But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body He wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:35-44
Paul has returned to his main stream of thought related to the resurrection. He has dealt with the side issues and is now back on the main topic of the resurrection from the dead. Paul had an ability to prefigure the questions that people would ask and address them before they were asked. In this case he says, “Here are a couple of foolish questions for you.”
- How will the dead be raised?
- What kind of bodies will they have?
Effectively he says: Take a look at the natural world. All seeds are different from the final form of the outcome from the seed. All seed has to die first before the plant will be able to grow. So too with the body. Sown in death and metamorphosed in resurrected life. Did you catch his inference related to the different kinds of flesh. “There are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.” This is a consistent message in the Bible. Humans, animals, birds and fish are not the same! They are not on an evolutionary production line. They are distinctly different kinds. Reiterating the message of Genesis “each after its kind” in the words of the KJV. Human flesh doesn’t come from the flesh of animals.
The new body is produced from the death of old body. There is a metamorphosis that takes place:- planted in the ground and raised to ever lasting life; brokenness and glory; weakness and strength, natural and spiritual. The inference is that the resurrected heavenly body is not in the same ball park as the temporal earthly body. Just as the flesh of humans, animals, birds and fish are different so too the difference between the heavenly body and the earthly body.
God’s dream isn’t just to get you into heaven, but heaven into you.
Max Lucado
Filter your pain through the brevity of this life and the unending beauty of the next.
Max Lucado
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
If you want a glimpse of your future, don’t look for the size of your dream, but for the size of your sacrifice.
Jeffrey Rachmat