Acts 1:15 and 16 say, “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (and there was a crowd of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty) and said, Men, brothers, the Scripture must be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke before through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who seized Jesus.” Before the Lord’s death Peter often spoke nonsensically (Matt. 16:22-23; 17:24-26; 26:33-35), but after the Lord’s resurrection he could expound the Old Testament prophecies properly in their right significance in verses 16 through 20. This also is proof that the disciples, before they received the Spirit of power economically on the day of Pentecost, had received the Spirit of life essentially on the day of the Lord’s resurrection.
In 1:16 Peter used the expression, “men, brothers.” This expression is more dignified and solemn than simply “brothers” (see 1:11; 2:22, 29; 3:12).
Speaking of Judas, Peter goes on to say in verse 17, “For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his portion of this ministry.” This ministry, mentioned also in verse 25, is the ministry to bear the testimony of Jesus (v. 8). Though the apostles were twelve in number, their ministry was uniquely one—this ministry, a corporate ministry in the principle of the Body of Christ. All the apostles carried out the same ministry to bear the testimony not of any religion, doctrine, or practice, but uniquely of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.
After speaking further regarding the death of Judas and the prophecies concerning him, Peter went on to say, “It is necessary therefore that of the men who accompanied us in all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us, one of these should become a witness of His resurrection with us” (vv. 21-22). The Lord’s resurrection is the focus of the apostles’ testimony. It refers back to His incarnation, humanity, human living on earth, and God-ordained death (2:23), and points forward to His ascension, ministry and administration in heaven, and coming back. Thus the apostles’ testimony of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, is all-inclusive, as depicted in the whole book of Acts. They preached and ministered the all-inclusive Christ as revealed in the entire Scripture.
According to verse 23, two were proposed as replacements of Judas—Joseph who was called Barsabbas (who was surnamed Justus), and Matthias. The apostles then “prayed and said, You Lord, Knower of the hearts of all, show which one of these two You have chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place” (vv. 24-25). The Greek words translated “Knower of the hearts of all” literally mean “Heart-knower of all.” In verse 25 the Greek words translated “turned aside” may also be rendered “fell away.”
After praying, “they gave lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (v. 26). Here we see that the apostles, after the Lord’s ascension and before the day of Pentecost, were in a transitional period, as shown by their realization in seeking the Lord’s guidance. They had received the indwelling Spirit on the day of the Lord’s resurrection, and they were trained by the Lord to practice His invisible presence for forty days before His ascension (v. 3). Yet it was still difficult for them to drop the old traditional way of seeking God’s leading by casting lots (Lev. 16:8; Josh. 14:2; 1 Sam. 14:41; Neh. 10:34; 11:1; Prov. 16:33). They were still not accustomed to the leading and guidance of the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:14) as the apostle Paul was later in 16:6-8. They were still in the initial stage of God’s New Testament economy before the day of Pentecost.
In the New Testament economy there is no need to cast lots in order to have the Lord’s guidance. The proper way is to follow the indwelling Christ, to follow the inner anointing. Although Christ had left the apostles economically, He was within them essentially. If in Acts 1 they had been accustomed to the essential presence of Christ within them, they would not have gone back to the old way of casting lots. The fact that they continued to follow the old way was a sign that even though they had the Lord within them essentially, they were used to the old habits.
Through the casting of lots, Matthias was chosen, and then he was added to the eleven to make the number complete. With the selection of Matthias, we have the completion of the disciples’ preparation for the coming propagation.