“He Appeared”

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Paul anchors Easter in eyewitness accounts of the truth that Jesus rose again. The resurrection is a fact. And if it’s a fact that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again (verses 3 and 4), then this is a world-changing historical event that needs to be announced. 

Paul mentions Peter (“Cephas”) first. Peter denied Jesus three times the night he was betrayed (John 18:15-18, 25-27). Afterward, “he wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). Jesus specifically finds Peter after the resurrection, to forgive him and call him to shepherd his people (John 21:15-19). 

The other disciples are mentioned, as well. They, too, saw the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. It brought them to their knees in worship, and at the same time was so astounding — so impossible — that they still had doubts, too (Matthew 28:17). But the evidence was overwhelming. Jesus is alive.

We don’t know exactly when Jesus appeared to the 500 (verse 6). It must have been electrifying, for so many to see the risen Jesus at once. Paul doesn’t describe this event, because he doesn’t want his argument to rest on sensationalism or spectacle. Paul says that most of these men and women were still living at the time of his writing, and could verify his claims with their own testimony. Again, the resurrection is a fact. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting mentions here is James. This would be James, the half-brother of Jesus, not James the disciple. Jesus’ family had a hard time with Jesus’ ministry at first (Mark 3:21, 31). We can’t blame them — if one of our brothers announced that he was the Son of God and suddenly became famous for doing miracles, we’d have a hard time, too. But here, after his crucifixion and burial, the risen Jesus had a moment with his brother James to prove the truth of what he’d been saying all along. 

And, at the end, Paul lists himself. His encounter with the risen Jesus was much later, while he was on the way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Jesus (Acts 9:3-6). This is why Paul says he is “unworthy to be called an apostle” (verse 9). 

All of these eyewitnesses saw the same thing. Jesus, who had died, was alive. The resurrection is a fact.

Lord Jesus,
You walked out of your tomb!
Thanks be to God!
Help me to believe,
So that I, too, might be a witness for you!
Through your resurrection power,
Amen!