1 Corinthians 15:35-38

“But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” vss. 35-36

Paul was not born with a “Minnesota Nice” gene, (if there really is such a thing!) In this instance, confronted with what he considered a dumb question, he gives a rather snarky reply, addressing the questioner as a fool. It’s not the sort of thing a pastor would say in an adult bible study class. But Paul really did think it was foolish to imagine that someone who died would have the same body in the resurrection. And to prove his point he went to the natural world. He believed that when a seed was planted it died, and it did not grow unless it disintegrated, and was given a new body. Obviously his conclusion was based solely on observation and not a deep knowledge of botanical science, but the metaphor is a good one. Essentially he’s saying that our resurrected bodies will be nothing like the ones we are now enjoying and using. The new life will be outside the realm of space and time in which we now exist, we don’t even have words that can adequately describe it. We are certainly welcome to come up with our own private notions about life after death, and there are plenty to choose among. But we should always remember that the reality will be much more wonderful than we can imagine–and that’s a very good thing!

Thought for the Day: What do I imagine about life after death?