Reading 1
1 Cor 15:12-20
Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then neither has Christ been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching;
empty, too, your faith.
Then we are also false witnesses to God,
because we testified against God that he raised Christ,
whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Gospel
Lk 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.
Meditation: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
“Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
It is a sad fact that many people today don’t believe in Jesus’ resurrection and even ridicule the idea that human beings will experience a resurrection of their own bodies. But that’s nothing new. Many people in Paul’s time denied, debated, and scoffed at the idea as well.
One prominent group of Jewish teachers, the Sadducees, didn’t believe in the resurrection (Matthew 22:29). And Greek philosophers reasoned that since death liberated a person’s spirit from the prison of the mortal body, why would anyone want their bodies back again? Even some of the believers in Corinth doubted that the dead would rise again. So Paul taught them that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20)—and he logically explained the consequences of this.
The “first fruits” of a crop are the first portion harvested, which ancient Jews were expected to offer to God (Exodus 23:19). That a part of the crop was ripe implied that the rest of the harvest would inevitably follow. Similarly, since Jesus has been raised as the “first fruits” and as a sacrifice to God, it follows that all the dead will also rise in due time.
In your prayer today, let this image of Jesus as the first fruits fill your imagination. Picture him, the risen Lord, leading a triumphant parade of all the people he has redeemed—the “second fruits,” so to speak. Imagine the millions and millions of people who are now risen with him and enjoying the glory of heaven. The Virgin Mary is in that parade, of course, and so is Joseph. But so too is the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. Zacchaeus, the once-greedy tax collector, is there, too, along with every other sinner who has been redeemed by the Lord. And so are you!
Brothers and sisters, death doesn’t have to have the last word! What’s more, the resurrection doesn’t just have to begin at our deaths. Jesus has already made us a new creation. He has already freed us from sin and guilt, darkness and fear! Today—right now—we can experience our own first fruits of Jesus’ victory!
“Thank you, Jesus, for triumphing over death. Thank you for rising from the dead so that we can rise to new life with you.”
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