First Things First—Lectionary Reflection for Easter Sunday (1 Corinthians 15)

The Resurrected Christ Appearing to His Disciples - Luca Signorelli (ca. 1514)

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 New Revised Standard Version

 

15 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and 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 and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

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                Paul preached a message of salvation in Christ. He encouraged his readers in Corinth to hold fast to this good news he had proclaimed to them. That message is deeply connected to Holy Week, as we have before us a word that speaks both to Good Friday and Easter. It makes the confession that Jesus died for our sins, and that he conquered death in the resurrection. Therefore, we can sing with boldness, even during a pandemic (with masks on and properly separated of course) “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!”

                That is the good news Paul had shared with the people of Corinth, but if you read 1 Corinthians 15 closely you will get the sense that some members of the congregation had been wavering in their faith. If you read one verse beyond the chosen text of the day you will find Paul asking them: “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection?” (1 Cor. 15:12). Now we might want to give them the benefit of the doubt here. These were, after all, relatively new believers. They lived within a cultural climate that seemed to call into question the meaning of the cross, without which Paul’s message of resurrection had no foundation. Earlier in the letter, Paul had addressed concerns about his message concerning the cross. Apparently, the cross was foolishness to Greeks/Gentiles  (1 Cor. 1:23), so how much more foolish might the idea of resurrection be? Nevertheless, Paul is ready to give his testimony. In fact, he makes it clear that his testimony rests on that of others, for he had received the message last of all among the Apostles.

                Because I’m a minister within a non-creedal faith community who is participating in a bilateral dialogue that envisions full communion with a creedal community as its goal, I’m interested in the ways in which faith is confessed in Scripture and Tradition. So, I noticed the confession of faith that is present here in this letter to the Corinthians. Paul is quite specific that this is of first importance, that Christ “died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,  and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Cor. 15:3-5). That has all the marks of a confession of faith. For non-creedal types who wish to stick with the Bible, could this be part of a creed or confession that Paul had introduced to this community? According to Paul, that which is of first importance involves the cross and the resurrection. You might have noticed what is missing from this confession. There is no mention here of Jesus’ origins. In fact, Paul never speaks of Jesus’ birth, his parentage, or even his ministry. Paul was concerned first and foremost about what took place during the last few days of Jesus’ earthly life. Later on, as the Gospels were produced, gaps left by Paul’s confession were filled in. We may want more, but in Paul’s mind, we can’t ask for less than the cross and resurrection. For Paul, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are the foundation of our faith. It is through Jesus’ death that we receive forgiveness of sins and through the resurrection that death itself is overcome. This is, he insists, in line with the biblical message, though he doesn’t give us chapter and verse.

                Since it appears that some have raised questions about the resurrection, which Paul had proclaimed, he wants to make sure they needn’t take only his word for the truth of this message. With that in mind, he mentions the witness to the resurrection of Cephas (Peter) and the twelve. He also mentions Jesus’ resurrection appearances to the five hundred brothers (and sisters). I put sisters in parentheses to highlight the fact that in drawing up this list he makes no explicit reference to women as witnesses. Maybe you will join me in wondering where Jesus’ mother is on this list. What about Mary Magdalene? What about the other women who were at the tomb? In Mark 16, the earliest of the Gospels, an angel appears to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, and tells them to inform the disciples, including Peter, that Jesus would meet them in Galilee (Mk 16:1-8). In the Gospel of John, it is Mary Magdalene to whom Jesus first appears. Again, Mary is the one who reveals the message of the resurrection to Jesus’ disciples. Therefore, she is the apostle to the apostles (Jn 20:11-18). But Paul makes no mention of her. That’s disappointing. So, I’m hoping that Paul included the sisters among the five hundred. Finally, Paul reports that after Jesus appeared to James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and the rest of the apostles (missionaries?), Jesus appeared to Paul. Indeed, Paul claimed that it was as if he was untimely born. He seems very cognizant of the role he played in the persecution and killing of Jesus’ followers. Perhaps he was feeling a bit guilty about the role he played in the deaths of Jesus’ followers. Nevertheless, though untimely born, by grace Jesus appeared to him. So, he could bear witness to the good news that “Christ the Lord is risen today. Alleluia!” 

                As we gather for Holy Week we will be confronted by the messages of Good Friday and Easter, messages regarding the cross and the resurrection. We will have the opportunity to ponder the meaning of these two critical events in the life of Jesus for us and for our salvation. Charles Campbell notes that chapters one and fifteen serve as bookends to the intervening chapters in which Paul deals with matters of Christian living. Chapter one proclaims the cross, while chapter fifteen preaches the resurrection. He writes that “In both cases, the content of the preaching is at issue, and the proclamation of the gospel shapes and undergirds the central theological claims.” [Campbell, 1 Corinthians, p. 245]. Paul’s response to everything going on in Corinth is influenced by these two events in Jesus’ life, and therefore these two claims are of first importance. They define the parameters of our relationship to God and one another, for in them we see the love of God revealed. First the cross and burial, then the resurrection!

                Therefore, let us sing: “Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.” [Edmond Budry].

 

Image from the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts


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