Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 1:25

"to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place." — Acts 1:25 (ASV)

It was not enough to possess the qualifications that other apostles had. Judas’s successor must also be appointed by the same Lord who appointed the Eleven. Likewise, though the church could not represent itself as the righteous remnant of Israel with one apostle lacking, it could hardly symbolize its consciousness as being the true Israel of God with one apostle too many.

Therefore, prayer was offered to the Lord for his selection between the two candidates.

While it is not clear linguistically whether God the Father or Jesus is here being addressed in prayer by the vocative “Lord” (GK 3261), it is most natural to understand the same referent for the title here as in v.21: “the Lord Jesus.” Furthermore, Luke seems to draw the parallel consciously by using the verb “to choose” for those selected by Jesus in 1:2 and for this replacement of Judas.