Year C Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany February 11th, 2001
Lord of the Lake Lutheran Church
Web page http://lordofthelake.org
By The Rev. Jerry Morrissey, Esq., Pastor
E-mail pastor@southshore.com
Heavenly Father thank you for having Jesus raise from the death for our benefit. Amen.
Title: “Resurrection from the dead.”
1Corinthians 15: 12-20
It seems that some folks, either some among the Corinthian Christians or others outside the community who were challenging their beliefs, were denying even the possibility of bodily resurrection from the dead. This would be understandable among people who grew up in Hellenistic culture. They could believe in the immortality of the soul, separated at death from the body and living spiritually in Pure Spirit forever. They could not believe that the human body would have any part in that, since it was composed of matter, which is the very principle of evil. The twin issues of resurrection of Christ and of the dead were among the most difficult challenges for Christianity to overcome when it came to converting Gentiles.
It appears that some Christians were willing to concede that Christ “rose in their consciousness” but not in fact. The most likely candidates for this position would be the spirit-people, those who valued the spiritual gift of tongues, those who believed they were as saved here and now as they will ever be. Paul saw not only the fallacy in that position but its lethal danger for the faith. The bodily resurrection of Christ was the basis for faith in him and for the bodily resurrection of those who believe in him. While it is perfectly legitimate and helpful to view the resurrection of Christ metaphorically in order to derive the many benefits which come from seeing the theoretical implications and practical applications of this great grace, such ideas must never forget or dismiss the historical basis for them. Faith in Christ is not created simply by the discovery of the empty tomb, but it would be destroyed by the discovery of the dead body of Jesus on earth or in the earth somewhere else. The resurrection of Jesus is both historical and meta-historical, both physical and metaphysical.
In verse twelve, “no resurrection of the dead”: Whether there actually were Christians saying there was no resurrection, Paul is treating the matter as though they actually were maintaining such. Paul’s preaching is based on the fact that at least one person has, in fact, been raised. Thus, the possibility for others to follow is there. Christ’s resurrection, however, is not merely a test case proving possible what was previously thought impossible. It is much more than that, but it is at least that. It is the actual source, cause and means for others to enjoy supernatural life. Too many people saw the resurrected Christ to deny its historical fact, even if it cannot be explained.
In verse sixteen, “neither has Christ been raised”: If bodily resurrection is an impossibility then it is impossible also for Christ to have been raised. This has profounder and broader implications than just getting the facts wrong. The faith is empty of content, as the tomb was empty of the body. The faith would be as misplaced as the body would have been without resurrection. And all things would not be possible for God. The limits of creation would be left up to human creatures to define, rather than to the Creator.
In verse seventeen, “your faith is in vain, you are still in your sins”: If the whole point of the resurrection was for Christ to demonstrate that he has overcome the “flesh,” sin, humans on their own power, without destroying flesh, then minus the resurrection flesh or sin still rules.
In verse eighteen, “those who have fallen asleep have perished”: “Fallen asleep” is a euphemism for “died.” The point is clear. Christ, along with faith in him, would be a pointless exercise in futility.
In verse nineteen, “if for this life only”: It is true that even following Christ as a great ethical teacher will produce a happier, more satisfying personal life in this world. His moral teachings are so wise and effective that one would benefit regardless. However, there is more to Christ than even that. He did not come to dupe people into being good just for this world’s or this life’s sake, true as that is. He came to bestow eternal life here, now, but more fully in the future.
“The most pitiable of people”: Christians would be living life on their own power, striving to measure up to the standards laid down by Christ by their own effort. They would fail as miserably as did the Jews following the Law. Indeed, it would be the Law under the guise or, more correctly disguise of Christ. Even today there are some “Christians” who do- or try to do- just that. Effectively, if not consciously or expressly, they deny the resurrection too.
In verse twenty, “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep”: Having insisted on the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ, Paul moves from history to meta-history, and so must use metaphor or analogy to make his next point. There is much more to the resurrection of Christ than mere historical fact. Christ has not been raised in isolation. He is not a fluke or one time exception at least, in the eternal realm. The metaphor of “first-fruits” means he is the promise of “more like this to come.” The offering of the first fruits contained in essence the entire crop. What happened to Christ first will happen to all who were planted in him. They will blossom and be part of the eschatological harvest. He is the first installment, the down payment, the guarantee, the ultimate offering of the whole that it foreshadows, forecasts, and pledges.
Once we believe that “all things are possible for God” we have little trouble believing in the possibility of the Incarnation or the Resurrection. In other words, God, who makes the rules, can break the rules. If God wants to become human he can. If God-as-human- wants to return to life after humanly dying he can. Those who deny even the possibility of either the Incarnation or the Resurrection are either denying the existence of God or limiting his powers.
Whether God, in fact, became human and rose from the dead is another matter. We Christians believe he did. Too many people who saw him, that is, Jesus of Nazareth, attest to both facts. Their testimony was not motivated by any personal gain. Christians not only believe them but also believe in him, Jesus Christ, as both divine and human. Even though we Christian believers do not need a scientifically acceptable explanation for either the Incarnation or Resurrection, even though belief in God is enough, we can apply the insights and discoveries of modern science to our doctrines of the Incarnation and Resurrection in order to better understand them ourselves and to better explain them to non-believers. We realize that all the explanations in the world will not produce faith, but they can go a long way to induce faith. That’s what Paul is doing in this text. He realizes that his explanation will not cause a non-believer to believe, but might make that person pause and be slower to ridicule what he or she at first might think impossible, even absurd.
Paul takes a very hard-nosed approach to the question of the Resurrection: it happened. People did not see it happen, but they saw the undeniable results. They saw the risen Lord. Everybody did not see the risen Lord, but those who did were as surprised as anyone else would be. They did not expect it, but it happened. Everybody is not awake to see the sun rise, but they do, when they wake up, see the risen sun. That is an expected event that does not have to be seen by everyone in order to happen. Mere belief in the Resurrection does not make it a fact, just as mere disbelief does not make it a non-fact. Paul and the people of his time did not have the benefit of the scientific knowledge we have today. We actually have less trouble believing in the possibility of the resurrection from the dead than they did.
We now know that people who are clinically dead can and do come back to earthly life. It happens a lot. No doubt, in Paul’s day there were also people who were thought or presumed dead who later came to consciousness and people thought it a miracle when, in fact, it was merely a mistake. The person was not really dead. However, today, with our scientific instruments we can confidently conclude that when certain vital signs are no longer present a person is dead. Yet, by that same science some, not all, can be brought back. For all the scientific knowledge involved, there is still quite a bit of mystery. So, we have less trouble with the physical resurrection of Jesus than did our ancestors.
That said, we also know that the resurrected life that Jesus showed after his death and the life he bestows on us as a result of his resurrection is not the same as the restored physical life of a formerly clinically dead person. No, this is eternal life. And that’s where faith comes in. Let science explain in every physical detail how and why clinically dead folks return to life. Let science even explain how and why Jesus could have risen from the dead. It still would not explain the nature of eternal life. That belongs to another realm, a realm beyond the earthly, though it includes the earthly.
After the resurrection the body of Jesus was not immediately recognizable as such. It was somewhat the same, yet different, changed. He had to speak or engage in some familiar activity before he was recognized. That means that though he appeared to humans in a way eventually recognizable, he need not be in heaven in exactly that same form. What happens to the human person, along with whatever dimension of the human body the person takes with him or her into eternity, remains a mystery. It is changed enough to be able to exist in that realm, but remains identifiably human. And it remains a mystery for now, a matter of faith, not explanation, not science. Amen.
