1 Corinthians 15:1-11
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth to tell them about Jesus’ resurrection, because many of them doubted what had happened. They claimed that there was no such thing as a resurrection from the dead.
So Paul begins his lesson about the resurrection by telling them that Jesus’ resurrection really and truly happened. It’s important to Paul to let them know that the same body that was killed on the cross and was laid in the tomb, that same body rose from death three days later.
Many people want to talk about the resurrection like it’s a metaphor. We talk about Jesus’ resurrection as if it is a symbol of obstacles overcome or hardships endured. We talk about it like Lucky Day talks about El Guapo in the Three Amigos. It’s not about Jesus’ resurrection but what how Jesus’ resurrection is symbolic of your own struggles.
But the Bible is very clear that Jesus’ resurrection must be physical. The gospels focus on showing the disciples Jesus’ body. The Gospel of Luke 24:39, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus shows them his hands and his side so they can see it’s truly him. In the Gospel of Matthew, “And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him” (Spirits in the ancient world didn’t have feet).
Jesus’ resurrection is a real, physical event. It means more for us than just that some guy was dead and is now alive. It means we have the promise of resurrection, too. Find out more about what that means.