What is the meaning of Acts 1:17? He was Peter speaks plainly about Judas Iscariot: “For he was counted among us…” (Acts 1:17). • This reminds us that Judas was a real, historical person, not a symbol or myth (Acts 1:16). • Jesus Himself chose Judas after a night of prayer (Luke 6:12-16). • The Lord even sent him out with power to heal and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). God’s Word is underscoring that betrayal came from someone who truly walked with Christ, fulfilling Jesus’ earlier warning: “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil” (John 6:70-71). One of our number “…one of our number…” (Acts 1:17) stresses belonging. • Judas shared meals, miracles, conversations, and intimate fellowship with the other apostles (John 13:18; Matthew 10:1-4). • His place among them fulfills Psalm 41:9—“Even my close friend…has lifted up his heel against me.” • The phrase shows the early church’s honesty; they did not hide the shame of betrayal but testified to Scripture’s reliability. Shared in this ministry “…and shared in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). • Judas handled money for the group (John 12:6) and preached the kingdom (Luke 9:1-2). • Service did not guarantee salvation; Jesus later prayed, “None has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). • God turned even Judas’s treachery into a stage for redemption (Acts 1:20; Romans 8:28). • The apostles will soon seek Matthias “to take over this apostolic ministry” Judas abandoned (Acts 1:25), showing that God’s work continues despite human failure. summary Acts 1:17 reminds us that Judas was genuinely chosen, fully included, and actively serving—yet his heart remained unchanged. Scripture’s candor warns believers to guard their own hearts while assuring us that God’s sovereign plan never falters. |
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