Day 25 - Witnesses for the Defense
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Focal Verses: For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 (CSB)
We all have seen enough court room dramas on TV to know about witnesses. They’re the people brought into court to testify about particular aspects of a given crime and incident that occurred. They’re usually called by both sides (prosecution and defense).
And while there are a myriad of different type witnesses, the most prominent can be boiled down to just two: expert witnesses and eye witnesses (ie people who experienced the event in question in some way or another).
You see, a trial is kind of like a chess game (most lawyers will tell you they do see it as a game, by the way). The object of the game is to present evidence before a jury, then debate the validity of that evidence via the use of witnesses. A prosecutor is hoping that her witnesses will prove the evidence to be incontrovertible. The defense just wants to create one iota of doubt in any piece of evidence presented. In our legal system, the burden of proof lays squarely on the prosecutor…which is precisely where it should be.
Today’s passage in 1 Corinthians is kind of like Paul’s opening statements regarding the essential nature of the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth to our faith and our salvation. In verses 1-11, he sets up his arguments and provides the names and credentials of a multitude of witnesses to the resurrected Jesus. He starts with Cephas (the Aramaic name for Peter), who everyone in the first century church knew and respected. Then moved on down the list—highlighting at least five hundred people who saw Jesus at one gathering—and finally ending with himself (Paul), who saw Jesus after He ascended into Heaven.
In Jewish law, it’s important to understand that if two or more witnesses agreed, it was considered absolute proof that an event took place just as described by those witnesses. And here we have well over five hundred people who laid eyes on the resurrected Messiah of the world.
In his opening statements regarding the resurrection of Jesus, Paul was laying some solid groundwork for the validity of his claims. These witnesses weren’t just redneck hillbillies living in trailer parks smoking too much meth and seeing UFOs. These witnesses were respected. They were honorable. And more important than that, they were being persecuted for their testimony (many had been persecuted by Paul himself!). Who, after all, would hold fast to a falsehood at the risk of death by stoning? Not many and Paul wanted to assure the Corinthians he was telling the truth in what he was about to tell them.
What about you? While these five hundred plus people might have witnessed a bodily resurrected Christ, all true Christians have experienced a resurrected Christ even if our eyes might never have beheld him physically. How is your testimony? How is your witness? What does your own testimony tell a doubting world?
Father God, thank you for the many witnesses to your resurrected Son. Thank you for having Paul provide this list of witnesses so that we might know for certain Jesus physically rose from the dead. Thank you for the resurrection we will each experience in the coming days. Help us Lord to be bold and trustworthy witnesses for our experiences with your resurrected Son.