Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Pe 1:2). Amen.
We are in between two important holidays.
No. I have not forgotten what today is. So we pause for a moment to mention it: “Happy Mother’s Day.” It is good for us to recall the blessings of mothers. There are countless sacrifices and painful struggles for their families. In spite of a flaw or even a failure a time or two, we thank you. If you are a mother or have a mother, we honor you and them. (Not necessarily by going fishing on opening weekend.)
That being said, this past Thursday was Ascension Day. Forty days after Jesus came out of his grave, he went up to heaven. Ten days after that (which is next Sunday), he kept his promise to send the Holy Spirit. That is Pentecost. So here we are roughly in the middle of those two huge events.
Now what? Jesus is gone, but we are not forgotten. He is out of our sight, but we are not out of his mind. The ascended Lord leads his church through his Word and through his workers. We read from …
Acts 1:15-26
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, the Lord above all and over all,
The Apostles’ Creed is helpful in condensing key aspects of Jesus’ work for us. I want to highlight two in the Second Article that we professed already. Before we confessed: “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord” (CW p. 19).
“He ascended into heaven …
And is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”
Even though you may not be an English major, note the significant tenses in those two statements. Ascended. Past time. It happened. Is seated. Present tense. It is ongoing. Jesus is not resting or relaxing. God’s right hand is a position of power and prestige from which the Lord reigns and rules. For our benefit. On our behalf.
The Ascended Lord Leads His Church
1. Through his Word (15-20)
2. Through his workers (21-26)
1. Through his Word (15-20)
If anyone is in charge like a mother with her children, her word is critical. It has to be reliable and dependable—not just making promises, but keeping them. What she declares, she does. In a much bigger way, we can trust what Jesus has to say. The ascended Lord leads his church through the Word.
The followers of Jesus were in the same timeframe that we find ourselves today—appreciating Jesus’ return on high and anticipating the Spirit’s arrival from above. Those 120 or so remained patient, but prayed repeatedly (Acts 1:14). They had seen Jesus bring requests to God numerous times. Some of them listened in as Jesus, the High Priest, poured out his heart to his Father on Maundy Thursday evening asking him to watch other them: “that you protect them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15).
They were eager to have Jesus make good on his guarantee of the Counselor’s coming (Acts 1:4). For the time being, they offered their pleas to God. It is like what we do when we utter the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer—that his name be kept holy and his will be done—those as well as the others.
Peter, a man of action, took the initiative to do something constructive in the meantime—choosing a replacement for Judas, bringing the number back to 12. Luke records the minutes of the call meeting. “Peter stood up among the believers … and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David’” (Acts 1:15,16). He turned their attention to what had been written. And he made clear that this was not the word of men, but the word of God. King David was the Holy Spirit’s instrument. Those words came from God and there was a divine necessity that Scripture had to come to pass (cf. Ps 41:9; Jn 13:18). It was according to what God foreknew and the Spirit foretold.
The reference was to Judas (Acts 1:16). We immediately fill in the details because of our familiarity with the Passion readings during Lent. It is a sad story. Peter takes us back to the night of the betrayal—“Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16). He led the band of men to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and then laid a kiss on Jesus’ cheek, indicating the one they should seize.
But Peter also points out the privilege that Judas had: “He was one of our number and shared in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). Jesus had picked Judas to be an apostle to serve him and others like a waiter does at a restaurant. It was about apostolic service, not apostolic status. For close to three years, Judas heard Jesus preach and teach. He saw Jesus do signs and miracles.
But Judas let greed grow slowly in his heart until it took over completely (Jn 12:6). Not only did he have sticky fingers as the treasurer of the traveling band, he agreed to hand Jesus over to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver (Mt 26:15).
But that brought him no satisfaction, only sorrow. So much so that he thought his sin was too big to forgive. After Jesus had been captured, Judas threw the money back into the temple and went out and took his life by hanging himself. Peter gives some gruesome details. “He fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out” (Acts 1:18).
There is some irony in what resulted. “With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field” (Acts 1:18). That was not his intention. No more than when you fund someone’s vacation when a hacker accesses your bank account. You did not plan that. It was a sad outcome. There is the parenthetical information: “Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood” (Acts 1:19).
Peter continued with two quotations. What Judas did was not right, but it was recorded. “‘For,’ said Peter, ‘it is written in the book of Psalms’” (Acts 1:20).
“‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it’” (Acts 1:20; cf. Ps 69:25).
“‘May another take his place of leadership’” (Acts 1:20; cf. Ps 109:8).
In both cases, David references his enemies. But Peter applies the passage to the traitor. And based on God’s Word, he concludes that there is to be another to take Judas’ position.
It is obvious that Peter was a student of Scripture. That is where he went when there was a matter confronting the group. Where do we go? The opinions on the internet? The outlook of the world? Our gut reaction? Or our good resources? We can study God’s Word. That is how the ascended Lord leads his church. We can take Judas’ example to heart. He let sin linger in his heart. We need to guard against the same. It may not be running after money, but running down another’s reputation. The devil is persistent, prowling and poking where and when we are weak (1 Pe 5:8).
And then if, or better, when, we fall, he lies (Jn 8:44). He got Judas to imagine that what he did was too bad for Jesus to get rid of. Just because it was logged in Scripture doesn’t excuse what he did. He is still responsible. But we avoid the trap. We are accountable and we admit it.
And then we take comfort in the ascension. Jesus left the earth because he left nothing undone. Mission accomplished. Finished (Jn 19:30). He paid for our guilt. How can we be certain? It is in the Word. We can be just as sure this day as the last day. The apostle John reminded us: “we will have confidence on the day of judgment” (1 Jn 3:17). There is nothing on our account because Jesus has cleared it (Ro 8:1). The Savior of the world is the Leader of his church through his Word to you.
2. Through his workers (21-26)
If someone is in control—again we think of a mommy at home, her children are crucial. They help when and where needed with chores around the house even if it means cleaning up after the dog. In a much better way, Jesus sends out his own. The ascended Lord leads his church through his workers.
It wasn’t a matter of a warm body or even a willing one. When you want a new car, it not just a matter of anyone will do—it just has to have an engine. There may be a certain color or kind. Peter sets up the specific qualifications: “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21,22). The individual had to have seen and heard it all during the time that Jesus lived on earth. He was to have had firsthand experience from the beginning all the way to the end. If he was to go out with the good news of a risen Savior, he had to have observed everything.
And that is valuable for us. We don’t have to skeptical about Scripture. Did it really happen? We have a solid foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20; Re 21:14). They watched Jesus work around Israel and walk to the cross and come back to life and go back to heaven. We can trust their eyes and ears. The ascended Lord leads his church through his workers. Through their writings we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And by believing we have eternal life (Jn 20:31).
A pair of capable and competent men made up the call list. “So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias” (Acts 1:23). And then they submitted the selection to the Lord’s discretion. “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry” (Acts 1:24,25). That is an interesting designation for the Lord, “knower of hearts.” At first, that might give us reason to be afraid. But like John, “We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love” (1 Jn 4:16). He sent his Son to be our Savior (1 Jn 4:14). That Savior is the One who is the head of the church (Eph 1:22), managing all things for our good (Ro 8:28). This is the Lord who would direct this undertaking (Pv 16:33). The same one whom David reminded us in the psalm: “[God] made him ruler over the works of [his] hands; [God] put everything under his feet” (Ps 8:6).
There was only one spot. Whether it was a show of hands or a shaking of a vessel and the first stone that came out on which they scratched their names makes no difference. “Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26). No more mention is made about Barsabbas, or for that matter, Mattathias. No doubt, they served adequately and faithfully the rest of their lives.
Once more there was a full complement of apostles—“ones sent out.” That fits nicely with what Jesus included in his prayer: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (Jn 17:18). The ascended Lord leads his church through his workers.
It is not in the same way, but that Lord continues to supply his church with workers to prepare each person to use their particular talents for works of service—all to build the body of Christ (Eph 4:7,11,12). Now that it is May, we rejoice in the graduates of Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary as they take up their assignments to be of service to the Savior and to his people. They join those already in the ministry as the ascended Savior keeps on leading his church, through his workers for you.
As we look back to the ascension and then ahead to Pentecost, we are grateful for Jesus—just like we give a shout out to moms today (not just because they catch their limit of fish). The ascended Lord leads his church through his Word. We consult it and he comforts us. The ascended Lord leads his church through his workers. We consider them and they comfort us. That is why we continue to assert: “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. … He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty” (CW p. 19). It is true. Amen.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Pe 3:18).
May 13, 2018
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