Judas went his own way.
For whatever reasons, he betrayed Jesus.
30 pieces of silver.
And a kiss.
It ends badly for Judas … in one account, he hangs himself [Matthew 27] … in our reading today, he falls and injures himself so badly he dies.
We have to be careful with Judas.
Who hasn’t made a really bad decision a time or two?
We’ve all crossed thresholds we’re not proud of.
We’ve all gone to bed at night racked with regret.
We’d do anything to live the day all over again.
However it ends, it ends badly for Judas.
And it seems to end badly for Jesus, too - arrest, trial, crucifixion, dead and buried - but God’s ways are not our ways!
As it turns out:
God’s purpose is fulfilled in the death of Jesus … the throne of glory, a cross; his crown, a wreath of thorns.
To our eyes, all is failure.
To the eyes of God, only through failure, the worst of it, can God reveal the beauty of God’s love at work in all things … not just the easy things of life, or even the medium-difficult things, but the meanest, the ugliest, the worst of it.
Only through suffering can the Messiah show to the world the full power of love … love that lays its life down for the sheep … love that comes to us, not to be served, but to serve … love that sheds its formal dress and, with towel and basin, washes feet.
Three days later, the stone is rolled away.
Jesus raised from the dead, triumphant and glorious.
Death cannot hold him.
Life wins the victory … it always does … and it always will!
Jesus appears to his disciples … walks with them and talks with them … restores Peter to the fellowship …
Jesus gives to them the Holy Spirit, the breath of life … and a great commission, a task, a calling - take the message of hope into all the world … as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
Be my witnesses.
Tell the story.
Live the story.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Forgive one another ceaselessly.
Pray as I’ve taught you.
Make a difference.
But don’t leave Jerusalem, just yet … don’t jump the gun … don’t be impatient … wait for the promise … John baptized with water, but in only a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
With that, Jesus takes leave of them - the cloud of unknowing envelopes him …
He ascends into heaven … to the right hand of God … to govern the world and guide the coming of the Kingdom … the angel says to the disciples, Don’t spend any more time looking up … get on with it down here … this Jesus, whom you saw lifted up, will come again, in the very same manner you saw him take leave.
The disciples return to Jerusalem!
And there they wait … and there they pray … and there they take care of some business!
Peter stands up and says … What shall we do about Judas? … he was one of us … he betrayed our LORD … but it was supposed to be this way … the Scriptures foretell the story.
There’s something wonderfully practical in Peter’s leadership … a time of uncertainty, instability … happens to us all the time - loss of job, moving to a new town, changing careers, the onset of illness, the death of a loved one - the world comes to an end for us, or at least a part of the world comes to an end for us …
Counselors encourage people to find basic things to do … sort through personal papers, pay the bills, vacuum the living room, get the car washed … go to work.
Did Peter see the need for them to do something other than just sit around waiting and wondering?
Here’s something we can do, said Peter.
They select two persons, who had been with them from the beginning …
Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus and Matthias.
They cast lots.
There was a lot to gain!
Ohhh, I know, a bad pun.
“A lot to gain”?
But just exactly, what is the casting of lots?
Did they throw dice?
Draw straws?
Choose the right hand or the left hand held behind someone’s back?
Pull a name out of the hat?
Flip a coin?
No one knows for sure what the casting of lots was like.
The soldiers at the foot of the cross cast lots for the garment of Jesus.
Casting lots is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New … yet no one knows for sure how it was done.
Yet the point is clear - there was no election, as we know it.
The choice was left to God.
We might well ask a million questions about all of this … questions about God, questions about Judas, questions about fate, predestination, and all those other sticky questions.
Life and faith are full of sticky questions … questions that have no answer … problems for which there is no solution … terrible things that have no reason.
But the disciples are at peace.
Peace in God’s eternal purpose … the Suffering Messiah … betrayal and denial … death and darkness and disappointment … strange tools for the work of God … but the Scriptures bear witness to these strange tools … tools in the hands of God … God at work … God at work, for good.
Because God is good all the time, and all the time … God is good!
God is our refuge and strength,
A help always near
In times of great trouble.
That’s why we won’t be afraid
When the world falls apart [Psalm 46.1-2a].
If the disciples are at peace with all of these dark questions, maybe we can be at peace, too.
To God be the glory.
Amen and Amen!
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