21-22 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us - one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

23-25 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:21-26 English Standard Version

Important issues in life inevitably involve crucial points which establish their truth. It may be a scientific discovery that will alter the way people think about something in the future, and those presenting it offer the results of convincing experiments and vital research to back up their claim. Or it may be in a law court where the guilt or innocence of someone is proved by the crucial testimonies from witnesses who are known to be reliable. We see something of this in today's reading. A group of about 120 disciples of Jesus wanted to appoint someone to take the place of Judas, the man who'd taken his own life after betraying the Lord. What was the important role that the replacement for Judas was called to fulfil? (vs 21-22)

He, along with the 11 other men who'd been Jesus' closest disciples, was called to be a witness to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth had really risen from the dead. This was a crucial, if not the most crucial, part of the message they had for the world. As the apostle Paul later wrote: “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) And he added: “Now If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.”

Christ's resurrection is a crucial point for the gospel's message of eternal life promised to all who believe on Him for salvation from sin. But what was also crucial for the man appointed to replace Judas – indeed, for all the apostles who would testify to the resurrection? (vs 21-22)

He had to be someone who had been a knowledgable follower of Jesus since the time of His baptism, right up to the day He ascended. i.e He had to be an eye-witness of the life of Christ. The gospel of Mark tells of a day when Jesus “went up a mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:13-15) So while the man they would now appoint wasn’t one of the original 12 apostles, he was to be someone who had been among the many other disciples who had followed Jesus closely during His time in the world.

The importance of this is that people through the ages can have confidence that the gospel message is based upon the testimony of reliable witnesses of the events which they proclaimed to the world. When you add to this the fact that those witnesses were willing to seal their testimony with their lives, then it's a strong reason to believe that what we read in the Bible about Jesus Christ is true.

Verse 23-25 describe how the disciples used a custom in those days of 'casting lots', and it led to a man named Matthias being added to the group of 11. While we don't know the details of 'casting lots', we do read another point that is crucial for anyone who would be a follower of Jesus. We are told that 'the Lord knows the hearts' of all people! Do we truly believe the gospel that was preached to us? O may we not be those who have only given lip service to the message, but those who live each day in the crucial and wonderful truth of Christ's resurrection.