but eleven when they were to be teachers, it would occasion every one to inquire what was become of the twelfth, and so revive the remembrance of the scandal of their society; and therefore care was taken, before the descent of the Spirit, to fill up the vacancy, which now we have an account of the doing of, our Lord Jesus, probably, having given directions about it, among other things which he spake pertaining to the kingdom of God. Observe,
I. The persons concerned in this affair.
1. The house consisted of about an hundred and twenty. These were the number of the names, that is, the persons; some think, the men only, distinguished from the women. Dr. Lightfoot reckons that the eleven apostles, the seventy disciples, and about thirty-nine more, all of Christ's own kindred, country, and concourse, made up this one hundred and twenty, and that these were a sort of synod, or congregation of ministers, a standing presbytery, (ch. 4. 23.) to whom none of the rest durst join themselves, (ch. 5. 13.) and that they continued together till the persecution at Stephen's death dispersed them all but the apostles; (ch. 8. 1.) but he thinks that beside these there were many hundreds in Jerusalem, if not thousands, at this time, that believed; and we have indeed read of many that believed on him there, but durst not confess him, and therefore I cannot think, as he does, that they were now formed into distinct congregations, for the preaching of the word, and other acts of worship; nor that there was any thing of that till after the pouring out of the Spirit, and the conversions in the following chapter. Here was the beginning of the christian church: this hundred and twenty was the grain of mustard seed that grew into a tree, the leaven that leavened the whole lump.
2. The speaker was Peter, who had been, and still was, the most forward man; and therefore notice is taken of his forwardness and zeal, to shew that he had perfectly recovered the ground he lost by his denying his Master; and Peter being designed to be the apostle of the circumcision, while the sacred story stays among the Jews he is still brought in, as afterward, when it comes to speak of the Gentiles, it keeps to the story of Paul.
II. The proposal which Peter made for the choice of another apostle. He stood up in the midst of the disciples, v. 15. He did not sit down, as one that gave laws, or had any supremacy over the rest, but stood up, as one that had only a motion to make, in which he paid a deference to his brethren, standing up when he spake to them. Now in his speech we may observe,
1. The account he gives of the vacancy made by the death of Judas, in which he is very particular, and, as became one that Christ had breathed upon, takes notice of the fulfilling of the scriptures in it. Here is,
(1.) The power to which Judas had been advanced; (v. 17.) He was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry which we are invested with. Note, Many are numbered with the saints in this world, that will not be found among them in the day of separation between the precious and the vile. What will it avail us to be added to the number of christians, if we partake not of the spirit and nature of christians? Judas's having obtained part of this ministry, was but an aggravation of his sin and ruin, as it will be of theirs who prophesied in Christ's name, and yet were workers of iniquity.
(2.) The sin of Judas, notwithstanding his advancement to this honour; he was guide to them that took Jesus, not only informed Christ's persecutors where they might find him, (which they might have done effectually, though he had kept out of sight,) but he had the impudence to appear openly at the head of the party that seized him. He went before them to the place, and, as if he had been proud of the honour, gave the word of command, That same is he, hold him fast. Note, Ringleaders in sin are the worst of sinners; especially if those that by their office should have been guides to the friends of Christ, are guides to his enemies.
(3.) The ruin of Judas by this sin; perceiving the chief priests to seek the life of Christ and his disciples, he thought to save his by going over to them, and not only so, but to get an estate under them, of which his wages for his service, he hoped, would be but an earnest; but see what came of it.
[1.] He lost his money shamefully enough; (v. 18.) He purchased a field with the thirty pieces of silver, which were the reward of his iniquity. He did not purchase the field, but the wages of his unrighteousness did: and it is very elegantly expressed thus, in derision of his projects to enrich himself by this bargain; he thought to have purchased a field for himself, as Gehazi did with what he got from Naaman by a lie, (see 2 Kings 5. 26.) but it proved the purchase of a field to bury strangers in; and what the better was he for that, or any of his? It was to him an unrighteous mammon, it deceived him; and the reward of his iniquity was the stumbling-block of his iniquity.
[2.] He lost his life more shamefully. We were told (Matt. 27. 5.) that he went away in despair, and was suffocated; (so the word signifies there, and no more;) here it is added (as latter historians add to those who went before) that, being strangled, or choked with grief and horror, he fell headlong, fell on his face, (so Dr. Hammond,) and partly with the swelling of his own breast, and partly with the violence of the fall, he burst asunder in the midst, so that all his bowels tumbled out. If, when the devil was cast out of a child, he tore him, threw him down, and rent him, and almost killed him, (as we find Mark 9. 26. Luke 9. 42.) no wonder if, when he had full possession of Judas, he threw him headlong, and burst him. The suffocating of him, which Matthew relates, would make him swell till he burst, which Peter relates. He burst asunder with a great noise, (so Dr. Edwards,) which was heard by the neighbours, and so, as it follows, it came to be known, (v. 19.) His bowels gushed out; Luke writes like a physician, understanding all the entrails of the middle and lower ventricle. Bowelling is part of the punishment of traitors. Justly do those bowels gush out, that were shut up against the Lord Jesus. And perhaps Christ had an eye to the fate of Judas, when he said of the wicked servant, that he would cut him in sunder, Matt. 24. 51.
(4.) The public notice that was taken of this; It was known to all the dwellers in Jerusalem. It was (as it were) put into the newspapers, and was all the talk of the town, as a remarkable judgment of God upon him that betrayed his Master, v. 19. It was not only discoursed of among the disciples, but it was in every body's mouth, and nobody disputed the truth of the fact. It was known, that is, it was known to be true, incontestably so; now one would think this should have awakened those to repentance, that had had any hand in the death of Christ, when they saw him that had the first hand, thus made an example. But their hearts were hardened, and as to those of them that were to be softened, it must be done by the word, and the Spirit working with it.
Here is one proof of the notoriety of the thing mentioned, that the field which was purchased with Judas's money, was called Aceldama—the field of blood, because it was bought with the price of blood which perpetuated the infamy not only of him that sold that innocent precious blood, but of them that
