First Things First—Lectionary Reflection for Easter Sunday (1 Corinthians 15)
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| 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, 2 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.
3 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, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 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].
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