President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to legendary radio personality, Paul Harvey (2005)
Growing up, I loved listening to Paul Harvey’s show, The Rest of the Story. These short 3-4 minute episodes were the perfect length and always resulted in me exclaiming, “No way!” This sample is no exception. Before we get started with our reading from Acts, let’s listen to “Two High School Dropouts Who Changed History.” I guarantee you will be shocked!
Paul Harvey Wisdom - Two High School Dropouts Who Changed History
“And now you know…the rest of the story…good day.” The Rest of the Story was a Monday-through-Friday radio program hosted by Paul Harvey. Beginning as a part of his newscasts during the Second World War and then premiering as its own series on the ABC Radio Networks on May 10, 1976, The Rest of the Story consisted of short stories presented of little-known facts on a variety of subjects with some key element of the story (usually the name of some well-known person) held back until the end. Paul Harvey always concluded each broadcast with a variation on the tag line, "And now you know...the rest of the story."
In today’s reading from the Book of Acts, we enjoy hearing the rest of the story surrounding relatives and followers in proximity to Jesus, but whose stories went unnoticed or unresolved in the gospel accounts. Be prepared to respond, “No way!” as the rest of the story is revealed.
Read Acts 1:12-26
Jesus has ascended into heaven on a cloud. Two angels have instructed His followers to stop squinting up into the sky, assuring them that He will return in the same way. They leave the Mount of Olives and walk the Sabbath journey of no more than .6 miles back to Jerusalem and the room where many of Jesus’ closest disciples had gathered. There were the Eleven remaining apostles, plus the women who had been part of the ministry since Galilee, Jesus’ mother, Mary, and His half-brothers, born to Mary and Joseph. Wait a minute! At what point did Jesus’ brothers join this band of believers? We know from Mark’s gospel that Jesus had four half-brothers—James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. The last time we read in Luke’s gospel of Jesus’ half-siblings interacting with Him was when they came with their mother, Mary, to confront Jesus and ask Him to stand down. (from Luke 8:19-21) Jesus’ message and their relational proximity to Him was jeopardizing their standing in the community of Nazareth and even in the synagogue. These young adult men had lived with Jesus their entire lives, yet really did not know him. Not one of Jesus’ brothers is mentioned as a disciple during his ministry prior to crucifixion. Yet after his resurrection and ascension, here they are in the upper room, worshiping him as God (from Acts 1:14).
When I think about it and try to put myself in their sandals, it must have been extremely difficult having Jesus for a big brother. His consistent and extraordinary moral character must have made Jesus unnerving to be around. His siblings must have grown increasingly self-conscious around him, aware of their own sinful, self-obsessed motives and behavior, while Jesus didn’t seem to exhibit any Himself. Praise God, Jesus’ brothers were given eyes to see Jesus for who He is and post death and resurrection became sincere believers. It is moving to hear James the Just, as he was called, half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church refer to his brother in his congregational letter as “our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 2:1) Can you imagine what this phrase meant for James? The Lord of glory had once slept beside him, ate at his dinner table, played with his friends, spoken to him like a brother, endured his unbelief, paid the debt of his sin, and then brought him to faith. It may have taken 20-30 years, but the miracle occurred: Jesus’ brothers believed. And now you know…the rest of the story.
Peter, the spokesperson for the Eleven and leader of the growing number of disciples, stood up before the 120 or so and initiated a conversation about Judas Iscariot and the need to replace him. But before we get to that process, let’s not skip over one of the clearest affirmations in Scripture that the Bible is the inspired word of God, when Peter proclaimed, “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas…” (v 16) The Holy Spirit “spoke” through David’s mouth as his words were inspired by the third person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, foretelling events that would take place a thousand years later. And here they were, reflecting on Judas and the fulfillment of David’s prophecies in Psalms 69 and 109, grieving that one of their own would be used by Satan in such a horrific manner.
The “Field of Blood” was acquired indirectly by Judas, through the agency of the chief priests after Judas brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders and threw it at their feet as blood money. Matthew’s gospel states that Judas then went out and hanged himself. While Peter’s account, that Judas “fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out” (v 18) might seem contradictory upon first reading, the acquired field did overlook a cliff, making it entirely plausible that as Judas hanged himself, the rope or the branch it was tied around may have broken, with his body falling over the edge of the cliff onto rocks below. Another equally possible scenario is that Judas’ body may have remained hanging for some time decaying and decomposing, eventually falling to the ground and opening in its decomposed condition. Regardless of which scenario, or perhaps yet another, is accurate of Judas’ demise, the conclusion is that Peter and the others were forced to accept the rest of the story: Judas Iscariot had come under the control of Satan, resulting in his destruction and disgrace.
Finally, Peter recommends that they choose a replacement for Judas Iscariot and bring the apostles headcount back to twelve, as this number of apostles was not only reflective of the twelve tribes of Israel but also symbolic of the continuity of God’s plan of salvation. The requirements for this role were fairly narrow - the man would need to have been a fringe part of Jesus’ ministry from the time of His baptism three years prior until His recent ascension. I imagine that there weren’t many men who fit that bill, but the group quickly nominated two, “Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.” (v 23) The Eleven then prayed earnestly for the Lord Jesus Himself to choose Judas’ replacement. They then cast lots, most likely marked stones that were placed in a pot and then shaken out, much like we might throw dice. The lot fell to Matthias and he became the twelfth apostle. We don’t know much else about Matthias besides this episode of being chosen. The true lesson is what the disciples do before the selection is made: they pray. The Eleven had been called by name by Jesus Himself. Christ looked them in the eyes before He asked them to leave behind their lives to follow Him. Here, as the disciples desired to replace Judas they prayed for wisdom to make their final decision. The casting of lots was a secondary detail, rooted in a long history of lot casting in determining God’s will, compared to the importance of their prayer time in the decision-making process.
Is anyone besides me feeling badly for Justus? Equally qualified, Justus and Matthias most likely were close, as they had been an unofficial part of Jesus’ ministry for the past three years. Both men were obviously faithful to Jesus and the mission; without a personal invitation, they had left everything - jobs, homes and families - to follow Jesus. And yet, Justus wasn’t chosen. He came in second, he lost. I imagine Justus feeling the sting of not being chosen, of being honored at even being considered, of being genuinely happy for his friend, and simultaneously disappointed that he was passed over. While he felt and dealt with these conflicting and strong emotions, Justus’ character, his faithfulness remained. How do I come to that conclusion? In his final paragraphs to the church of Colossae, Paul writes of three men appreciatively - Aristarchus, Mark (Barnabas’ cousin) and Justus - stating, “These alone of the circumcised are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.” (Col 4:11) Scholars have debated whether the Justus Paul mentions here is the same Joseph Barsabbas from Acts 1. While we cannot be certain they are the same Justus, if this was indeed the same man, then his story is powerful—Justus may have started as an almost apostle, but he remained faithful in his service to Christ, eventually becoming a close companion to Paul and a comfort to the Church. And now you know…the possible rest of the story.
The point of Paul Harvey’s shows, whether he realized it or not, was to highlight God uses everything in this world and in our lives - even failures, unbelief, sin and rejection - to further His purposes. While we have God’s Word which has an entire book - Revelation - devoted to this theme of knowing the rest of the story, the fact is that we are limited in our ability to remember as well as understand God’s historical redemptive narrative. And that’s what makes studying His Word together so intriguing and surprising. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait for Jesus to return and say, “Welcome to the rest of the story.”
Big Picture Questions for Today:
Finally understanding who their brother really was, Jesus’ half-brothers were also able to understand why they always felt less than, not chosen and so sinful by comparison. Are there dear ones in your life who feel judged and less than when in your company, not because you are perfect or judge them, but because of Christ’s life and light within you?
Have you been overlooked, not chosen or come in second place? Let’s be honest, we all have at some point in our lives, and perhaps at every point. Reflect on these lyrics from You’ve Already Won: “I know how the story ends, we will be with You again. You're my Savior, my defense; no more fear in life or death. I know how this story ends.”
Pray for a rest of the story mindset today. What we experience today is simply a glimpse of God’s greater redemptive historical plan.
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