big bems

How Is Christ the Firstfruits of Resurrection? Yesterday we celebrated our Lord’s resurrection. It was, of course, a grand day. A high feast. This day could also be misunderstood. Misunderstood in this way: we can think of the resurrection of Jesus as a big, important, incredible day, but also as an isolated event. It is anything but. Jesus’ resurrection folds within itself the resurrection of humanity. To make sure we grasp this truth, Paul sends up back to the foundation of the Bible: the Torah. He reminds the disciples in Corinth that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). In the Torah, the firstfruits (in Hebrew, בִּכּוּרִים [bikkurim]) were the first or best part of the crop that was presented to Yahweh at the sanctuary (e.g., Deut. 26:1-11). Because God was the true owner of the land, the firstfruits were like rent that was paid to him. Here is the important part: the firstfruits denoted that the whole field and the whole crop belonged to God. Folded within this small portion was the entire portion. Bushel upon bushel of wheat or barley could not be dumped on the altar, of course, so the little amount stood for the whole amount. We might say the offering of the firstfruits reverberated through the “middle-fruits” and “last-fruits.” So, in calling the resurrected Christ the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” Paul is saying, basically, “More is coming. Just wait.” Because the body of Jesus rose, all in Christ will rise. As Paul goes on to say, this time drawing upon both Genesis and Leviticus, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ (1 Cor. 15:21-23). Think of it this way: if a person is lying down, when they arise, first their head goes up and then the rest of their body follows. So also Christ our Head rose first and we, his Body the Church, will follow on the Last Day. Hardly did the Israelites in the Old Testament realize, when they brought firstfruits to the sanctuary, that they were enacting the reality of the resurrection. But they were. Now, with eyes opened, as we read the Torah, we see the work of Christ foreshadowed. The body that left the tomb already enfolded within itself the promise of more resurrection to come. Far from an isolated event, Christ’s resurrection was the firstfruits of our resurrection as well. For that reason, what will happen on the Last Day to us is as certain as what has already happened on the Resurrection Day to Jesus.