HealingStrong's Around the Word
Join us around the table with friends who love the Lord and want to dig deeper into God's Word. Hosted by Cheryl Collins and joined by friends of HealingStrong, this podcast is sure to peak your interest in learning more about God's Word, as discussions on each podcast are short, bite-sized morsels that help to go deeper and enjoy God's Word. Cheryl and the podcast team will discuss stories that build trust in God through the history of Joseph, Esther, Jehoshaphat, Daniel, Nehemiah, the Disciples, and of course, Jesus! These episodes encourage our faith in overcoming our fear, and who doesn't need strengthened faith?
HealingStrong's Around the Word
Episode 75 - The Acts Series: Prayer Before Big Decisions (Acts 1: 12-26)
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We read Acts 1:12–26 and watch the early believers face a painful leadership gap after Judas, choosing unity and prayer instead of panic. We talk through Sabbath day details, Peter’s honesty about betrayal, and why God’s calling still includes quiet people with unseen impact.
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Replacing Judas Feels Heavy
SPEAKER_02So they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justice, and Matthews. Then they prayed. You got a big decision to make. This is big. Big shoes to fill, even if it's Judas himself. He was still one of the first 12 disciples. Right. And you've got to fill his shoes. So and I love the uh the biblical example they're giving us. They go to pray first. Jesus picked the 12.
SPEAKER_00This is a big job.
SPEAKER_03This is a big job. He's gone now. We gotta pick this one. So we're gonna talk to him about it.
SPEAKER_02Well, hey everybody, my name is Cheryl, and you're listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We're friends sitting around the table that love God's Word, and we love talking about it. Each episode, you'll hear us reading a passage from God's Word. And then we will stop while we're reading it and start discussing it and see what we learn from it. Today we are reading Acts chapter 1, verses 12 through 26. So join us around the Word.
Back To Jerusalem And The Room
SPEAKER_02This is starting off in verse 12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives. Who all was there again?
SPEAKER_03The apostles.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the apostles that were hanging out in the room.
SPEAKER_03Because I thought they were in the upper room when it's a little squirrely here because it doesn't go back to the upper room until the next chapter.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_03No, this is good. That's why we ask questions around the table. The first part of Acts, he's just giving us a summary. Okay. And he is quoting the the verses that quoting what he remembered Jesus saying to them, and it's a little bit the way the scribes wrote it down, or the way Luke wrote it down, or transcribed it or whatever. It's a little out of whack. Because it does say stay here in Jerusalem. Then 12 says, return to Jerusalem. But I think if they're on the Mount of Olives, Sabbath's walk, you can't walk very far. Yeah, you can't walk very far on the Sabbath. It's just right there. You know, it's that's the Mount of Olives, and you're looking straight at Jerusalem. So they could have been on the Mount of Olives when Jesus said, Don't leave Jerusalem. That's right, that is Jerusalem. Yeah, I know it's it is right there, but but then he don't they're in the upper room in two. Okay.
SPEAKER_02So, okay, so they they're returning to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day walk from the city. Okay, you've been studying the Jewish culture. Do you know what a Sabbath day walk would be?
SPEAKER_01Well, they weren't allowed to do any work or use their, you know, a mule or whatever.
SPEAKER_02So just a day, a walk, a casual walk. I remember when I visited Jerusalem uh in one of the hotels that we stayed at, they literally had a Shabbat elevator. Yep. So they had like lights. Sometimes they have lights that will turn on. Two different elevators, and just for the listeners, uh, it was meant to so that it would I it's just it I I'd never seen anything like it. The elevator would just go and stop at every floor. So if this was like a 30-floor building and you it was Sabbath or Shabbat as they call it, uh, they would you were not allowed to touch the button because that would be considered work. At least that's what the tour guide told us. And so they you'd have to ride all those floors until you got to 30, and then the door opens and you walk out. So it wouldn't be considered work. And see, these are the reasons why Jesus came back to show us that they were taking a little too seriously. And again, if there's any Jewish listeners, and uh apologize if I'm not explaining it right, I'm not Jewish, but that's what was told me as a as a tourist in Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_03So I think it's like a half mile. Okay, right. Did you just tell that? Did you just from the Mount of Olives? I've been on those tours twice. Okay. It's like a half mile. Okay, so good.
SPEAKER_02No, yeah. I I always and that's what's so fun is just questioning what you see in the word. Just okay, what okay, what is a Sabbath day walk? Just because it helps you picture it a little better in your mind.
SPEAKER_03So it's not as far as you could walk the whole day. That's as far as
One Accord Prayer With Mary
SPEAKER_03you could. It was as how many steps you could take on the Sabbath. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Very few steps, so you you half a mile total.
SPEAKER_02Verse 13. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room. Okay, so that's the upper room we've been talking about. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas, son of James. But eleven. Eleven, yeah, because obviously the other Judas. Judas wasn't there. Yeah. That was Harriet. They all join together constantly in prayer. You could sit on that for a minute. Join together. Yeah, mine says in one accord. Oh. That's King James. This is ESV, but very close to King James. Yeah. Yeah. So they're all constantly in prayer together. Together. So unity, the unity of the church. Along with the women. Yes. And Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Put yourself in Mary's shoes or sandals. I mean, she had just seen her husband. Oh, it was sandals, I think. Husband. Well, no, no. Did I say husband? Yeah. Sorry. Her son. Yeah. Son. Her son. She had seen her son crucified so horribly. And then he's resurrected. And then he's there for 40 days afterwards, but now he's gone. And she knows she's not going to see him again until he returns. So poor Mary probably needed some comforting, needed to be around the people that he loved.
SPEAKER_01Like especially the And he said to John, here's my mother, take care of her. Yes.
SPEAKER_03Oh, and you know, when he said that, you know that John was at the foot of the cross. Because Jesus could not have spoken very loudly at that point. Right. Oh, you're right. So, and John, as we, if when we put all the gospels together, we see that John was probably the only disciple at the foot of the cross. That stage. But he was close enough even to hear that coming from a gasping.
SPEAKER_02I've never thought of that. Yeah. He also was the disciple that called himself the one whom Jesus loved. I mean, I mean, talk about truly accepting how much God loves you and how much Jesus loves you, to be able to call yourself that. I don't think that was a bragging thing at all.
SPEAKER_03I think
Judas, Scripture, And Real Grief
SPEAKER_03he genuinely accepted it. Oh, and he revealed to John all those things we love the bread of life, the grapevine, all those uh now Jesus.
SPEAKER_01He had names for Jesus. Was it parables?
SPEAKER_03Was it personal? Um lessons. Hyperbole. Uh what is that phrase?
SPEAKER_02Oh, a simile?
SPEAKER_03This is like this. Yes. I don't know. This is we're going to the English class on this. The living water. The good shepherd.
SPEAKER_02The way, the truth, and the life. All of that comes from. Yeah. Yeah, the vine. I'm the vine. Oh my gosh, John 15. Yep. That alone has some great stuff.
SPEAKER_03So that yeah, they were tight.
SPEAKER_02No doubt. Yeah. Yeah. They were tight. Where were we again? Oh, who knows? Let's see. Oh, it's naming all the people there. So in verse 14, they all joined together constantly in prayer. We said that, along with the women and Mary. So I said that. And with his brothers. So do we think he means his legit brothers, like blood brothers, or do we think like brothers in Christ?
SPEAKER_01I think it says brothers. I think it's I think James was there. I think he came to him, and then he was like, Wow, he really was the son of the brother.
SPEAKER_03Because it would be hard for your natural brothers to buy into this on the other side. Yeah. But now that they've seen um what all they've seen, yeah, they're on board. I I think it's his natural brothers.
SPEAKER_02Okay. In those days, verse 15, in those days, Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about a hundred and twenty and said, Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in this ministry. So that's got to be hard. I I like, by the way, I like watching The Chosen. I think y'all have been watching it too. And the guy that's playing Judas, he does a great job because they're putting some possible motives. I mean, we don't we weren't there, but it's just a take on it on why Judas may have done what he did. Right. And honestly, if anyone says, Oh, I would never do that, I would never do that.
SPEAKER_01That's I think about how many times God has in my spirit told me to do something and I don't want to do it. Or it's not the way I would want to do it, and I would do it, not listen. The Holy Spirit said, or wait. Yeah. And I and then you think about take it up in my own power and do it anyway.
SPEAKER_03I mean, Judas was a part of the plan. Sometimes you think, did he have a choice? Right. I don't know. That gets into the sovereignty of God. But just because Jesus knew who was gonna betray him doesn't mean he caused him to. But when we look at that scripture, it says, you know, Satan entered him with permission. Right. So he was a necessary part of the plan from the beginning.
SPEAKER_02But it still had to be so hard for, I mean, this is the guy that's been with you seeing all the cool things that Jesus has been like a brother in arms, and then he does this, you know, and now he's gone, and it's there's still like probably the grief of of losing him that way as well, in a strange way. I mean, you could be angry, you could be, I mean, when somebody does something wrong, but right, yeah, I'm sure it was a big disappointment. They had a lot going on, I mean, in that room.
SPEAKER_03Did the rest of them know what Peter did? Because they weren't all around. Oh. Did they know that Peter had denied him?
SPEAKER_01Probably not. Because Peter was around just waiting around outside the court or whatever.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. He was hiding in the courtyard. They all were spread out everywhere. And you go through the gospels, you pour through it, and that's how you see that um John was the only one at the foot of the cross. Because, like Matthew will say, he we heard in a loud voice from a distance. We, you know, you can you you can see that that only John was there close. So Peter was off, you know, hiding, so to speak. So the other apostles probably didn't know until it was written. You know, they started, they learned it later and started talking about it. But don't we don't don't we do what Peter did too?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean we go hide, like we do something wrong and then we go hide. Like the enemy wants us what Adam received it. Yeah, there's nothing.
SPEAKER_03They hid themselves exactly.
SPEAKER_02And God is like, where are you? He totally knows where you are, by the way. I think he just wanted to hear what they had to say. Right. Yeah, where are you? He wanted them to speak and say, Yeah, to speak up. But so you're right, like um Peter, who knows if he kept that? And I remember that Peter later on, I'm sorry, Jesus came to Peter when he was on the shore, Sea of Galilee or something, uh, cooking some fish or something.
SPEAKER_03He had cooked some fish for them. They've gone back to fish after the crucifixion and everything. They went back to their jobs. They're not like church planters.
SPEAKER_02They're not stuck. I think it's over. Yeah, they are yeah, and go back to their jobs. But what does Jesus do? He comes directly, he comes to Peter. He cooked them breakfast. Yes. Where was that? I mean, where was that passage? Was that in John? Or it's just very neat because it's the heart of Jesus, like knowing that he was denied, he told him three different times. He asked him, Do you love me? Do you love me?
SPEAKER_03Do you love me?
SPEAKER_01Feed my ship or feed my ship and helping him heal from that denial.
SPEAKER_03He redeemed him, yeah, and he gave him a job. Yes. So feed my sheep, take care of my sheep. And feed my lambs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah.
Psalms Prophecy And Leadership Vacancy
SPEAKER_02So no more of this, he would be a fisher of men. Right going back to his original calling was not a fisherman of fish. It was a fisherman of men.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So it's just very wow. I love thinking about those kind of things, like trying to get into the head of some of the people and what's going on. But we are back over at verse 18. With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field. There he fell headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this. So they called that field in their language Echildama. Sorry, I can't say that right. That is field of blood. For, said Peter, it is written in the book of Psalms. May his place be deserted, let there be no one to dwell in it, and may another take his place of leadership. Wow, wow.
SPEAKER_03Now that's Psalms. So how many thousands of years before? Thousand, fifteen hundred? All of them are prophetic. Right. Psalms is written about something that just happened?
SPEAKER_02Right. I wonder if this is Psalm 6925. I'm looking in my like on the side notes in my Bible. I'm gonna just pull that up real quick and see if that is actually. I'm doing it old school, by the way. Other people are cheating with their phones in the room. But I'm looking it up old school with my Bible. So you'll hear it like um what did I say, 6925? May their place be deserted. Let there be no one to dwell in their tents. And then Psalm 109.8. 109.8, I'll pull it up too.
SPEAKER_03Is may another take his place of leadership.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. May his days be few. May another take his place of leadership. Wow. Peter's ready to get to business. Uh Judas is out now. We gotta find somebody else. Right. So that's I think why we're here at this passage. So it says verse 21, 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. I was just trying to make sense of that. So this is they're looking for someone who saw it. Saw it must have been there the whole time as well. But even since John was from when they heard when they were all chosen, literally.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02When they were being chosen, we just he wasn't named as a disciple at that point. Right. But probably falling around. So they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justice, and Matthews. You got a big decision to make. This is big, big shoes to fill, even if it's Judas himself. He was still one of the first twelve disciples. Right. And you've got to fill his shoes. So and I love the uh the biblical example they're giving us. They go to pray first. Jesus picked the twelve.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00This is a big job.
SPEAKER_03This is a big job. He's gone now. We gotta pick this one. So we're gonna talk to him about it.
SPEAKER_02Then they prayed, Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take again, they're pointing to him. Show us who you have chosen, these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs. Little side note there. Oh, I mean, it's just it's still like it's still raw for them. Think about it, it's super raw for them. Uh then they cast lots,
Casting Lots And Trusting God
SPEAKER_02and the lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to the eleven apostles. Okay, so what is this casting of lots things for any kind of listeners that don't know? That goes way back.
SPEAKER_03The Urim and the Thumen. I would say it back in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_02Oh, the Jewish listeners are gonna be hating. Yeah, they yeah, well, of course with a southern accent, you know.
SPEAKER_03Mispronouncing, but it was what the priests used to throw. You know, they had the it was kind of like dice in a way. Kind of, I don't know. You know all that.
SPEAKER_01I think we don't I don't think we do know exactly what they were. Some say that light somehow shined off of them, or I don't know.
SPEAKER_02But they're throwing out objects to then see out.
SPEAKER_01Rolling dice to see what the outcome is.
SPEAKER_02But they're trusting that the Lord is literally turning the But they cast lots for lots of things. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_03That's that's the way they did. All through the Old Testament, they did that kind of thing. I think it's pointed uh casting lots. I don't I don't think it's like our rolling dice, do you girls?
SPEAKER_01No, I don't think I don't think it's like gambling. No, no, no.
SPEAKER_02No, I don't think they're you know, they're not doing that. But it's interesting that they he they're trusting that the Lord knows the hearts of the men that they're talking about. So for whatever reason these good men, both of them, I think these are both solid people. They're your top people that have been following around. Now, I I mean, I have to think like this too.
SPEAKER_01I wonder if your justice I know for that, but I do think he was used for something else later. Oh, another book.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay. There's probably a saint of sorts. Like I got him in the book in the church, in the church uh history books, he's somewhere. I mean, he's he's literally in the book, right? If his name, I mean, what how wouldn't you want to think about it though? In a way, wouldn't you want to be justice? You're at least in the Bible. You're named. You meant a runner up. Yeah, right. You're runner, I'll take runner up any day if I'm in his word. Right. Good night.
SPEAKER_01That's I think he has a pretty big job later, but I can't remember. I've heard more about that.
SPEAKER_02And honestly, I don't know what Matthias did um later on. I mean, he's we don't hear about him. We don't we we don't hear about him really. Um, I'm sure there's other there's Josephus and other people that were historians. I don't know if he wrote about him or if uh Matthias has lost history, but God sees him and he had a purpose for him. Right. And he might have been one of those like unsung heroes that planted a lot of seeds that we are the harvest today because of what he did. So you can bet your bottom dollar that he had a very important role if he was one of the the twelve apostles now.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02As they switch from being disciples, because Jesus is now not with them, to apostles.
SPEAKER_01So Oh Lord, let them find more things though that the apostles did teach, the original apostles. How cool would it be to find like Dead Sea Scrolls of the Apostles' teachings to they're probably out there, you know, they're digging in the cave. Well, it helped them find it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, or in one of those libraries that unfortunately got burned down. Library of Alexandria, I think that was one. But even even Pompeii has like a library that they're able to use um AI of all things to decipher burned papyrus scrolls. It's crazy. Right. So now would be a great time to find it. Oh, let's also find where the Ark of the Covenant is.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_02Where that's hanging out. So anyway, that's really cool. So we too can be, it doesn't matter if we're a Mattheus, we're a justice, we're all part of his big plan. We all share a part in God's story. I love that. That is something to remember. You, you share part in God's story. Now, discovering what that is, that's on you. But just keep leaning in and listening to him and learning from his word. He's gonna show you. He will.
Listener Note And Closing Invitation
SPEAKER_02Thanks so much for listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. And before we close, I want to share a note we received from Thulisa, one of our Healing Strong participants. She wrote to us, Thank you for helping me restore my faith. Thank you for helping me remember that God loves me and has not forgotten me. Thank you for helping me remember that hardships are not in vain and that more often than not, there is a lesson from God if we choose to see it. That's beautiful, isn't it? That's why we do this. Because even when one person remembers they're not forgotten, hope rises again. If today's episode encouraged you, would you leave a five-star rating and review? It helps more people find conversations like this. And if you like to support this mission, you can become a monthly hope giver with a donation of any amount at healingstrong.org. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.