A man was driving down a winding road when suddenly a bunny sprang out, leaving him no time to brake. He hit the bunny head-on as his car skidded to a stop.
With heart pounding, the man quickly exited his car. He saw what he perceived to be the Easter Bunny lying motionless. As the man reached for his phone, another car stopped.
A well-groomed man with every hair in place emerged from the vehicle and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I believe I have hit the Easter Bunny,” the first man said. “He’s unconscious, and I need to get him veterinary help.”
The well-groomed man quickly returned to his car and retrieved a small spray bottle. Returning to the scene, he sprayed the dormant hare. Suddenly, the rabbit sprang up, ran into the woods, stopped, and waved to the men. The bunny continued to do this until the men could no longer see the hare.
“What was in that spray bottle?” the first man asked.
“Hairspray!,” the second man said. “It revitalizes hair and adds permanent wave.”
While this is a silly resurrection story, the Apostle Paul faced severe anxieties from the church at Corinth concerning the Resurrection. In I Corinthians 15:35-49, Paul provides instructions on what will happen to every believer after their physical death.
First, Paul assures the church at Corinth that the Resurrection reveals that we live beyond the here and now. Like Jesus, Paul uses sowing and reaping as idioms for death and resurrection.
Paul states that the resurrection also reveals the purpose of our existence: to take on Christ’s character. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul says we all, with unveiled faces, behold His glory and take on His character through the Spirit. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the experience altered Moses’ appearance. The children of Israel were frightened by Moses’ transformation, so Moses veiled his face. Resurrection power reveals the purpose of our existence: to take on Christ’s character. We are to live unveiled, demonstrating Christ’s character to the world.
Finally, Paul explains that the resurrection reveals our destiny: to be changed into Christ’s likenesses. Paul’s explanation of the progression from the natural body, which we currently inhabit, to the spiritual body, designed for heaven and eternity, is profound. The process is akin to a planted seed that must die before it grows into its ultimate form. This understanding should inspire as it reveals the destiny of our existence. The natural body follows the pattern of the first Adam. In contrast, the resurrection body aligns with the pattern of the last Adam, Christ.
Genesis 2:7 illustrates how the first Adam became a living earthly being when God formed him from the ground and breathed life in him. Conversely, Christ transformed into a “life-giving spirit” when God resurrected Him to life. All who believe in Christ are assured to be resurrected anew in Him.
As we consider His resurrection, we should remember that it assures there is more than the here and now; it reveals the purpose of our existence, which is to take on Christ’s character, and the destiny of our existence, which is to take on Christ’s likeness. As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, may we find solace in everything God’s resurrection reveals.
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