult about the Bible and also strangely comforting, is that it doesn’t sugar coat anything. If you’re looking for a feel-good, heart-warming kind of read, you can see the bible as a religious book and just pull out the beautiful verses, but don’t get into the context or you’ll find a story that takes some emotional energy to navigate.

Today’s passage is a prime example of that. It is real. Even a bit gruesome. So some of us might wanna skip ahead, and know that that’s okay. It’s a glimpse of the other side of the story of Easter. It’s about Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish officials, bribed with 30 pieces of silver to give him up. In Matthew’s telling, Judas felt deep remorse, tried to give the money back and call the whole thing off, but was unsuccessful. So he left the money in the temple and committed suicide.

But the harshness of it brings up another question that we often have to wrestle with in Christian community, and just in life itself… How do we move forward after a tragedy? After a betrayal? What can we leave in God’s hands, and what do we need in order to trust him and keep going? Today we’ll meet Jesus’ disciples in that place… in those questions.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What words, phrases, or images caught your attention in the passage?

2. When the disciples chose Matthias, they “cast lots” and prayed for God’s guidance. That seems strange to many of us! But they had no doubt that the LORD was leading them. As you encounter situations where important decisions need to be made, do you tend to rely on your own wisdom? Or do you tend to become frozen with fear of making the wrong choice? Instead, how might you invite the LORD’s guidance and choose to trust him as you follow Jesus?

3. We know this passage was hard to listen to, and for some of us, it might have been emotionally triggering. If you’ve experienced the betrayal or loss of a friend, family member or partner in ministry, where are you at in the process of grieving? What steps might the LORD be calling you to take to move forward into healing?

----------GO DEEPER----------

Bible Project: Acts 1-12 Overview >>

InterVarsity Press Selections: Acts >>

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