Should We Vote to Pick Our Church Leaders?
Today’s passage: Acts 1:21–26
Focus verse: “Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” (Acts 1:24–25)
After Peter quotes these two passages from Psalms, he moves directly to make his point. He wants to replace Judas. Peter doesn’t just recommend it. He says it’s necessary.
As criteria for Judas’s successor, Peter says it should be a man who was with Jesus the whole time, starting from Jesus’s baptism by John up to Jesus’s ascension into heaven. The person must also be a witness to Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.
Personally, I’m disappointed Peter specifies they need to appoint a man. From my perspective, Mary Magdalene would be an excellent choice. And Jesus already tapped her to be a witness for him, so, implicitly, he approves.
Yet from a practical standpoint, Mary’s gender would work against her in that day’s society at each turn. This would frustrate her and diminish her effectiveness. It’s not fair, but it is a reality. May we do better today.
Remember that the group has already been in prayer. They’re poised to move forward. They nominate two men who best meet the criteria Peter proposed. These are Barsabbas and Matthias.
But the people don’t vote as we might today. Instead, they pray that God will direct the outcome based on his knowledge of everyone’s hearts. Then they cast lots.
The lot falls to Matthias. He is the new disciple to replace Judas. Once again, there are twelve.
Interestingly, despite Matthias becoming a disciple, it seems he fails to make much of his opportunity, for we never hear of him again in the Bible.
Alternately, Barsabbas could have faced a tremendous disappointment. God did not choose him. He could have left in a huff, yet he sticks around. Later Paul and Barnabas pick Barsabbas to go with them to Antioch (Acts 15:22).
This idea of casting lots to pick a leader may seem strange to us today, out of place, and even inappropriate. Essentially, they resort to a game of chance—gambling, if you will—to pick Judas’s replacement.
Yet they also ask God to direct the results. And by faith, they trust him with the outcome.
Though we could follow this process today, we need not feel obligated to do so. Luke describes what the church did, but there is no command to do that. Indeed, we don’t see casting lots to choose a leader again in the rest of the New Testament.
The text is descriptive but not prescriptive. This is a distinction we should make as we read and study the Bible. Is the text merely describing what happened or is it telling us what we need to do?
Without having this principle to guide us, we risk making wrong conclusions from what we read in the Bible. May we not make that error.
Questions:
What do you think about casting lots to pick church leaders?
Are we comfortable to do so in faith, knowing that God can—and will—direct the outcome?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, guide our thoughts as we study Scripture so that we may reach God-honoring conclusions.
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his return to heaven in The Victory of Jesus. The Victory of Jesus is another book in Peter DeHaan’s beloved Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series. Get your copy today.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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