22 July | Youth
«But some have fallen asleep.» 1 Corinthians 15:6
In the famous chapter 15 of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul feeds the hope of the church. His topic is Jesus’ resurrection. And in order for there to be no doubt that this argument is true, the apostle invites some witnesses to speak. The first one to introduce himself is Peter. “Jesus appeared alive to you, is it true or not, Peter?” (v. 4). Peter nods his head saying yes. Then, Paul calls the other apostles to the stage, and they all confirm that they saw the Lord when they were gathered in the upper room. They saw Him, ate with Him, touched His body and worshiped Him (v. 5).
The truth is that a resurrection is a very unlikely event. It is crazy to say someone came back to life. But if twelve people claim to have seen the dead man alive, we start to think that maybe it actually happened. But what about when five hundred people say the same thing?
Paul opens the curtain and points to a crowd sitting in the stands and says: “All these five hundred people saw the Lord alive, after He died! Is it true or not, guys?” They confirm it with certainty. You have probably met people who passionately believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime, but who today rest in their grave. If you have a long history in the church, you probably knew an old man who talked a lot about Jesus' return, but who is now resting in the Lord.
Sometimes we easily forget that life is hard, and that death is certain. Yet as we see the end of those we love, we need to hold on to this certainty: Jesus conquered death. If Christ has not been resurrected, our faith is vain, and those who rest in this certainty are lost (v. 18). The apostle confirms: “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (v. 19, NLT).
No matter how dark the night, the sun will break through the darkness. I believe in this with all the strength of my life! Let our prayer be: “O Lord, give us new hope today! Encourage us with the thought that Jesus conquered death forever and that, in the end, we will overcome it too!”