The Book of Acts ~ Study Four

"Hero or Savior"


Acts 1:15-26 (MSG) During this time, Peter stood up in the company—there were about 120 of them in the room at the time—and said, "Friends, long ago the Holy Spirit spoke through David regarding Judas, who became the guide to those who arrested Jesus. That Scripture had to be fulfilled, and now has been. Judas was one of us and had his assigned place in this ministry.
     "As you know, he took the evil bribe money and bought a small farm. There he came to a bad end, rupturing his belly and spilling his guts. Everybody in Jerusalem knows this by now; they call the place Murder Meadow. It's exactly what we find written in the Psalms:
     Let his farm become haunted So no one can ever live there. "And also what was written later:
     Let someone else take over his post. "Judas must now be replaced. The replacement must come from the company of men who stayed together with us from the time Jesus was baptized by John up to the day of his ascension, designated along with us as a witness to his resurrection."
     They nominated two: Joseph Barsabbas, nicknamed Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, "You, O God, know every one of us inside and out. Make plain which of these two men you choose to take the place in this ministry and leadership that Judas threw away in order to go his own way." They then drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles.


Ten verses today, yes ten verses! This portion of scripture is one most people read only to get through to the next part. Maybe because it has a sad end to a life that had walked alongside Jesus. It also has the subject of casting lots to make a decision. (Why is this in the Bible?)  How can either one of these issues be relevant to our lives? I've thought the same things and have come to believe wholeheartedly that every part of scripture is relevant. (See 2 Timothy 3:15-17 )Today I'm going to try to put a few thoughts together about these two often skimmed-over passages.


This lesson will divided into two days because of the content we need to study. So first let's look at Judas. He was a follower of Jesus and put himself in charge of the treasury of the "talmidim" the followers of "Rabbi Jeshua" ~ Jesus. 


John 12:2-8 (NLT) A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
     But Judas Iscariot (emphasis mine), the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
     Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”


Judas was never sold out for Jesus. He followed Him as a student of His but not as a believer. He called Jesus "Rabbi" (teacher) but never called Him "Lord" (Master). Judas was a zealot who thought that the Messiah should be a military victor over the nations that held Israel down. 


I read a theory about Judas that he was trying to get Jesus to fight when the Priest sent for Jesus to be arrested. (That the World May Know/ Follow the Rabbi.) For me that fits the scenario but it is not the point. The point is that Judas never really saw who Jesus really was until it was too late.


Jesus knew Judas' heart and taught him and loved him just like He did the other disciples. Judas saw the miracles and heard the teaching but never heard it from the standpoint of one who wanted to follow Jesus. He wanted to stand behind a victorious military leader for Israel. Instead, Jesus was on earth to beat our deadliest foe... DEATH.


This made me think about how I view Jesus. Is He my "Savior" or do I want Him to be my "Hero?" At first glance you may be thinking that these are one and the same. I use these two terms to make a point. "Savior" is one who is supernaturally superior over the darkness of sin and death and all the fears I face. "Hero" is one who rescues me from the daily enemies I face. Do I see HIm as a knight-in-shining-armor who rescues me from the wrongs of this life? (He does but not always the way I think He should or as quickly as I think He should.) Or do I see Him as my Savior who rescues me from the outcome of my sins which leads to death? Jesus is so much more than our human minds can comprehend. He is MORE!


Ultimately Jesus is victorious over all things. However, sometimes our everyday enemies seem to get the better of us. Does that mean Jesus isn't victorious? Does it mean that He doesn't care what happens to us? No, it means that this world is a failing sinful place that one day will be replaced by the Kingdom our Savior will bring.


What did Jesus say about our troubles? Let's look:
John 16:32-33 (CEV) The time will come and is already here when all of you will be scattered. Each of you will go back home and leave me by myself. But the Father will be with me, and I won't be alone. I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.


For a time (3 days)  it looked like the evil in the world had triumphed. The disciples and all those who followed Jesus thought that they were defeated. (There are many times when I think that I've lost the battle too.) And yet three days later Jesus proved that wrong. They got to see Him resurrected. Judas killed himself before he could see Redemption's King alive again. 


You see, it's how we view Jesus that matters. Do we see Him as "Savior" or just another "Hero?" My prayer is that Jesus will open our eyes to see Him more and more as He really is. He is God victorious!!


I John 5:4-5 (NLT) For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Is He your "Savior" or are you justing hoping for a "Hero?"