A Word from 1 Corinthians 15

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a “perfect” body? Now, I’m not talking about “perfect” in the “cultural definition of beauty” sense. This isn’t about great hair, clear skin, and rock hard abs. No, I’m talking about “perfect” in the “able to live joyfully forever” sense. A body that’s strong and resilient, that doesn’t get sick, and that’s capable of going places and doing things you never thought possible.

Well, on this Wednesday of the week after Easter, it’s worth remembering that the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t just a one-off. It sets the pattern for what we, too, will experience. And in the pattern Jesus sets, we see that our body will be physical. After all, Jesus ate and drank, and his disciples could touch him. But at the same time, our bodies will be “more” than physical—able abide in God and move about in His creation in ways that we can barely imagine now.

In today’s word from 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes it like this: “Someone may ask, ‘How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?’ What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have…It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.” (1 Cor. 15:35-38, 42-43).

Of course, some of us long for that resurrection body more than others! We feel the brokenness and weakness of our physical selves, and we long for the glory and strength that God has promised. But we can be confident, Paul says, that “our dying bodies will be transformed into bodies that will never die” (15:53). And until that day comes, let’s help and encourage each other, so that we can anticipate together the future that God has in store. Amen.