For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: 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, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Sometimes fishermen are known for telling some pretty big “fish tales.” They recount stories of “the big one that got away,” but there isn’t always someone there to add credibility to their story. So, we question just how big that fish really was. We humans like proof! We like there to be witnesses and stories that match up, giving us something solid to believe in.
Humans haven’t changed much in thousands of years. Today’s verses are a portion of a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He wrote to them about Christ’s death and resurrection in order to help them know that it was not just some made up story. He told them about witnesses who could corroborate what he said. These witnesses were all people they would know or would have heard about. They were still alive themselves and could be questioned to confirm that Paul was telling the truth.
The event of Christ’s death and resurrection is known today because the people who saw it told others and wrote about it. These stories were corroborated by other witnesses, which means we can trust what was said.
Faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord is based on an event that was witnessed by many and was told to many others, so that you would have the opportunity to believe also.
