Easter Monday

At the end of his remarkable pastoral letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul passes on that which is of “first importance”. He begins by underlining the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It happened. It actually happened. And as a result, things would never again be the same.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]

: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

⁴ that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b] and then to the Twelve.

Having reiterated the FACT of the resurrection, he then explains its SIGNIFICANCE. He does so by speculating on what it means if it were not true

¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ … ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

The resurrection of Jesus has everything to do with everything.. Paul puts it emphatically and squarely on the table. If this is not true, then just forget about it.

I vividly remember the Easter of 2010. As I stood over the rectangular scar of dirt that was now the resting place of my recently departed son, David, I murmured to my Father, through my tears.. “This better be true…..”.  I was not looking for consolation. I wanted the truth. 

No longer was eternity a backdrop to the unfolding story of my life. It was no longer an idea to be contemplated and discussed at leisure.  It was as if my camera lens had shifted and the “Background” came into focus and became the central point of the picture. Resurrection and eternity…. it matters. It really matters.

The entire 15^th chapter is an astounding  affirmation of this truth. And the highpoint for me is in verse 20 when the apostle answers speculative doubt full on…. and in doing so summarizes the entire chapter in one ringing sentence.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,

the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Amen!