The Appearance to the 500

And that he appeared to Peter and to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:5–6 NIV)

Here is another post-resurrection appearance, perhaps the most major one in terms of impact, that the scripture tells us precious little about, except that it happened. Yet it was a major fact that the early church knew about, as Paul’s words tell us.

The resurrection of Christ as an historical fact: The resurrection of Christ was well attested to, and these five hundred were known among the believers. This points to the veracity of the resurrection. It was not a myth, an hallucination, or an intentional deception. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was an historical fact, with eyewitnesses.

These eyewitnesses were vetted by the most stringent of systems — the ruthless persecution of those who said, “He is risen!” All that any of them had to do to avoid persecution was to deny the resurrection, but they held steadfastly to this testimony. He is risen from the dead.

The resurrection power of Christ as a spiritual experience: The resurrection also had a spiritual meaning to these early believers, as it does to us today. The scripture says:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3 NIV)

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection… (Phil. 3:10 NIV)

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Rom. 6:4 NIV)

The resurrection has an objective meaning in that it promises the ultimate resurrection from the dead of every believer. Just as Christ was risen, so shall we also be risen and endowed with a spiritual, incorruptible body. But the resurrection also has a subjective personal meaning for each believer, that it reveals the new power of God at work in us. Just as it is contrary to the laws of nature for a dead body to come to life again, so it is contrary to the reality of human culture and human nature for someone enslaved to sin, bound by a fallen and evil way of looking at everything in life, to live victoriously for Christ. But this is the spiritual resurrection that we receive in Christ.

The resurrection declared the power of God to raise us spiritually from the death of our sins to the life of God. This is the power of God to make evil people good, to make sinners saints, and to make liars truth tellers. Whether we have seen the resurrected Christ or not, we can experience His resurrected life in our lives today through our faith and submission to Him.

Your potential in life as a Christian does not depend on the circumstances you are surrounded with, or even the people you know, or the talents and assets you possess. It depends merely upon your faith in the power of God. Believe and you will find that just as Christ came out of the tomb, so you can come out of the tomb of your sin and into the light of God.