After telling about Jesus’ incarnation, resurrection, and ascension, Luke shifts the spotlight to the apostles—the ones the Lord entrusted with carrying the gospel from Jerusalem, out into Judea and Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth. But before the mission could move forward, something had to be addressed: the vacancy left by Judas. Luke begins by recounting to Theophilus how Matthias came to be chosen to take the betrayer’s place among the Twelve.
The disciples who witnessed the ascension came down from Olivet, returned to Jerusalem, and gathered in the upper room (Acts. 1:12-13a). Luke points out those still following Jesus included the initial group of apostles minus one, the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ half-brothers (Acts 1:13b-14a; cf. Lk. 6:14-16; 8:2-3, 19).[1] “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14b).[2] This group numbered “about a hundred and twenty” (Acts 1:15).
Jesus had called twelve apostles, but with Judas’ betrayal the group was left one short. Peter addressed the situation, saying, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts 1:16–17). In these words, Peter reminds the believers that Judas’ betrayal was no surprise to God. It had been foretold in Scripture, where the voice of David—guided by the Holy Spirit—anticipated what would take place through the betrayer.
How exactly did Judas die? Luke recounts Judas Iscariot “acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness,” but then “falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out” and concludes this “became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood” (Acts 1:18-19). Ending dead upon the Field of Blood turned out to be Judas’ only acquisition for the money received to betray the Christ.
On the other hand, Matthew indicates Judas sold-out Jesus for thirty-pieces of silver. After doing the deed, and seeing the Lord condemned, Judas “changed his mind and brought back the thirty-pieces of silver” intending to rescind the deal, but the chief priest declined. Judas threw the money into the temple and then hung himself. The chief priest saw it unlawful to receive the money into the treasury, so they “took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers,” which became known as the Field of Blood (Matthew 26:14-15; 27:3-8).
At first glance, the two evangelists appear to contradict each other, but together they give a fuller picture of Judas Iscariot’s demise. Matthew records that the betrayer hanged himself, while Acts explains that his body later fell—likely onto jagged rocks—resulting in that gruesome scene. This harmonization fits the historical setting: a body left hanging in the hot sun would naturally decay, burst open, and spill onto the ground. Luke indicates Judas received money to betray the Christ (Luke 22:3-5), but Matthew the former tax-collector details the amount — thirty pieces of silver. Matthew adds that the priests used Judas’ money to purchase the “Field of Blood” (Matt. 27:3–10), while Acts ironically states that Judas himself acquired it with his “wages of iniquity” (Acts 1:18).[3]
Judas Iscariot defected from the Twelve. Overtaken by Satan, he betrayed innocent blood, lost all hope, and hanged himself. His life ended in tragedy, and his decaying body fell to the ground. The site of his demise became known as the “Field of Blood,” a lasting reminder of the betrayer’s fate.
What the Scriptures Instructed on the Betrayer? Peter indicates Judas’ betrayal of the Christ came to pass according to what the Holy Spirit foretold in the psalms of David. “May his camp become desolate | and let there be no one to dwell in it,” cites the apostle (Acts 1:20a; cf. Psa. 69:25). Psalm 69 is a lament from David, who suffers from the afflictions of his foes, and calls upon God for deliverance and the downfall of his enemies. His imprecation is for their dwelling place to be brought to ruin. From a lesser to greater sense, Davd is a righteous sufferer yearning for God to exercise justice, how much more this applies to Jesus of Nazareth, who is in Luke’s estimation the Son of David (cf. Lk. 3:31; 18:38, 39). Just as God vindicated David through bringing down his enemies, God vindicated the Christ with the demise of the betrayer.
Interestingly, New Testament writers intimate several connections from Psalm 69 to the suffering of Christ. Jesus was hated without cause (cf. Psa. 69:4; Jn. 15:25), He was zealous for God’s house (cf. Psa. 69:9a; Jn. 2:17), and those who reproached God also reproached Him (Psa. 69:9b; Rom. 15:3). During the crucifixion, the Lord was given sour wine to drink (cf. Psa. 69:18; Matt. 27:48; Lk. 23:36; Jn. 19:29).
The apostle then quotes from another psalm of David: “Let another take his office” (Acts 1:20b; cf. Psa. 109:8). In Psalm 109, David laments over those who returned evil for good and hatred for love. His imprecation is for them to be removed from their stations in life and that their days be few. Just as God vindicated David through the removal of his opponents from their stations and dwellings, so too Judas’ days were short and his property became the Field of Blood (Matt. 27:9).
Another apostle would thus be appointed take the station left vacant on account of the defector.
Matthias Chosen: Peter set the criteria Judas’ replacement: “One of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). The replacement had to have been with Jesus’ followers from John’s baptism through the ascension and to have witnessed the resurrection.
There was thus specified criteria for the apostle fulfilling the vacant position among the Twelve. Whereas a Christian speak of an apostle as a missionary, church planter, or a leader among leaders, the apostles who comprised the Twelve were an exclusive group according to the criteria denoted by Peter. The Twelve specifically laid the foundations for the household of God with Christ being the cornerstone all jointed together into a holy temple (Ephesians 2:19; Revelation 21:14).
Clear criteria were set for filling the vacant position among the Twelve. Whereas Christians today may use the term “apostle” to describe missionaries, church planters, or leaders among leaders, the Twelve were a unique and exclusive group defined by the criteria Peter outlined. They were entrusted with laying the very foundation of the household of God, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone, joined together into a holy temple (Eph. 2:19; Rev. 21:14
Two men were identified—Joseph (also called Barsabbas or Justus) and Matthias (Acts 1:23). The believers prayed for God’s direction, then cast lots. The lot fell to Matthias, who was counted among the apostles (Acts 1:24–26).
Ancient Israelites used the casting of lots with the approval and blessing of God. Examples include determining the sacrificial goat on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), lots were used to ferret out Achan the sinner responsible for the defeat at Ai (Joshua 7:14), Joshua employed lots to determine in allocating land for each of tribe of Israel (Joshua 18-19; Psalm 16:6) and David used lots to assign priestly temple duties (1 Chronicles 24:5). Along the same line, lots were used in determining Judas’ replacement. Proverbs 16:33 offers a “mild endorsement” for casting lots, with the main point being “the Lord, not fate, is the reason for success, if there is any” but “the casting of lots does not carry with it an automatic validity, for in every case the freedom to answer lies with God, who is not at the beck and call of the thrower.”[4]
Casting lots to choose whom would fill the vacancy among the Twelve ultimately left the final decision to the hand of God.
Significance of the Twelve: Luke highlights the importance of restoring the Twelve, since the number symbolizes the people of God, as seen in Jewish tradition and groups like the Qumran community. Jesus even indicated that that the twelve disciples were to “sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30). By adding Matthias, the Twelve are made complete, signifying “the beginning of the restoration of God’s people in an eschatological era.” In this new era, membership in God’s people is defined not by ethnicity but by relationship to Jesus. [5]
Despite the tragedy of Judas’ betrayal, God’s purpose for the Twelve remained unshaken. Among the 120 believers, including the eleven remaining apostles, the Lord worked to fill the vacancy among the circle of apostles to complete the Twelve. In doing so, He prepared the Church for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which would launch their mission of proclaiming the good news of Christ to the world.
The lesson for us today is twofold: Judas’ fall warns of the dangers of betrayal and unbelief, but the restoration of the Twelve reminds us that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted. Even when human failure enters the story, God continues to work out His plan for His people.
— WGN
[1] Mark tells us the half-brothers’ names were James, Joses, Judas, and Simon (Mark 6:3).
[2] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), unless noted.
[3] Rather than contradicting, the two accounts complement one another, providing a more complete testimonial to events surrounding Judas’ demise. The differences between the testimonials of Matthew and Luke lend credence to their authenticity as independent witnesses. Narrating the fate of the betrayer in the exact same way would raise suspicion of collusion. Lee Strobel points out, Ironically…if the gospels had been identical to each other, word for word, this would have raised charges that the authors had conspired among themselves to coordinate their stories in advance, and that would have cast doubt on them” (Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidences for Jesus [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998], 45).
[4] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. et al., Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 331–332.
[5] David W. Pao, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. Gary M. Burge and Andrew E. Hill (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 1171–1172.
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