A Word From The Pastor: Dr. Timothy Nelson

 

March 24, 2024

   


For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died... was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The very earliest summary we have of the Christian message contained an explicit reference to Jesus's burial.  The Apostle Paul, writing to Christians in Corinth about twenty years after Jesus's death, summarized the basic Christian good news in this way:  For I delivered to you... that he (Jesus) was buried... in accordance with the scriptures.  (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Why did the earliest Christians, and then why did the writers of the Gospels, consider it so important to mention the actual burial of Jesus? To put the question a different way, what does "and that he was buried" add to the essential Christian message?  For one thing, it prepares the way for the affirmation of the resurrection. To say that Jesus died and was raised without mentioning His burial could lead to a misunderstanding of the story.  One might think that Jesus was immediately brought back to life from the cross or that He was immediately jettisoned to heaven.  "And that he was buried" eliminates these options and explains the place from which Jesus was raised.  But, more important by far, the mention of the burial of Jesus makes it absolutely clear that Jesus really died on the cross - He died for whosoever will.

Adapted from:  https://depree.org/life-for-leaders/why-the-burial-of-jesus-matters


 

Background image by  ~ Silver and Gold and Thee ~