接替猶大職分的人
12有一座山，名叫橄欖山，離耶路撒冷不遠，約有安息日可走的路程。當下，門徒從那裏回耶路撒冷去， 13進了城，就上了所住的一間樓房；在那裏有彼得、約翰、雅各、安得烈、腓力、多馬、巴多羅買、馬太、亞勒腓的兒子雅各、奮銳黨的西門，和雅各的兒子猶大。 14這些人同着幾個婦人和耶穌的母親馬利亞，並耶穌的弟兄，都同心合意地恆切禱告。
15那時，有許多人聚會，約有一百二十名，彼得就在弟兄中間站起來， 16說：「弟兄們！聖靈藉大衛的口，在聖經上預言領人捉拿耶穌的猶大，這話是必須應驗的。 17他本來列在我們數中，並且在使徒的職任上得了一分。 18這人用他作惡的工價買了一塊田，以後身子仆倒，肚腹崩裂，腸子都流出來。 19住在耶路撒冷的眾人都知道這事，所以按着他們那裏的話給那塊田起名叫亞革大馬，就是「血田」的意思。 20因為詩篇上寫着，說：
願他的住處變為荒場，
無人在內居住；
又說：
願別人得他的職分。
21所以，主耶穌在我們中間始終出入的時候， 22就是從約翰施洗起，直到主離開我們被接上升的日子為止，必須從那常與我們作伴的人中立一位與我們同作耶穌復活的見證。」 23於是選舉兩個人，就是那叫做巴撒巴，又稱呼猶士都的約瑟，和馬提亞。 24-25眾人就禱告說：「主啊，你知道萬人的心，求你從這兩個人中，指明你所揀選的是誰，叫他得這使徒的位分。這位分猶大已經丟棄，往自己的地方去了。」 26於是眾人為他們搖籤，搖出馬提亞來；他就和十一個使徒同列。
當耶穌被出賣後，猶大即被取消了他作為十二使徒的地位，不再被視為其中一員。因此，當彼得站起來對眾人講話時，他提到了猶大的行為，出賣了耶穌之後，他不再與十二使徒同列。他們現在需要選舉一個新的人來填補第十二使徒的位置。
當我讀到這一段時，我覺得非常有趣，因為我讀過一些聖經註釋，其中提到使徒必須與耶穌有親身經歷，這一點對彼得和其他十一位門徒來說當然是沒有問題的。馬提亞雖然當時不是十二使徒，但他很可能親眼見過耶穌，與耶穌同行過，因此根據這個定義，他成為使徒也是合理的。他們在這裡使用了猶太人的一種傳統方式來進行選舉，即將每個人的名字寫在石頭上，然後搖動，最後掉出的那塊石頭代表了第十二個使徒的身份。
在聖經中，馬提亞的名字只出現在這裡。當然，雖然馬提亞後來努力傳揚福音，對福音事工作出了很大的貢獻，但我們可以看到，真正將福音帶給外邦人的人是保羅。保羅從未與耶穌親密相處過，從未親眼見過耶穌，他的遇見不是在耶穌肉身中，而是在一次與耶穌相遇後被震撼(這段記載在使徒行傳九章），之後經歷了一段轉變的過程。然而，保羅卻將福音系統化地傳揚開來，而他的書信也成為了新約的重要書信，成為了聖經的一部分。因此，儘管保羅沒有真正與耶穌在地上相處過，但他的貢獻是極為重要的，他被視為使徒之一，是對福音傳播的重要貢獻者。
對於今天的我們來說，沒有親眼見過耶穌的人，我們可以從中得到什麼教訓呢？我們明白到，作為見證人，我們需要與上帝有親身的經歷。雖然我們無法親眼看見祂，但聖靈降臨在我們身上，我們可以通過禱告、讀經來與祂交流，並在日常生活中經歷祂的引導和幫助。因此，我們的信仰不應僅僅基於他人的見證，而應建立在與上帝的個人關係上。這是耶穌在十字架上完成的最偉大的事情，祂打破了人與神之間的隔閡，讓我們能夠直接與祂相遇，有聖經完整的話語，有聖靈內住在我們心中，我們可以親身去經歷上帝，與上帝有直接個人的關係，成為屬於我們自己每一個人，獨特的見證和經歷。
明天我們將繼續講述基督教歷史上最重要的時刻之一，就是第一次五旬節的聖靈降臨。從那一天起，上帝真正地介入了每一個人的心靈和生命中。耶穌所開始的工作由聖靈接著完成，我們將在使徒行傳的第二章中探究五旬節所帶來的重要意義。感謝各位的聆聽。
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
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 Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, 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.
He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
(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.
Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, 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.’
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,
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.”
So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
After Jesus was betrayed, Judas was removed from his position as one of the twelve apostles and was no longer considered among them. Therefore, when Peter stood up to address the crowd, he mentioned Judas's actions and how he was no longer counted among the twelve apostles after betraying Jesus. They now needed to elect a new person to fill the position of the twelfth apostle.
As I read through this passage, I found it quite intriguing because I've come across some biblical commentaries mentioning that an apostle must have had personal experience with Jesus, which of course was not an issue for Peter and the other eleven disciples. Matthias, though not one of the original twelve apostles at the time, likely had firsthand encounters with Jesus, having walked with him. So, by that definition, it was reasonable for him to be chosen as an apostle. They employed a traditional Jewish method of election here, writing each person's name on a stone, shaking them, and the stone that fell out last represented the identity of the twelfth apostle.
In the Bible, Matthias's name only appears here. While Matthias went on to contribute significantly to the spread of the gospel, it's evident that the person who truly brought the gospel to the Gentiles was Paul. Paul never had intimate interactions with Jesus or saw him in person, as his encounter happened after a meeting with Jesus (recorded in Acts 9), followed by a transformative journey. However, Paul systematically propagated the gospel, and his letters became vital parts of the New Testament, contributing significantly to the Bible. Hence, despite not having physically walked with Jesus on earth, Paul's contributions were crucial, and he is regarded as one of the apostles, a significant contributor to the spread of the gospel.
For us today, who haven't seen Jesus with our own eyes, what lessons can we draw from this? We understand that as witnesses, we need to have personal experiences with God. While we may not see Him face to face, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and we can communicate with Him through prayer, Scripture, and experience His guidance and assistance in our daily lives. Therefore, our faith shouldn't solely rely on others' testimonies but should be built on a personal relationship with God. This is one of the greatest accomplishments Jesus achieved on the cross, breaking down the barrier between humanity and God, allowing us to have direct encounters with Him, with the complete word of God, and with the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. We can personally experience God and have a direct, individual relationship with Him, becoming unique witnesses and experiences for each of us.
Tomorrow, we will continue discussing one of the most important moments in Christian history, the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended. From that day forward, God truly intervened in the hearts and lives of every individual. The work initiated by Jesus is continued by the Holy Spirit, and we will explore the significance of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. Thank you all for listening.
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