1 Corinthians
15:19-26 (Epistle for Easter Sunday)
19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of
all people most to be pitied. 20
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who
have fallen asleep. 21 For as
by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also
in Christ shall all be made alive. 23
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who
belong to Christ. 24 Then
comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying
every rule and every authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under
his feet. 26 The last enemy
to be destroyed is death.
Devotion
In the name of + Jesus.
My kids and I love grapes.
They’re one of the staples of the menu at the Truwe household. Jamie and I can always count on grapes being
eaten, and since it is important to serve something that we know will be
consumed, grapes are served regularly.
But one bunch of grapes can be quite different from another; which is
why tasting the first grape in a new bunch is so important. If that grape is sour, the whole bunch of
grapes is looked at with suspicion. But
if that first grape is plump, and juicy, and sweet, the rest of that bunch of
grapes is looked at by hungry eyes with longing desire. Although, admittedly, that first grape is not
always a trustworthy indicator as to how the rest of the grapes will taste, but
this analogy can help us to understand what St. Paul means when he refers to
the risen Christ as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (v. 20).
St. Paul is using an agricultural analogy with which to teach
the Corinthian Christians about the resurrection of the dead. Would this year’s crop be good? Would the vineyard produce rich, juicy
grapes? Would they be good for wine? These questions were answered by the fristfruits, which were the earliest
portion of the harvest. Israel would
collect the firstfruits and sacrifice
them to God in thanks for the full harvest to come (TLSB, p. 1974). Those firstfruits gave them an accurate
indication about what sort of harvest they could expect. If the first
fruits were big, and juicy, and good for wine, the people knew that the
harvest would be the same.
We know that there were some in the Church in Corinth who
were saying that there was no resurrection of the dead (see 1 Cor. 15:12ff). But St. Paul addresses this misunderstanding
by pointing them to Christ’s own resurrection.
By calling Jesus the firstfruits,
St. Paul is teaching His reader that the risen Lord shows us what to expect in
the resurrection. Sure, Jesus died, along
with the rest of us humans. But Jesus
burst from His tomb, alive and well.
Jesus rose from the grave, with flesh and bones. And if St. Paul says that Jesus is the firstfruits o those who have fallen
asleep. Then we are to draw great
comfort from the empty tomb, and Jesus’ own resurrection. For in it, we see what will be our own future
on the last day—in the harvest.
For now, death stings us.
We’re separated from our loved ones, and death seems to be
reigning. But in Jesus’ resurrection,
you have an accurate indication of what will happen to you in the resurrection. You will be raised, in a new and glorified
body, never to die again. For if the first
grape of the bunch I buy at Kroger tells me what to expect from the rest of
them, how much more is the risen Lord to be trusted. If the risen Christ is the fristfruits, then you who have been
baptized into Christ, and believe in Christ, know what will be yours.
Christ is risen! He
is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Prayer
Risen Lord, by your
death you have destroyed death, and by your resurrection, you have opened the
door to everlasting life. May I draw
strength from your resurrection, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let it be
my own expectation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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