To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place.
λαβειν τον κληρον της διακονιας ταυτης και αποστολης εξ ης παρεβη ιουδας πορευθηναι εις τον τοπον τον ιδιον
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
"Chosen to receive the lot of this ministry and Apostleship," because there was also another ministry. They fittingly mention Judas' crime, and by this show that they seek a witness not to increase the number of Apostles, but to prevent it from being diminished.
Everywhere he calls the election a lot, thereby showing that everything comes about by God's love for mankind and by God's election. He also reminds them of ancient events, for God chose both the Levites and them for Himself by lot.
What kind of men were they? Perhaps they were among the seventy who were with the twelve Apostles, and among the other believers. Yet they believed more fervently and were more pious than the rest.
Such were Joseph and Matthias. He calls Joseph both Barsabbas and Justus, perhaps because among them one person was called by these names.
Perhaps a new name was also given because of a change in way of life. Finally, the surname may have been assigned according to his occupation.
Why does James, who received the episcopate in Jerusalem, not begin the speech, but yield to Peter the right to speak to the people?
Because he was filled with humility. At that time they thought of nothing human, but had the common benefit in view.
For the same reason the Apostles yield the chair to him. They do not rival him or dispute with him.
"To go to his own place." The place that Matthias was worthy to occupy is called by Luke his own, or proper, place.
For just as Judas, even before he fell from it, had already been estranged from this place from the time he fell sick with the disease of avarice and betrayal, so also Matthias' place became his possession beforehand.
It became his from the time he made himself worthy of such a gift, even before he occupied it.
Why did they prefer election by lot? Because they did not yet consider themselves worthy to learn this by some sign. The Holy Spirit had not yet come down upon them.
Nor was there need of a sign, for the lot had great significance. In the case of Jonah, neither prayer nor the men's wisdom helped to determine the right judgment. Rather, the lot had great force.
How much more was this true in the present case.
Again, "to his own place" means that each man prepares for himself either a good or an evil place by his own deeds.
Thus, when Luke says this, he means that Judas went to his own evil place, which he had prepared for himself by betraying Jesus.
Places are not good or evil for us by nature. Rather, we prepare a place for ourselves by our own deeds.
Thus, because the Hebrew midwives feared God, "He made them houses" (Ex 1:21). The ungodly hear this: "Walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which you have kindled" (Is 50:11).
The word "place" has many meanings. Among other things, it signifies an office. Thus we speak of the place of a bishop or of a presbyter.
The same may be seen from the opposite side, according to how each man prepares his own place by his deeds.
Thus one may have the place of a false teacher and false apostle, as also of a tyrant and author of other criminal deeds.
Therefore, since Judas, carried away by the passion of avarice, occupied the place of betrayer, it is rightly said of him: "to go to his own place."
Having lost, by his deeds, his place in the company of the Apostles, he prepared his own place for himself.
The conditions for choosing a new Apostle indicated by the Apostle Peter could easily be applied to the matter even by human judgment. The assembly of believers knew who among them had been a constant follower of Jesus Christ.
Yet though this pointed to the inner qualities of the one to be chosen, human observation still did not know the innermost part of the human soul, nor the depths of his heart.
Therefore the assembly, having chosen two according to the indicated rule, left the final decision to Him whose Apostle the chosen man was to become. As the Knower of hearts, He alone could make a true and unerring election.
Turning to the Lord for the decision, the faithful raised prayer to Him. They asked Him, the Knower of hearts, to show which of the two men marked out by the assembly He chose for Himself as servant and Apostle.
This was to be in place of Judas, who, after falling from the company of the Apostles, had now gone to the place fully worthy of him.
The faithful were firmly convinced and vividly felt that Christ, ascended into heaven, lives forever. He is invisibly present among them and immediately near to each one of them.
He sees not only their deeds, but also the innermost movements of their spirit. They believe that He, hidden from them bodily, lives by His Spirit among His faithful, in His Church, and invisibly governs her.
The essential condition for the new Apostle was that he should be a witness of the Resurrection. He also had to have been in communion with the disciples throughout the whole time of the Savior's sojourn with them.
This manner of appointment, unique in the New Testament, seems to have arisen from the Church's special condition during the first days between the Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit.
As though sensing that they did not yet possess the living power of true discernment of spirits, the Apostles chose two men: Joseph Barsabbas, who in Gentile circles was usually surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Then, in accordance with Old Testament examples and Jewish customs (Lk 1:9), they prayed to God that He would show the one whom He had chosen.
The lot was cast, and it fell on Matthias. He was therefore received into the number of the twelve Apostles. The faithful, with their twelve leaders at their head, began to prepare for the great feast of Pentecost.
"To receive the lot of this ministry": see the note on v. 17. "And Apostleship": a more definite designation of the word "ministry," that is, the ministry which is Apostleship. "To go to his own place": that is, to the place of condemnation, Gehenna. He was called to occupy, together with the other Apostles, a place in the glorious kingdom of the Messiah in heaven. But his terrible betrayal of his Teacher cast him down into the place of torment in Hades. This is the meaning of the expression in the context of the speech.
The expression "to receive the lot of this ministry and apostleship" had a literal meaning at that time. With the conditional receiving of the lot, one received election to apostolic ministry, that is, to be a herald of Christ's Gospel.
Judas was deprived of this through his falling away from election. His fall was like that by which the first apostate from God also fell from his dignity.
After him Judas, the betrayer and traitor of the Savior God, also had to go down into the nether world.
The ancient interpreters asked, "Why did the Apostles prefer election by lot?" They answered, "They did not yet consider themselves worthy to make the choice themselves. Therefore they wished to learn it by some sign."
"And the Holy Spirit had not yet come down upon them. And the lot had great significance."
In the Old Testament, a decision by lot was seen as the action of God Himself (see Lev 16:8; Num 17:1; Num 34:13; Josh 14:2; 1 Kgdms 10:20).
Both chosen men seemed to have an equal right to the apostolic rank. But only one was needed. Both were worthy, yet the electors did not know which was more worthy.
They judged both by outward appearance. They could not judge otherwise, not even the Apostles, until the Holy Spirit came down upon them on the day of Pentecost and gave them the gift of spiritual insight.
The Lord alone, the Knower of hearts, judges each man according to his inner dispositions. He knows what is unknown to men who have not been enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
And so all the electors, through Peter and by his mouth, lifted up prayer to the Lord God. Whether to God the Father or to the Lord Jesus is not known.
They said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen."
"Show" assumes that the Lord, the Knower of hearts, knows to which of the two preference must be given.
The electors only ask Him to indicate clearly, by means of the lot, who is to receive the lot of this ministry and apostleship.
Thus the lot falling to one of them would be precisely the lot of apostolic ministry, the ministry from which Judas fell away to go to his own place.
The place Judas occupied among the Apostles ceased to be his place. He prepared for himself another place, more fitting to him, that is, fiery Gehenna, to which he himself opened the way.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS