Daily Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3 For among the first things I passed on to you was what I also received, namely this: the Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 4 and he was buried; and he was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 5 and he was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve; 6 and afterwards he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Later he was seen by Ya‘akov, then by all the emissaries; 8 and last of all he was seen by me, even though I was born at the wrong time.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah has not been raised either; 17 and if the Messiah has not been raised, your trust is useless, and you are still in your sins. 18 Also, if this is the case, those who died in union with the Messiah are lost. 19 If it is only for this life that we have put our hope in the Messiah, we are more pitiable than anyone.
20 But the fact is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died.
Luke 24:36 They were still talking about it when — there he was, standing among them! 37 Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 But he said to them, “Why are you so upset? Why are these doubts welling up inside you? 39 Look at my hands and my feet — it is I, myself! Touch me and see — a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I do.” 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 While they were still unable to believe it for joy and stood there dumbfounded, he said to them, “Have you something here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 which he took and ate in their presence.
Reflection Questions:
1 Corinthians 15 is the first written witness to Jesus' resurrection. To some in Corinth who denied the Christian faith in resurrection, Paul spoke of meeting the living Jesus, and of over 500 other eyewitnesses (verses 6-7). Jesus defeated evil and death! Paul said if that weren’t true, Christian faith was worthless. Scholar C. H. Dodd wrote, “The Resurrection of Jesus is not a belief that grew up within the church; it is the belief around which the church itself grew up, and the ‘given’ upon which its faith was based.”
- Jewish or Roman authorities could have easily put a stop to early Christian preaching like Paul’s: just produce Jesus’ dead body. They had all the police and military power to find the body. But they didn’t, because they couldn’t—the tomb was empty. How can Paul’s confident appeal to hundreds of still-living eyewitnesses deepen your faith in the reality of Jesus' resurrection? What difference does it make to you that Jesus is alive today?
- Author Phillip Yancey wrote, “There are two ways to look at human history. One way is to focus on the wars and violence, the squalor, the pain and tragedy and death….If I take Easter as the starting point, the one incontrovertible fact about how God treats those whom he loves, then human history becomes the contradiction and Easter a preview of ultimate reality. Hope then flows like lava beneath the crust of daily life.” On what will you focus as ultimately real: violence, squalor and pain, or the hope that flows from Jesus' resurrection?
Lord Jesus, the writers of Scripture didn’t write for profit or fame. They wrote so that I could find in you the same life and power they found. Give me perception and faith as I read my Bible. Amen.
Insights from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
This past week Doris & I attended a Crossroads Luncheon at Resurrection featuring an interesting presentation about President Harry S. Truman. (I know, I know. You are thinking I’m too young to attend a Crossroads event. (Um – Editor.) Tell that to my Optometrist’s Assistant, who, when I said we were going to Topeka this weekend to visit family, responded with, “Oh, how old are your grandchildren?” In her defense I was getting progressive lenses & had just complained about how cool they kept their office.)
One of the focal points of the talk was a brief discussion of President Truman’s faith. Considering all of the hot button issues of Truman’s presidency, it would have been fascinating to understand how his faith may have influenced his actions. (Consider this abbreviated list: his act to formally recognize the State of Israel, his push for the Marshall Plan in Europe, his order to integrate the Armed Forces, his response to the Berlin Blockade, his reaction to the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, & of course his decision weighing the use of the Atomic Bomb vs. saving American & Japanese lives from a death-filled invasion.)
Unfortunately, President Truman, like many of his generation, was rather reticent to about his faith. Some of his speeches referenced his beliefs like his statement, “The fundamental basis of this nation’s law s was given to Moses on the Mount. If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state.” Or his call to service, “We must remember that the test of our religious principles lies not just in what we say, not only in our prayers, not even in living blameless lives – but what we do for others.” (Not all of his statements were quite so profound. He was also fond of saying: “The 1st lesson every boy should learn is to never kick fresh manure* on a hot day.”)
*Or some synonym, thereof.
As we consider today’s passage, I was drawn to Paul’s statement that, “He (Jesus) appeared to more than 500 brothers & sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
While scholars have no qualms with Paul’s list of resurrected appearances, they do debate the details of this statement. Was this a gathering in Jerusalem or perhaps on a mountain outside of town? Was this the same crowd referenced in Matthew 28? Was this shortly after His resurrection or was it just before His ascension?
Skeptics point to Paul’s contention & wonder if Jesus did appear to over 500 believers, where is their testimony? Shouldn’t there be countless personal accounts confirming the validity of such an awe-inducing scene?
My view is that I’m not surprised at the lack of written testimony attesting to this appearance. Few in their culture were literate. Being counted as a follower of Christ at that time was extremely risky, even deadly. (Remember, Paul was so successful in crushing the early church in Jerusalem, he would soon want to add a franchise in Damascus.) The odds of such testimony being recorded, distributed & preserved would be astronomical. And finally, would repetitive statements of this scene really add much substance to the record of Jesus’ life & teachings?
On the other hand, while it wouldn’t impact my faith walk & while the skeptics would just find some other reason to doubt the validity of this scene, wouldn’t it be cool if some Bedouin discovered a jar filled with parchments or if a long-forgotten desert monastery had a written record of an eye-witness account of this event?
Flashing forward to today, we might be like President Truman & somewhat reluctant to talk about our spiritual walk. But what if our testimony could make a difference in the journey of a friend, colleague, or, someday, way off in the future, a grandchild? It needn’t be some carefully edited thesis with footnotes & indices. We could start with something simple like making notes about our favorite hymn or a fond Easter Sunday experience.
As a theologian noted, “Each of us is indebted to those who carried the faith from the past to the present; dare we do less for those who follow us?” I’m getting started on mine as soon as I get back from the Early Bird Dinner Special at Luby’s Cafeteria.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
This past week Doris & I attended a Crossroads Luncheon at Resurrection featuring an interesting presentation about President Harry S. Truman. (I know, I know. You are thinking I’m too young to attend a Crossroads event. (Um – Editor.) Tell that to my Optometrist’s Assistant, who, when I said we were going to Topeka this weekend to visit family, responded with, “Oh, how old are your grandchildren?” In her defense I was getting progressive lenses & had just complained about how cool they kept their office.)
One of the focal points of the talk was a brief discussion of President Truman’s faith. Considering all of the hot button issues of Truman’s presidency, it would have been fascinating to understand how his faith may have influenced his actions. (Consider this abbreviated list: his act to formally recognize the State of Israel, his push for the Marshall Plan in Europe, his order to integrate the Armed Forces, his response to the Berlin Blockade, his reaction to the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, & of course his decision weighing the use of the Atomic Bomb vs. saving American & Japanese lives from a death-filled invasion.)
Unfortunately, President Truman, like many of his generation, was rather reticent to about his faith. Some of his speeches referenced his beliefs like his statement, “The fundamental basis of this nation’s law s was given to Moses on the Mount. If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state.” Or his call to service, “We must remember that the test of our religious principles lies not just in what we say, not only in our prayers, not even in living blameless lives – but what we do for others.” (Not all of his statements were quite so profound. He was also fond of saying: “The 1st lesson every boy should learn is to never kick fresh manure* on a hot day.”)
*Or some synonym, thereof.
As we consider today’s passage, I was drawn to Paul’s statement that, “He (Jesus) appeared to more than 500 brothers & sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
While scholars have no qualms with Paul’s list of resurrected appearances, they do debate the details of this statement. Was this a gathering in Jerusalem or perhaps on a mountain outside of town? Was this the same crowd referenced in Matthew 28? Was this shortly after His resurrection or was it just before His ascension?
Skeptics point to Paul’s contention & wonder if Jesus did appear to over 500 believers, where is their testimony? Shouldn’t there be countless personal accounts confirming the validity of such an awe-inducing scene?
My view is that I’m not surprised at the lack of written testimony attesting to this appearance. Few in their culture were literate. Being counted as a follower of Christ at that time was extremely risky, even deadly. (Remember, Paul was so successful in crushing the early church in Jerusalem, he would soon want to add a franchise in Damascus.) The odds of such testimony being recorded, distributed & preserved would be astronomical. And finally, would repetitive statements of this scene really add much substance to the record of Jesus’ life & teachings?
On the other hand, while it wouldn’t impact my faith walk & while the skeptics would just find some other reason to doubt the validity of this scene, wouldn’t it be cool if some Bedouin discovered a jar filled with parchments or if a long-forgotten desert monastery had a written record of an eye-witness account of this event?
Flashing forward to today, we might be like President Truman & somewhat reluctant to talk about our spiritual walk. But what if our testimony could make a difference in the journey of a friend, colleague, or, someday, way off in the future, a grandchild? It needn’t be some carefully edited thesis with footnotes & indices. We could start with something simple like making notes about our favorite hymn or a fond Easter Sunday experience.
As a theologian noted, “Each of us is indebted to those who carried the faith from the past to the present; dare we do less for those who follow us?” I’m getting started on mine as soon as I get back from the Early Bird Dinner Special at Luby’s Cafeteria.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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