Acts 1:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

NIV: (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.

NASB: (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

CSB: Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out.

NLT: (Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.

KJV: Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

NKJV: (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.

Verses 18 and 19 are an aside—a footnote from Luke. He is adding additional details to Peter's depiction of Judas' betrayal of Jesus, and Judas' subsequent death. Peter's audience doesn't need the extended version, as they most likely had heard all the details. Luke feels Theophilus, as one who was not there for those experiences, needs more context.

Matthew's account of Judas' death is somewhat circumspect. He describes how Judas realized Jesus would be executed and tried to return the blood money. When the Sanhedrin refused to take the money or exonerate him, he threw the silver into the temple and hanged himself. The chief priests determined that since the money was tainted, it couldn't remain in the temple coffers. So they bought a field as a burial ground for foreigners (Matthew 27:3–10).

Luke, a doctor, gives a more detailed account. Apparently, Judas' body fell from its hanging place. It's entirely possible that he'd been left there—either undiscovered or deliberately ignored—for some time. In such a case, gasses would have collected in Judas' abdomen. The impact of the corpse hitting the ground apparently caused his stomach to burst open. Luke also insinuates that when the chief priests bought the land, they did so in Judas' name.

"The reward of his wickedness" refers literally to the thirty pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Jesus (Matthew 26:14–16). Figuratively, it insinuates Judas' gruesome death outside a saving relationship with Jesus. Incidentally, thirty pieces of silver is the amount of money the owner of an ox had to give the owner of a slave the ox killed (Exodus 21:32). It is as if the Sanhedrin uses the Roman government as their murderous beast of burden and Judas uses Jesus as his slave—just another way to make money.

Acts 1:12–26 records what happens when the Jesus-followers pray. Jesus has ascended (Acts 1:9). The Holy Spirit is coming (Acts 1:5). The apostles don't really know what these things mean, but they know where to start. They join the other Jesus-followers in Jerusalem and start praying. The next order of business is to find a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50) and then hanged himself (Matthew 27:3–10). The remaining eleven apostles don't know this yet, but their third task will literally be to change the world.

Acts 1 sets the stage for the establishment of the church and the spread of the gospel. Jesus is alive but if the Holy Spirit is to come Jesus must ascend into heaven (John 16:7). The disciples obey His last instructions and wait in Jerusalem. Peter uses Old Testament Scripture to show the group of about 120 they must choose a disciple to replace Judas. The man must have been with them from Jesus' baptism to His ascension. Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias are put forward and, in the last use of the lots found in the Bible, Matthias is chosen.

Acts 1 is the second letter Luke wrote for Theophilus. In it, he narrates the transition between Jesus' ministry as described in the Gospel of Luke and the development and spread of the church. The disciples have received a temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and Jesus has spent forty days reassuring His faithful followers (Acts 1:3), appearing to over five hundred in that short time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Now, the disciples complete some administrative-like tasks before the Holy Spirit can begin the ministry of the church on Pentecost (Acts 2).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.