Judas...what thoughts are stirred up in your mind when I mention that name? Deceit, lies, death, and pretty much a heep of other negative words and thoughts. Yet, at one point in time Judas, the disciple, was part of the fold. He was trusted by our Savior, by the other 11 disciples, and those who followed Jesus at the time. He was a part of the inner group of Jesus' best buds.
Then there seems to be a shift. It's pretty clear when it takes place. You know the whole part where Judas turns Jesus over to the authorities. He sold his Savior and friends out over money. Yikes...not good. Okay, we all know this story, but there's a part of the story that might be a little unfamiliar. In Acts 1:15-26 the disciples are all gathered. Let's see what's going on there...
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[a] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “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,’[b]
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[c]
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 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.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
I want to key in here on something that we don't talk much about regarding forgiveness. Have you ever thought about how much it hurt for the disciples to find out that someone they trusted, Judas, could do such a thing? It would almost seem impossible to forgive a person for doing such a thing. Yet in verse 16 Peter stands up with full authority and says that we've come to the conclusion that this was supposed to happen. Even still it makes one wonder what the disciples felt regarding Judas. If it were my I'd have a hard time forgiving.
Yet we know that forgiveness is one of the hardest things for a person to do. Oftentimes our forgiveness of someone is never heard or felt by the person that has done us wrong, but the act of forgiving is still necessary even if that person never finds out. What happens when we don't forgive someone for wrong doing? Our hearts begin to turn dark, bitterness and anger sets in, and we see a side of our humanity sometimes that we never thought existed. Voicinig it is very important, especially to those who hold us accountable. But more important is living it out.
I'm sure the disciples voiced their forgiveness of Judas to one another and most importantly to the Father. But if we look in the last part of these verses, we see them living it out. They understand that they have to move beyond the Judas incident and move forward with selecting another apostle to join their ranks. In doing so, they are saying we forgive Judas and we are moving on, reconciling the situation. This is where Matthias is chosen.
So my question to you is this, knowing that God has given us the authority to forgive those who have done wrong to us, what's stopping you from doing so? And secondly, how are you reconciling the situation and moving past it? I want to add that this is not an easy subject. It's also not easy forgiving. However, if we are to live as righteous people of Gods Kingdom we must forgive and reconcile.
Chris
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