Last of all, as to one untimely born, he
[Jesus] appeared also to me. |
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Apostle Paul, in this fifteenth chapter of his first
letter to his brothers and sisters in the church at
Corinth, was trying to accomplish two purposes: (1)
make his argument for faith in the resurrection of
the dead; and (2) establish his credentials as an
apostle. Evidently, there were some believers in
Corinth, most probably Jewish Christians who had
family connections with or had been taught by the
Jewish priests, who did not believe in the
resurrection. The priests, as opposed to the rabbis,
were Sadducees who did not believe in the
resurrection of the dead or eternal life, other than
one's reputation and descendants which survive him.
These believers in Corinth, who were also disputing
Paul's authority, did not believe in the resurrection
of the dead to face God's judgment and receive either
eternal life or eternal condemnation. Paul's simplest argument on both grounds was the reality of Christ's resurrection as proven by his appearances, risen and living, to the disciples, to a crowd of over 500 brothers and sisters at one time, to his own brother James, to the apostles, and, as the verse above cites, last of all to Paul himself. Paul was an eyewitness to Christ's resurrection because it was the risen Christ, and only the risen Christ, who completely turned Paul's life around on that road to Damascus. Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to know with absolute certainty that Christ is alive -- and because he is alive, we who are incorporated into his living body by his gracious gift of salvation have also already been raised to eternal life with him. If there is no resurrection, then Christ was not raised and our faith is futile. Now when Paul said that he was last of all, he did not mean Christ no longer appeared or appears to anyone else. He simply was citing himself as the last of the list of witnesses his was using to state his case. Where have you seen the risen and living Christ in your life? You see, we are not here to market a particular religion or our particular brand of institutional church. We are not here to defend the Bible or to argue theology or to prove the existence of God. The risen and living Christ has a specific purpose for our lives, both as individuals and as a congregation: We are to be his witnesses, witnesses of his resurrection victory over the fearsome powers of evil, sin, and death. At sometime in your life, I hope, the risen Christ appeared to you and won over your heart. He may have appeared or you may have heard his voice in any number of ways: a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a Sunday School teacher, a pastor, an evangelist like Billy Graham, or maybe you had your own "Road to Damascus" experience like Paul when Christ in all his glory shook you free of your old life and gave you his instead. Last of all, the living and risen Christ has appeared to us, you and me, in our own lives, in our time, and wherever we were in the special moment, whether on a front porch in Oil City or the sanctuary of Clarks Mills UMC. Just as Christ has spoken to us through the witness of others, so now we are responsible to share our own personal witness to the love and grace of God shown to us in Jesus Christ. What's your story? Paul's opponents in Corinth could argue against his theology, but they could not refute his own eyewitness account of seeing Christ for himself. Those who are seeking hope against their fears don't need more religion and do need more than their names on the membership role of a church. They need to see Jesus Christ, who died for their sins, who is risen and alive to give them salvation and eternal life, and who loves them and us with a love beyond our comprehension. You and I share the responsibility of introducing them to our Jesus.
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Reprinted from the April 2009 Newsletter |
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