Acts 1:24

Acts 1:24, in plain English

The believers pray directly to Jesus, acknowledging that He knows people's hearts in a way no one else can, and asking Him to show them which man He's chosen.

Why it's here

Here's something powerful: they're praying to Jesus. Not asking God to help them decide, but asking Jesus to reveal His choice. This shows how the risen Jesus was understood in the early church—not as someone in the past, but as the living Lord who was actively leading them. They believed He could read hearts and make known His will.

Who's speaking

The believers, praying together

Where it sits in the story

In the Old Testament, you'd cast lots to discern God's will when a choice had to be made. But now they're doing it in the presence of the risen Jesus, acknowledging that whatever method they use, it's Him revealing the answer. That's the new reality they're living in.

The scholarly reading

The community appeals directly to God in prayer, acknowledging his omniscience and requesting divine guidance in selecting between the two qualified candidates.

Language and setting

The Greek phrase kardiognōstēs (heart-knower) employed here appears nowhere in the Septuagint or other Jewish literature before Acts—Luke or the tradition he preserves coined this theological neologism to describe God's capacity to discern what human observation cannot access. This invocation is particularly weighty given the Judas context: Judas had appeared to be a legitimate apostle, yet his heart harbored treachery that remained hidden until his betrayal (John 6:70-71). The prayer thus implicitly acknowledges human epistemic limitation—we cannot reliably determine internal character through external assessment. By appealing to God's cardiognōsia (heart-knowing), the community effectively transfers the decision from human judgment to divine prerogative, establishing a precedent that major ecclesiastical decisions involve prayer as a genuine epistemic practice rather than mere religious formality.

Voice

The entire assembly, praying corporately

Significance

This prayer embodies the post-Ascension church's posture: having lost direct access to the risen Jesus's visible presence, believers access divine guidance through petition and discernment. Prayer becomes the mechanism by which the ascended Christ continues to lead his body—a theme developed throughout Acts as the Spirit's guidance manifests through corporate prayer.

22beginning from John’s baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

24And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen

25to take up this ministry and apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place.”

26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was added to the eleven apostles.

Read all of Acts 1 — Jesus ascends. The disciples wait. And then everything changes. This is the story of how a handful of ordinary people turned the world upside down.