1 Corinthians 15:51-57
We use the word “mystery” differently from the way the Bible does. We might think about a mystery novel, where a private detective must piece together the clues to solve the mystery. By the end, the detective has found the guilty party and justice is done. That’s not the way the Bible uses the word, “mystery.”
In 1 Corinthians 15, mystery means knowledge that must be revealed by someone who already knows. It’s a secret. For example, reading is a mystery that must be revealed to learn how to do it. Anyone who has taught preschoolers how to recognize their letters understands this. They must help them recognize the shapes, and they ask what kinds of sounds each letter makes. The teacher has to reveal what the ink on the paper means.
The resurrection is that kind of mystery. When Jesus returns, he will change our mortal bodies into immortal bodies. He will make our perishable flesh imperishable. There will be no more sickness or death, no more sadness or hurt. There will only be resurrection and eternal life.
There’s no microscope that can see the resurrection or a chemical test to find it. We can’t break up an atom to understand it or stare out into the stars to find it. The resurrection must be revealed to us.
That’s what Jesus’ resurrection does. Because he died on the cross and rose from the dead, he reveals to us our own resurrection on the last day. He is the pattern for what will happen on the day he returns.