Acts 1 - Why Did the Apostles Cast Lots to Pick Judas' Replacement Matthias?

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We have finally finished going through the four gospels, and today we begin the book of Acts, or more correctly called "The Acts of the Apostles." The first verses in chapter 1 are the exact same verses for the most part as the first verses of Luke 1. This shows us that the book of Acts was a follow up book to Luke. Originally they were probably not separated. They are both written by Luke, the Physician, who accompanied Paul on his missionary trips. 

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen."

Luke tells us that Jesus appeared to the apostles many times during the 40 days after his resurrection, and he gave them many convincing proofs that he was a alive. Importantly Jesus gave them this command, 

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

I don't think the apostles knew what Jesus meant by being "baptized by the Holy Spirit". I am sure this was new language to them. Jesus used this with Nicodemus in John 3.  The apostles wondered if Jesus was going to "restore the kingdom of Israel". This was what they thought Jesus was going to do in his earthly life, so maybe they figure that this coming of the Holy Spirit had something to do with this.  

Jesus reminds them (and us) that it was not for them to know the dates and times for God to restore the kingdom of Israel. Only God knew. But what they did need to know was what Jesus said next, 

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

As Jesus had said in the gospel of John, "It is good for me to go, because if I go I will send you the Holy Spirit, and He will guide you into all truth. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin and judgment."

Importantly, it would be the Holy Spirit who woudl send them out to be Jesus' witnesses starting in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This is why they were called "apostles", which means "sent out".  

After Jesus said this, he ascended into heaven and was taken right before their eyes. As they were staring into the sky, two men who were dressed in white told them that Jesus would come back some day just as he had left. Presumably these were angels. 

It will be quite the day when Jesus returns. Maybe it will be in our lifetime. The scripture tells us in other places that Jesus will return suddenly like a thief in the night. That he will come on the clouds as he returns to judge the living and the dead. 

Revelation 1:7-9 says, 

"Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds, and everyone will see him, even those who stabbed him. And all peoples of the earth will cry loudly because of him. Yes, this will happen! Amen."

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

The apostles returned to Jerusalem and went up to the room where they were staying, also called the "upper room". Mary, Jesus' brothers, and others were with them too. They were constantly in prayer as they awaited what God would do next. There was a sense of deep unity which they shared together.

Peter stood up and addressed a crowd of 120 people. For all intents and purposes this represented the early church. The first assembly, or congregation of Jesus' followers. First of all, Peter addressed this issue of Judas' betrayal, which he said had been predicted long ago by David in Psalm 69 and Psalm 125. These psalms prophesied about how the place where the betrayer lay dead would be desolate, and also how he would be replaced by another. 

We see the maturity of Peter, as he quotes the Old Testament, and takes natural leadership of the group. We remember in John 21 how Jesus reinstated Peter, after he had denied him three times. He reinstated  him by asking him three times if he loved him, and each time Peter said, "Lord, you know I love you!" Each time Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep". Peter was now stepping up into his role as the lead pastor of the early church. Peter also shows his knowledge of the Old Testament prophecies in the psalms. 

Peter then shared that it was necessary to replace Judas with another man who had been with them from the beginning and was a witness to the resurrection. So they nominated two men, who had been with them the whole time, Barabbas and Matthias. The method they used to choose between these two men was called the "casting of lots".

What what did it mean to cast lots?

This was essentially rolling dice or drawing straws for the answer. Many people have questioned the method for choosing one of the two men; it seems that despite all these wonderful spiritual steps, they ended up rolling dice to pick the winner. It is fair to ask, “Is this any way to choose an apostle?”

Nevertheless, this was notable reliance on God. Though they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit as they soon would be, they still wanted to choose a method that would make them rely on God. Perhaps they remembered Proverbs 16:33: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

The casting of lots may be an imperfect way to discern God’s will, but it is much better than the methods many Christians use today – that is, to rely on emotions, to rely on circumstances, or feelings, or carnal desires, and so forth. (Guzik)

Here is an excellent summary on the "casting of lots" to make decisions in the bible from GotQuestions.org

The practice of casting lots is mentioned seventy times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament. In spite of the many references to casting lots in the Old Testament, nothing is known about the actual lots themselves. They could have been sticks of various lengths, flat stones like coins, or some kind of dice; but their exact nature is unknown. The closest modern practice to casting lots is likely flipping a coin.

The practice of casting lots occurs most often in connection with the division of the land under Joshua (Joshua chapters 14-21), a procedure that God instructed the Israelites on several times in the book of Numbers (Numbers 26:55; 33:54; 34:13; 36:2). God allowed the Israelites to cast lots in order to determine His will for a given situation (Joshua 18:6-10; 1 Chronicles 24:5,31). Various offices and functions in the temple were also determined by lot (1 Chronicles 24:5, 31; 25:8-9; 26:13-14). The sailors on Jonah’s ship (Jonah 1:7) also cast lots to determine who had brought God’s wrath upon their ship. The eleven apostles cast lots to determine who would replace Judas (Acts 1:26). Casting lots eventually became a game people played and made wagers on. This is seen in the Roman soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ garments (Matthew 27:35).

The New Testament nowhere instructs Christians to use a method similar to casting lots to help with decision-making. Now that we have the completed Word of God, as well as the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us, there is no reason to be using games of chance to make decisions. The Word, the Spirit, and prayer are sufficient for discerning God’s will today—not casting lots, rolling dice, or flipping a coin.

Matthias was chosen by lot, and we don't hear anything about him in the rest of the book of Acts.

Tomorrow the disciples will experience the promise Jesus made to them, when the Holy Spirit would come into their meeting room quite powerfully.