15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” 18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:“ ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his place of leadership.’
*Commentary* We now know that approximately 120 disciples were present in this “upper room.” Peter takes a leadership role, by standing up and speaking to the room, where he speaks about prophecy that foretold the betrayal by Judas, and that they now need to replace him, because of his death.
There is a discrepancy here, when describing the death of Judas. Mathew 27:5 states. “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” This contrasts with Luke’s statement here, in verse 18. So, how do we reconcile this? It’s actually not that difficult, if we assume Judas hung himself in a fig tree at this location. It wouldn’t have taken long for him begin to decompose, and once cut down from the tree or falling from the tree, it’s easy to presume the spilling of his bowels. Also, Mathew tells us that Judas threw the silver back to the guards, and they didn’t want the blood money, so it was used to purchase the field, while Luke tells us that Judas purchased the field. The details are somewhat irrelevant, since the outcome is the same.
- What is the significance of Peter being the one to stand up and speak on the occasion?
- What is Judas’ field used for today?