1st Corinthians 15:3-9

(3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; (4) And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; (5) And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (6) After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. (7) After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (8) And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (9) For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Introduction

There has always been a keen interest in the lives of famous, powerful, and influential people. Throughout history, people have always been fascinated with kings and queens. The royal family of England, though now only titular heads, is still viewed with awe. Great athletes, artists, movie stars, and even nationally-known preachers are ogled when they are in public view. Modern technology has intensified this tendency. We watch TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, and the other similar shows. The cell phone has made it easier to capture the images of these individuals. Now, there is even a phrase for it: “celebrity sighting.” One can even get paid for sending a picture of a celebrity to the Paparazzi. We take selfies with famous people and spread them through social media. So, what’s the connection to this Scripture? I am so glad you asked. The greatest celebrity sightings of all times were the appearances of Christ between His resurrection and His ascension. Paul here is addressing several misunderstandings about the resurrection. His first step in clearing up these misunderstandings is to prove conclusively that the resurrection is a historical fact. He stated there were many “celebrity sightings” of our resurrected Savior. Let’s look a little deeper.

Exposition

1. He Was Seen By The First Responders. 

(Mary, His Mother, And Her Women Friends.)

2. He Was Seen By His Followers.

(The Apostles - Minus Judas.)

(He Was Seen By Peter Who Let Him Down.)

(He Was Seen By Thomas Who Doubted.)

3. He Was Seen By The Faithful Multitude.

(More Than 500 At One Time.)

4. He Was Seen By Paul, A Former Foe.

(Paul Saw Him On The Damascus Road As A Bright Light.)

(He Probably Saw Jesus Other Times That Are Not Recorded.)

(These Unrecorded Encounters Are Probably How Paul Received Detailed Knowledge Of The Resurrection And Authentic Doctrine.)

5. He Was/Is Seen By The Faith-Walkers.

(We Walk By Faith - Not By Physical Sight.)

(You And I Have Experienced His Presence.)

(We Have Seen Him With Our Spiritual Eyes.)

Closing Thoughts

The central fact of the Christian faith is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Had it all ended on the cross, there would have been no good news to share, no bold church to bear witness, no New Testament to teach and preach, and no real life here or in the hereafter. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the resurrection to our faith. His death, burial, and resurrection were done for us. Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

End Notes

1. Simon Greenleaf was the dean of the Harvard law school. He wrote a book on the laws of evidence that became a standard text for a century. The United States judicial system still operates on the rules of evidence established by Greenleaf. He was an atheist and believed the resurrection was a legend. He was challenged by some of his students, who were Christians, to use the same rules of evidence in his three-volume tome and come up with a verdict about the resurrection of Jesus. He initially thought he would easily prove it was a hoax. After extensive study of the New Testament, he had to admit that any jury, after reviewing the evidence, would have to affirm that the resurrection actually occurred. The witnesses were credible and many more than necessary to prove the assertion. Greenleaf became a committed Christian and wrote another book, The Testimony Of The Evangelists, which has become a theological classic, and is required reading in many seminaries.

2. Many have questioned why Paul did not mention the sighting of the women who were the first to see Christ on the first Easter Sunday morning. Any answer would be pure theological speculation. The most feasible rationale is that Paul was proving his point as if he were in court. He really wanted to prove the reality of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In that culture, women had no standing in a court of law. They could not testify in court. Thank God, things have changed. Please don’t be mad with Paul; he wasn’t called to change the entire culture of his day.

3. This note has absolutely nothing to do with the sermon. It is just a piece of trivia from church history. This observation has all but ceased, but the Sunday after Easter was called Holy Humor Sunday or Bright Sunday. The custom was begun by the Greeks in the early centuries of Christianity. It was observed as a day of joy and laughter in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It carries the theme of “the joke is on you, satan.” The custom is rooted in the musings of early church theologians, such as Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom. They claimed that the joke was on satan because he thought he had defeated God’s plan when he crucified Jesus. Little did satan know that God, the Father, would raise Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. In essence, God played a practical joke on satan. The early theologians called it Risus paschalis – “the Easter laugh.” Church goers played harmless practical jokes on one another, told jokes, sang silly songs, and danced. Some of the songs poked fun at satan. We must remember that during this time, everyday life was pure drudgery, and church service was overly solemn by today’s standards. A day of humor was a gigantic change from the weekly routine.

Interestingly, the word “humor” and the word “humility” both have the same root. Both are derived from the Latin word humus, which means “of the earth.” Humor reminds us of our fragility, and that we were created from the dust of the earth. This fact tells us that we should remain humble and spread a little humor along the way. Let us not forget that Jesus told us several times in His Word to “be of good cheer.” We can be cheerful because Christ is alive, and He lives forever more!

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