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Text: 1
John 4:13-21, Acts Joseph Barsabbas:
Sinner and Saint In the name of him who prayed that
we be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word, dear friends in Christ: in this morning’s reading from the Acts of
the Apostles we have the only biblical reference to a man named Joseph
Barsabbas. From this brief mention we
learn three things about him. First,
that sometimes he went by the nickname Justus. Second, that he was part of the larger circle
of Jesus’ followers – that group of several hundred “part time disciples”, you
might say, who also followed Jesus – and specifically that he had been
connected with Jesus for the entire three years of his earthly ministry, and that he was among those who had actually
seen the living Lord after his resurrection from the dead. Finally, the third thing we know about Joseph
Barsabbas is that he was a big loser. When
Peter announced that it was necessary that someone be chosen to fill the spot
among the twelve Apostles so recently vacated by Judas (whose tragic departure
is described for us in almost too much detail), two candidates were nominated
for the job: Joseph and a man named
Matthias. That the final decision would
be left up to God, they chose lots to determine the winner, and it fell to
Matthias. So Joseph Barsabbas lost, and he is
never again mentioned in the pages of Holy Scripture. And by losing out on this chance to become
one of the men chosen by the Lord Jesus to be in his inner circle of Apostles
and to ultimately occupy one of twelve thrones in his kingdom of glory, I think
it’s fair to say that Joseph heads the list of people who are best known for
being almost famous. He ranks top among the close runners up, the
second bests, and (although it seems cruel to say it) that collection of not
quite so bright lights added to in our day by folks like Al Gore, John Kerry,
and … well, it’s hard to think of a lot of other losers names. We so soon forget them, don’t we? Anyway, as sort of a consolation prize our
friends in the Roman Catholic Church have given St. Joseph Barsabbas his own festival day. It’s July 20th in case you wish to
celebrate; but near as I can tell, there are no cathedrals or churches named
after him, no one claims him as a patron saint, and no one appeals to him for
intercession in time of trouble or need.
But then, that makes sense, doesn’t it?
I mean, why would you ask a loser for help if you really needed
something? It would sort of defeat the
purpose, wouldn’t it? Maybe (if you were
catholic) you could pray for his help for your enemies? That way you could say you were praying for
them just as Jesus commanded and have
the benefit of knowing that there’d be slim chance of them getting whatever it
was you were asking for. Probably the
exact opposite would happen. But all kidding aside, besides being
best known for losing, there are a couple of other things we could say about
Joseph Barsabbas – though not with absolute certainty. Many scholars believe that he was the brother
of one Judas Barsabbas who is
mentioned later in the book of Acts. That Judas was part of a teaching team
sent by the In any case, it was while thinking
about Joseph Barsabbas in the back of my mind and his being known mostly for
losing that I studied this morning’s Epistle lesson with its message about the
connection between knowing God and showing love for one other; and the thought
occurred to me, “What was Joseph thinking when he was not chosen by God for a
place among the Apostles?” Knowing that
we who trust in the Lord Jesus and his sacrificial death for our sins are at
the same time sinners by nature and
righteous before God through faith in his Son, and knowing that our sanctification
– the growth in Christian life and love we experience due to the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit – is an ongoing process, I tried to imagine what sort of
struggle might have been going on inside Joseph as he dealt with his
disappointment. With that explanation, what
follows is a purely fictional look into Joseph’s mind and soul that, while not
historically accurate, I hope may prove to be of benefit to us as we deal with
our own set backs and disappointments in life.
We zero in on Joseph as he stands before the others having just received
and accepted the first nomination to fill the role of the twelfth Apostle. “Well, it’s about time, I’d say. Finally I’m going to get the status and
recognition I deserve. Oh, and would you
listen to them? They love me. They realize that now we’re going to get
someone with some real talent on board of directors here. It’s a wonder we made it this far with what
we’ve got. Look at them: just pathetic. Half of them are nearly illiterate
fishermen. Peter: big blow hard.
All bluff and bluster, aren’t you?
James and his little brother John:
always schmoozing up to Jesus and asking for special favors. Well, he’s gone now, so you have to stand – or more
likely fall – on your own. Thomas: doubter.
Not faithful like I was. Then
there’s Matthew. Yeah, I see you back
there in the corner. Used
to be a traitorous leech. Got
everyone convinced you’ve turned over a new leaf; but I’ve got my eye on you. After Judas Iscariot showed his true colors, I
don’t trust you any farther than I can throw you. But what I still can’t understand is why
Jesus picked you guys over me to begin with; but that’s all going to set straight
nowt. Things
around here are going to change. With me
in one of the top slots, this organization is really going to take off and go
places. We are going to do great things
for the Lord. “Okay, better pay attention
here. They’re talking about naming
another candidate. Smile and nod your
head. Pretend like you think it’s a good
idea. Gotta play fair, right? Hmm, I wonder who they’ll put up to oppose me? … Good, this is
taking time … everybody looking around with blank expressions on their faces. They can’t think of anyone as qualified as
me. Oh wait, there’s someone standing up
in the back. Can’t think
of his name. He’s proposing who?
Matthias? Hmm … oh, Matthias! You’ve got to be kidding. I mean, sure, he’s a decent sort; always seems
helpful and friendly … but kind of a wallflower, isn’t he? I’ve got more charisma in my little finger
than that guy’s got in his whole body. Sure,
he’s a nice enough guy; but he’s a follower, not a
leader. “Everybody’s whispering among
themselves; can’t quite make out what they’re saying … nodding heads … seems
there’s general agreement. Yes. It’s going to be me and Matthias. Oh, this is going to be a blow out. Poor guy. I’ll have to make a point of trying to cheer
him up afterward. “Ah yes, Peter: first the prayer, then my victory. Uh-oh, think now: people are watching … I’ve got to make sure
that I look like an Apostle while I pray.
Just the right stance … got to look both humble and authoritative … bow
slightly, furrow the brow a bit to give that air of earnestness. Yes indeed Lord, like Peter says, you know
every heart – and you know mine. You
know how much I love you. You know how
dedicated I am to you. You know how
faithful I will be. You know I’m the
best man for the job. Amen! “Well now, on with it. How are we going to do this? Oh, I see:
Nathaniel’s got himself a pair of dice.
I wonder what he uses those for, that sly dog. We’ll have to put an end to that once I’ve
been in place for a while. All right,
here we go. Be gracious now. Let Matthias go first. It’ll look better in the end. There they go …Hah! He rolled a five—that’s going to be easy to
beat! My turn now. Here goes.
Lord, show them your will – make it an eleven or twelve so there’s no
doubt about it! “Two! That can’t be right! Lord, what are you doing here? You’re humiliating me! Oh wait.
Stop. Get your composure … people
are still looking. Smile and be
nice. Be gracious in defeat. Stick out your hand and congratulate
him. You’re trembling; he’s going to
feel it. Say something nice to the lucky
son of a—ooh! That wasn’t very
believable. Hard to sound genuine when
you’re teeth are clenched. I gotta get
out of here as quick as I can. Make for
the door. Please just get out of my way
… yes, yes, I appreciate that. Thanks,
yes, I thought I would win too. Mm, uh
huh … I wish all these people would stop being so sympathetic and just let me
leave. Sure, thank you; but like they
say, ‘The Lord moves in mysterious ways’.
Whew! Finally,
out in the street. I’ve got to be
alone so I can think. Keep moving. As soon as you’re out their
sight, run.” [Narrator’s comment: Joseph Barsabbas does run from the house in
the upper city where the disciples are meeting, down through the winding streets
of “Lord, how could you do that to me? Get my hopes up like that and just crush me
in front of everybody! Now I’ll never be
an Apostle. And you made me look like such
a fool in there. How can I hold my head
up among them any more? I’ve been
totally disgraced. Why Lord? Why?
Why did you do that to me? I’ll I
want to do is serve you. Haven’t I
showed you how much I love you? How much
I want to help build up your kingdom here?
Help me to understand what you’re up to.
Help me to see. “That’s funny: ‘help
me to see’. Lord, it was in this same pool
of water that you gave sight to a man born blind. I remember that day. Sure caused a stir among the Scribes and
Pharisees. They just couldn’t believe
that the miracle had happened. They so
much wanted to discredit you that they couldn’t see the truth. You told them that they were the ones who
were truly blind. “Is that it? Am I
blind too? What is it that I can’t
see? Show me. I only wanted to show you how much I love
you. You’ve given me such great gifts
and talents – far more than some of those other guys. I only wanted to use them to do great things
for you. I only wanted to be great for
you in your kingdom. I only wanted … “Wait, now: think.
What was it you said about that?
Ah, yes: ’Let
him who would be greatest among you become the servant and slave of all’. That’s what you said; but it was just a
figure of speech, wasn’t it? Doesn’t
your church need strong leaders too? We
can’t all be slaves, can we? We can’t
all be like … like you? You who were our leader and
yet became the servant and slave of us all. You who
gave yourself to such horrible suffering and death on our account. That’s it, isn’t it? I’ve been looking up, looking to do great
things for my glory, not yours. I’ve wanted prestige and honor for myself …
and, Lord help me, I have to confess that I still want
it. I can’t help it. It’s no wonder you’ve rejected me. I am the last person you could have as one of
your Apostles. “And what of the
others? Is that why you chose
Matthias over me? Of course; I could see
it in his eyes. He was genuinely
surprised that he was chosen. He
thought, as I did, that the honor belonged to me. He really wanted me to have it. And while he was wishing good for me I was thinking
the worst of him, belittling him in my heart.
And I’ve been doing it to all of them, haven’t I? You’ve called us to love each other, and I’ve
only been thinking of their faults … tearing them down in my mind … thinking
about how much better I am than they. And
have I helped them? Supported them as I
should have? Have I prayed for them? No.
I’ve only despised them. And oh,
Sweet Lord, by murdering them in my heart, I’ve been despising you, haven’t I? “What a wretched person I am,
Lord. Here I thought I was so faithful
to you; now I’m not sure that I was ever with you at all. In fact, I’ve been your enemy all along. I’ve been fighting against you— I’ve betrayed
you, just like Judas did; perhaps even worse.
Does that mean that like him I’m lost?
Am I too a ‘son of perdition’? Is
there no hope for person such as me? Oh
Lord, I’m so afraid. Hear my prayer,
Lord; be merciful to me. Now that you’ve
open my eyes to my sin, save me. Rescue
me from myself. Wash away my sins. “The water … the pool; yes. That’s why you brought me here of all places,
isn’t it? To give me
my sight and show these things to me.
You foresaw all of this and planned all along to bring me here, not to
cast me aside; but to restore me again, and to remind me of your perfect love. You’ve already forgiven me! You’ve washed away my sins by the sacrifice
you made for the sins of all. Lord, I’m
no longer afraid. Your love for me has
cast out all my fear. “And now, dear Lord, help me. Help me to go back and to truly serve you –
not by trying to make a name for myself; but by lifting up and serving the
others. Help me to kill
this damned pride in my heart, and make me attentive to their needs. Let me love them as you love them; and let me
start with … with Matthias, of course. It’s
perfect. I could assist him. It’s not going to be easy for him, especially
at first. He’s going to need some help
and support. “And thank you, Father, for showing
me the way. Thank you for showing me
your salvation, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
And Amen. Soli Deo Gloria! |
