The Core of the Gospel: Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ

September 19, 2024 - Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 15:1-11

At the heart of Christianity is the story of Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection. Jesus' death on the cross is confirmed by historians like Josephus, Tacitus, and Suetonius. While nobody doubts Jesus' life and death, the truth of Jesus' resurrection is established on the testimony of witnesses — those who encountered the risen Christ in their lives. The New Testament contains two resurrection traditions: one in the Gospels, narrating the encounters of the risen Christ by the women and apostles, and the other in today's passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:1-11).

Paul begins by stating that he preached the Gospel he received, passed on by its witnesses. Only those who experienced the Gospel's transforming power can share it. Paul encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and was incorporated into the Body of Christ through the ministry of the Christian community in Damascus where he was baptized.

Paul highlights three components of the message Gospel. First, Christ's death for our sins according to the Scriptures, referencing Isaiah's fourth song of the suffering servant (Is 52:13-53:12). Second, Christ's burial, which is crucial to the resurrection testimony. On Pentecost, fifty-three days after Jesus' death, when Peter preached Christ's resurrection, his Jewish listeners could go to the tomb where Jesus was buried and confirm his message — Christ's body was nowhere to be found. Finally, Paul says that Jesus "was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:4). Peter used Psalm 16 to prove the resurrection of God's anointed was prophesied. But there is also a passage in the Book of Hosea that Paul could have in mind. In the ancient Greek translation that predates the Gospels, the text goes like this: "After two days he will make us healthy; on the third day we will rise up and live before him" (Hosea 6:2).

Paul's proclamation is enacted in the sacrament of baptism. In the letter to the Romans, we read that we are baptized in Jesus' death, buried with Him in the baptismal waters, and risen to a new life for God (see Rom. 6:3-4). Through the sacrament of baptism, every baptized Christian participates in the Gospel. The Gospel is not a doctrine but Good News that transforms life by uniting us to Christ. Thus, Paul can say: "if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Paul lists those who encountered the risen Christ, starting with Peter (Cephas) and the Twelve, which can be found in the Gospels. Stories about the 500 brothers and James, although not recorded in the Gospels, are part of apostolic tradition. Finally, Paul mentions his encounter with the risen Christ, highlighting his unworthiness because of his former way of life.

Jesus told Thomas, who initially doubted the resurrection: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). This blessing applies to all who believe the witnesses' testimony. With Paul, we proclaim: "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4).