Evolving Ecclesia

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that 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; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.

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In this passage, Paul is urging the Corinthians to both remember and affirm the truths of the Gospel he preached to them – that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, then subsequently appeared to the apostles and other believers. At the time, the Corinthians were struggling with doubt and false teachings about the life of Jesus and the resurrection.

He makes a point to note that Jesus appeared to him last, as one “abnormally born”. This phrase has nothing to do with Paul’s physical birth, but rather to his birth in Christ which occurred at a much later point in time, well after the original twelve apostles had come together and followed Jesus. The phrase is also a self-critique from Paul – he recognizes that his past as a Pharisee caused great strife in the early Church.

This passage should give comfort to those of us who come to know Jesus later in life – as Paul notes, Jesus appeared to the twelve apostles, then to a large group of believers, then to James, then to the rest of the apostles, and then finally to Paul, a late convert. It should also comfort those of us who may feel unworthy, or those of us who might feel that we have at some point made mistakes in our relationship with God and the Church. Paul showcases here that Jesus came not just for one group, but for all, regardless of who they are, what they have done, or when they themselves may arrive for Him.

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Prayer: God, help me to have faith in the truth of the Gospel and to trust in the all-encompassing love and grace of Jesus Christ, who died for me, and for all of humanity, even and especially when it feels like we may not deserve it. These things we pray through Christ our Lord, amen.