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Historical Facts
Historically, even non-Christians acknowledge Jesus's existence and empty tomb. 1 Corinthians 15 explains death entered through Adam, our ancestor, but through Christ, a new lineage of life is offered. Believing in Jesus grafts us into this living lineage, ensuring our future resurrection like Christ, the firstfruit.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
Our reading today is from First Corinthians chapter 15, beginning with verse 20.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
Years ago, when I was in seminary, we had a professor that came from Western Michigan University, and he made a very bold statement to start out his talk. He said, if you are a true student of history, apart from the Bible, even if you’re an atheist or a muslim, a Hindu, you must acknowledge that there was a man named Jesus of Nazareth, that he was a child of Joseph and Mary, that he was reported to have performed miracles, by his disciples that followed him, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and three days later his grave was empty. He said, you have to at least admit that much from history.
Now, historical facts in this case actually means something for us here in the present. The Bible teaches us in this passage I just read shows us that death is in our family tree. In Genesis, God tells us that Adam had children and then he died, and then his children had children, and then he died, and then he died. It’s kind of a drumbeat of death that comes all the way down to us. And that’s part of our spiritual DNA. We’re in that family tree. It’s been passed down to all of us as children of Adam.
And so all of the evil and death that we see out there in the world is really part of our family. It’s part of our family tree. And so the same is true with our bodies. Our bodies, just like a tree that is dead inside but looks good on the outside. Our bodies may look alive and feel alive in some ways, and yet all of us are carrying this death with us because we’re in that family tree of Adam. But Paul is telling us that God has planted a second tree. That is the living tree of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. And in the same way that Adam was real, so is this Christ. And God has worked out our salvation and has defeated death for us through the work of His Son.
And when you and I are brought to faith in him, we are in a sense, conceived into him, grafted into this living tree of Christ. And that’s why Jesus had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit so that he would be from a different family tree, if you will, then that family of death that we came from. But when God, the Holy Spirit, also works faith in our hearts to believe in Christ, we are now taken, by God and grafted into that wonderful tree of life. And by that he joins us to this whole new family tree.
And the Bible tells us that Christ is the first fruits, and we are now the fruits that will follow on that tree. Just like when someone owns an orchard and they can see that the tree is ready to produce fruits by the first apple. That’s like Christ’s resurrection and we are the ones that will follow. So he says, In Christ all shall be made alive.
What a wonderful thing it is that whenever we celebrate Jesus resurrection, we are also celebrating our own future resurrections. And what a wonderful day that will be to see him face to face in glory. Amen.
