You Are Qualified
Acts 1:15 – 17, 21 – 26
We come today to the beginning of the Book of Act after a rather disjointed journey through the book which included stops in chapters 3, 4, 8 and 10. Chapter one starts with the Ascension of Jesus, which was celebrated last Wednesday. As you or may not know, the Book of Acts is written by the same man who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. By the way he was not one of the Disciples. Luke is the only person that documents the Ascension of Jesus. He did it in his Gospel, our Gospel lesson for today and he also begins the Book of Acts with it.
Through Luke, we know that Jesus had been with the 11 remaining Disciples for 40 days and during that time he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs of that he was alive and spoke about the kingdom of God. Just before his ascension, Jesus gives the Disciples and all of the believers that follow afterward the Great Commission, which is of course the expectation to go out into the world and spread the good news of salvation at the direction of the Holy Spirit.
After the Ascension, the Disciples make the walk back from the Mount of Olives and return to the Upper Room which has been their base of operation since the Last Supper. As I have mentioned, this is a confusing, challenging and bewildering time. First the death of Jesus, then the Resurrection and now Jesus is apparently gone indefinitely. He has promised an Advocate, the Holy Spirit but they are not sure what that means. They spend time praying to discern what they should do next. The replacing of Judas rises to the top of the list.
You know it occurs to me if the number of Disciples being 12 was important that during those 40 days before He leaves Jesus would have named another, but he doesn’t. Maybe it was divine leading through prayer, maybe it was the need to get back what they had, what they lost. Maybe it was the need to be complete, to feel whole again. In either case Peter announces to the 120 people gathered that they need to fill in the ranks of the Disciples, they need to replace Judas to make the group complete.
To choose the person that was worthy of becoming one of the Disciples, they give these two simple yet vital qualifications:
- Someone that had been with the group from the beginning; from the His baptism and until He was taken up in the Ascension.
- Someone that had a personal relationship with Jesus and could be a credible witness to the works and miracles found in the ministry of Jesus.
Peter declares that whoever meets those qualifications must become a witness with us of Jesus’ resurrection.
Now we don’t know if they asked for a show of hands for volunteers like the pastor in our first story, or if they had persons in mind that met these qualifications, but they eventually nominated two men, a man named Matthias and a another man called Barsabbas. Then to seek divine discernment, they prayed “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to become a witness with us of Jesus’ resurrection” They cast lots, kind of like rolling spiritual dice, and the choice fell to Matthias, so he was added to the ministry of eleven apostles and is tasked to take the gospel to the world.
Matthias was qualified, he met the qualifications to be one of the chosen to witnesses to the world, to lead the church into the mission, ministry and Kingdom of God is this world and you know what, he’s not mentioned again in scripture.
There are traditions and legends about him and what happened to him. It is said that he did indeed go out into the world and preached the Gospel, specifically into Asia Minor, into the countries we know now as Turkey, Armenia and the former Russian state of Georgia. And apparently, he was effective in bring people to Jesus, so effective in fact that he was a threat to the Romans, and he was beheaded by the Romans in Georgia, after which his body was shipped to Rome to be securely buried so there wouldn’t be another “resurrection” of a messenger of God.
But what about the other candidate Barsabbas, the one that wasn’t chosen to be one of the twelve. He was qualified too! You know I have told you that the traveling party that went along with Jesus during his ministry was much larger than the 12, certainly tens of people, maybe hundreds of people, both men and women, in the “congregation” of this traveling missional church.
He met the qualifications. An early follower of Jesus, he had a personal relationship with Jesus. Barsabbas had been with them from Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River and throughout His ministry. He would have experienced the death of Jesus on the Cross, he would have been with them when they learned of the resurrection, he would have been there to see and testify to the lifting up, the taking home of Jesus by the angels at the Ascension. He knew what could be known and was faithful in his desire to serve the Kingdom of God. So, what became of him? Did he fulfill his “place” in God’s great and glorious church?
You know from our lesson last week about Peter and the Roman soldier Cornelius and the week before in the lesson about Philip and the eunuch that the Jews believed that the Messiah coming was a Jewish thing only. The only way that a Gentile, a non-Jew could receive the benefits of the Messiah was to convert. The Apostle Paul was sent specifically by God through the Holy Spirit to take the salvation story to the Gentiles, you and me, without having to go through the gate of Judaism.
Long story short, Paul needed the Council of Jerusalem, the leaders of the Disciples headed by James the brother of Jesus, to take a stand on whether salvation was available to all regardless of if they were Jewish. In Acts 15, Paul goes to Jerusalem and pleads his case and then goes back into the mission field while the Council of Jerusalem deliberates and makes their decision.
When they make their decision they need to let Paul know and they need faithful messengers to track down Paul and let him know their decision. They chose Barsabbas and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers, to carry the word that “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God”.
We have seen over the last couple of weeks that God was opening the gates of grace and salvation to all people regardless of race, nation or tribe. No matter where they had come from, where they had been, whatever they had done or hadn’t done they were not out of God’s reach.
Now the Council of Jerusalem codifies that as God’s desire and Barsabbas takes that proclamation into the Gentile world and it fuels the Apostolic work of Paul to the rest of the world, and yes friends to us. A man that had been passed over previously, finds his place in God’s plans for mankind when it is his chosen time.
Friends there is story after story in the Bible about how God uses just regular people to do for His Kingdom on Earth. In the just the last couple of weeks we have seen the influence of Stephen, Philip, the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, Mathias and Barsabbas on individuals and entire cultures. But dear ones the truth is there are thousands and millions of unknown believers through out the world that a challenged each and every day through the work of the Holy Spirit to make a difference in the world.
There is a story about a preacher that wanted to test the willingness of the congregation share the Gospel story of Jesus and His ministry, sacrifice, crucifixion and resurrection and what that meant to them and their lives. So he asked those that were in the pews for anyone that was willing preach the sermon. He said the first one to raise their hand could come up and witness to the meaning of the Gospel story. Not surprisingly no one raised their hand apparently no one felt that they were qualified for the task.
I know what you are thinking, if I ask for a show of hands for volunteers to give a credible personal witness to the activity of the risen Christ in your lives, to join with the leaders of the church to make a difference in the community, to come alongside people that need a comforting shoulder to cry on there might be very few hands. You would say that I am not qualified.
But let me go back and list the qualifications that Peter used after prayer with God to choose the 12 Disciple.
- Someone that had been with the group from the beginning; from the His baptism and until He was taken up in the Ascension.
- Someone that had a personal relationship with Jesus and could be a credible witness to the works and miracles found in the ministry of Jesus.
Dear ones, as sanctifying and growing Christians I would suggest in many ways you are more qualified today than either Matthias or Barsabbas. In just the last five months you have heard from this pulpit the stories of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Jesus’ baptism by John, the missional work of Jesus in the healing of the sick, lame and possessed. His arrest, trials, crucifixion and resurrection. You have witnessed the Upper Room and the Empty Tomb. Over the years you have developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or your wouldn’t be here today!
Hear the Good News……….
There is an old saying that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Friends if He calls on you, He believes in you, He knows that You Are Qualified because he did the qualifying himself. Therefore, dear one friends, You are Qualified to help build and grow His church for the salvation of the world!