Are We Missing Something?

Albrecht Durer, Christ Appears to the Disciples at Emmaus

… and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. (1 Cor 15:5–8)

This past Sunday, our pastor delivered the goods from 1 Corinthians 15, choosing to not elaborate on the post-resurrection appearances in the chapter. What he shared was spot on, so I do not fault him for excluding them, Indeed, I think most pastors would omit them unless their intent was to deliver an apology for the resurrection and the veracity of the Gospel accounts. I wonder, though, if perhaps pastors should make that a more integral part of the message.

For decades, we were taught that the following is the most succinct definition of the gospel:

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,… (1 Co 15:3–4)

And this is exactly what happened: we are sinners; and for that Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. All this He did according to what was foretold in the Scriptures (e.g. Ps 22:1, 16–18; 16:10; Hos 6:1–2). All this was accomplished according to the eternal plan of redemption on our behalf because we were completely incapable of improving our condition. What marvelous grace! And yet there is more.

The atoning work of Christ on the cross and His victory over the grave would seemingly suffice to explain the fullness of the gospel, and yet to finish his sentence, Paul adds that our Lord Jesus was seen by Peter and, later, the apostles as a group. This is perplexing, so we can treat this and the other appearances as parenthetical. However, the apostle links the appearances grammatically to the atoning work. In other words, the fullness of the good news is realized in Jesus coming to His own.

Why are these eyewitness accounts an important element? From our perspective, we might say that they establish credence to a physical resurrection. The variety is telling: the inner group, a large group, a disbelieving family member, and an antagonistic pharisee. Such a hodgepodge would be incapable of manufacturing and maintaining the story of a physical resurrection unless it actually occurred. With so many witnesses still alive at the writing of this epistle, a resurrection would be easily falsifiable.

However, the more important reason may be a more personal one. Notice that the first individual mentioned is the denier (Peter), then to the disbeliever (James), and finally to the self-righteous (Paul). Add to this the appearances to Mary Magdalene, then later to the other women and those on the Emmaus road, and we realize that though Christ died as Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He did it for me and delivered it to me. And it is not as if only that number centuries ago are the only ones to whom Jesus has come. We receive Him in baptism. We receive Him in the bread and cup.

Our Lord prayed that we would “be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21); and the work He began continues as promised: “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). He comes to us that we might be united both with Him and with one another. It is to this end that the work of redemption was accomplished. It is to this end that He yet comes to us. And it is to this end that Christ receives us unto Himself.