Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities
We too are called to accompany Jesus, to provide for him from out of our resources, and to serve him with our talents. We are called to do so regardless of our social standing, and are not disqualified by our past, whatever it may have been. Even for those of us who did not have lifestyles of debauchery and dissipation before our eventual conversions it is nevertheless true that we have all sinned, all fallen short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). We have all done what we ought not do, and not done many things we ought to do. We have never once adequately responded to the many gifts of grace given us by God. Even our thanksgiving is paltry compared to what we receive. Yet none of this defines us. None of it puts a limit on who we can become now that we are walking with Christ. We may have a past as sinners but it in no way precludes our future as saints. Things that the world tells us should define us and limit us are not limitations in Christ in whom, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (see Galatians 3:28). Our lives now transcend the narrow horizon of mortality. Paul wants us to understand that the resurrection of Christ does not merely tell us about Jesus but also about ourselves and our own destinies.
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
It is not the case that resurrection was merely a one-time event, an outlier that happened to Jesus, but without ongoing effects on reality. The problem it addressed was not a temporary problem, as though it merely removed an obstacle for Jesus himself. It was not just a continue after a game over. It was the victory in a battle in which death was defeated and sin was conquered. Our own sin would still remain were it not for the resurrection. Our own past would still define us. It is the resurrection which opens a new horizon of life for us and makes us new creations in Christ (see Second Corinthians 5:17). This is why Paul writes, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins". This is the reason why we're here. Without it Christianity doesn't really have anything to offer. Without the resurrection all that remains is a distraction from the harsh reality of our impending death. There are ways in which our lives will be better as Christians regardless, since being virtuous does lead to fulfillment of a sort. But living as though our treasure is in heaven if there were really no heaven awaiting us would truly be sad and hollow. The payoff from Christianity is meant to be more than the side benefits that may accrue during our mortal lives, which is why Paul tells us, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all". But the thing to remember, the thing on which Paul insists, and the fundamental core of the Good News of Christianity is precisely that "Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep". Let us not only believe it but let's allow it to transform us, as it did all who encountered the risen Christ.
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