1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 42-50
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 42-50 (NIV)
After reading these verses a few times, two things really struck me.
The first is the comforting thought that God makes us all unique – “But God gives it a body as he has determined, and each kind of seed he gives its own body.” Each of us is a seed (or soul) and each of us is unique – both physically (eye, hair, skin color) and in our abilities and gifts. This goes back to God knowing every hair on our heads, 100 years before we were born. I’ve always been comforted by that – God KNOWS me. This takes it a step further – God MADE me just as I am.
The second one took me down a rabbit hole (or two).
I must admit, I’ve not spent a lot of time thinking about what my body (or not body) would look like in heaven, so this idea of a resurrection body came a bit out of left field. And the whole topic and these verses, felt (still do feel) above my paygrade so to speak. So I did what I seem to always do – Google it!
In the end I found it fascinating and came away with this impression – for want of an easier way to explain it - humans are like caterpillars. During ‘life’ we are housed in a body that is adequate to our needs and serving the purpose. Much like a caterpillar. After we die, we transform - like caterpillars – into beautiful creatures – like butterflies (i.e., angels if you want to go that route).
Obviously, it’s not a perfect metaphor and I dare say very incomplete to bible scholars, but I hope you understand what I’m taking from these verses – our “natural” body is the vehicle God gives us to live our lives here on earth. That body does not go with us when we die. What does go to heaven is our “spiritual” body (aka soul).
All of which leads me to this conclusion: the soul (or seed) in each of us is uniquely created by God. And loved by God – deeply and completely. And ultimately ends up back with God.
Questions for Reflection:
- What God given gifts do I have? How am I using them?
- How do I care for the seed (soul) and body God’s given me?
- What do I envision when I think of heaven?
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for creating me, for loving me and for giving me hope in eternal life. Help me use my gifts (your gifts) to serve you here on earth. Amen.
Login To Leave Comment