Last week we considered the folk that gathered to pray. It is the pattern for us to follow with regards attendance at the prayer meeting. It also reminds us what can happen at a prayer meeting — the power of God may come down and change all there and make them great witnesses for Him to the lost all around.
We come now to the verses 15-26.
1. THERE WAS A COMPLETE BREAK FROM THE BUSINESS OF PRAYER.
Prayer was the business of that gathering. The last words of the Saviour were to tell them to pray.
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven,” Luke 24:49-51. Luke tells us the same in Acts 1:8-9.
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
Peter, notorious for his impulsiveness, takes it upon himself to turn from prayer to appointing a replacement for Judas. He had no authority whatsoever to act in this manner.
II. PETER WAS GUILTY OF MISAPPLYING HOLY SCRIPTURE.
The Scriptures he quotes do indeed relate to Judas and his betrayal of the Lord Jesus. And yes, another person would be appointed to his ‘bishoprick’, his office, verse 20.
But he takes too much on himself to say what he does in verses 21-22. He again oversteps himself! “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” He was proved wrong in that by the Lord’s choice of Saul of Tarsus. He was entirely wrong to ASSUME that he and the Christians gathered to pray, had the power and authority to chose a replacement.
III. PLEASE NOTE THAT NO ONE CHALLENGED PETER!
The other apostles should have questioned what he proposing and asked for the command, given by the Saviour, to consider this matter. They too were wrong and failed to speak up.
Girls and boys, that is a very common fault amongst God’s people — staying quiet when we should speak up! A Christian woman sets an example for us - 1 Corinthians 1:11.
IV. SADLY, EVEN GOOD MEN ARE PRONE TO ACTING FOOLISHLY!
The people had gathered to pray BUT turned from such an important and holy task, at Peter’s urging it has to be said, to discuss that about which they had no instructions from the Lord.
They started out to wait for the infilling of the Holy Spirit which would enable them to carry out God’s great purpose in the Gospel. But they turned from that to engage in that which they had no authority to consider or concern themselves with. I have no doubt that this was very wrong!
1. Peter felt it right for him to lead the people in finding a replacement for Judas the traitor. Should he not have remembered how he and the others became apostles — even by the direct call of the Lord Jesus! Matthew 4:18-20.
2. They chose “Matthias”. Verse 25. He was counted as an “apostle” by the early believers for quite a while. It is to be noted that his name never appears again in Holy Scripture! He was a good man. He was in that special gathering of people to pray BUT he was not the Lord’s man for replacing Judas. He was the choice of a good people who acted in error!
3. Saul of Tarsus, or Paul as he became known, was God’s choice of a replacement for Judas. Paul knew this to be so. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Timothy 1:1.
The Lord told Ananias that Paul was His choice. “The Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel,” Acts 9:15.
It was not recognised by many Christians that Paul was God’s man until well after he was converted - Acts 9:20-21, 26-27. He had been converted on the road to Damascus and this took place about seven years after Pentecost. It was years before he was accepted by all. He had to defend himself against many doubts and questions. “For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles,” 2 Cor 11:5; 2 Cor 3:1-3.
Sadly, it was not Peter’s first foolish and impetuous act, nor was it his last!