The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel^(A) I preached to you,^(B) which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved,^(C) if you hold firmly^(D) to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received^(E) I passed on to you^(F) as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins^(G) according to the Scriptures,^{(H) 4} that he was buried,^(I) that he was raised^(J) on the third day^(K) according to the Scriptures,^{(L) 5} and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b](M) and then to the Twelve.^{(N) 6} After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.^{(O) 7} Then he appeared to James,^(P) then to all the apostles,^{(Q) 8} and last of all he appeared to me also,^(R) as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles^(S) and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted^(T) the church of God.^{(U) 10} But by the grace^(V) of God I am what I am, and his grace to me^(W) was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them^(X)—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.^{(Y) 11} Whether, then, it is I or they,^(Z) this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,^(AA) how can some of you say that there is no resurrection^(AB) of the dead?^{(AC) 13} If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised,^(AD) our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.^(AE) But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.^{(AF) 18} Then those also who have fallen asleep^(AG) in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.^(AH)

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,^(AI) the firstfruits^(AJ) of those who have fallen asleep.^{(AK) 21} For since death came through a man,^(AL) the resurrection of the dead^(AM) comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.^{(AN) 23} But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits;^(AO) then, when he comes,^(AP) those who belong to him.^{(AQ) 24} Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom^(AR) to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.^{(AS) 25} For he must reign^(AT) until he has put all his enemies under his feet.^{(AU) 26} The last enemy to be destroyed is death.^{(AV) 27} For he “has put everything under his feet.”^[c](AW) Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.^{(AX) 28} When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him,^(AY) so that God may be all in all.^(AZ)

²⁹ Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? ³⁰ And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?^{(BA) 31} I face death every day^(BB)—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild beasts^(BC) in Ephesus^(BD) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

³³ Do not be misled:^(BF) “Bad company corrupts good character.”^{[e](BG) 34} Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God^(BH)—I say this to your shame.^(BI)

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask,^(BJ) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”^{(BK) 36} How foolish!^(BL) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.^{(BM) 37} When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.^{(BN) 39} Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor,^(BO) the moon another and the stars another;^(BP) and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be^(BQ) with the resurrection of the dead.^(BR) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;^{(BS) 43} it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;^(BT) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.^(BU)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”^[f];^(BV) the last Adam,^(BW) a life-giving spirit.^{(BX) 46} The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.^{(BY) 47} The first man was of the dust of the earth;^(BZ) the second man is of heaven.^{(CA) 48} As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.^{(CB) 49} And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,^(CC) so shall we^[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.^(CD)

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood^(CE) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,^(CF) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.^{(CG) 51} Listen, I tell you a mystery:^(CH) We will not all sleep,^(CI) but we will all be changed^(CJ)— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,^(CK) the dead^(CL) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable^(CM) must clothe itself with the imperishable,^(CN) and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[h](CO)

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin,^(CQ) and the power of sin is the law.^{(CR) 57} But thanks be to God!^(CS) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.^(CT)

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,^(CU) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.^(CV)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(A)(B)

9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons^(C) and to cure diseases,^{(D) 2} and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God^(E) and to heal the sick. ³ He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.^{(F) 4} Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. ⁵ If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”^{(G) 6} So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

⁷ Now Herod^(H) the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John^(I) had been raised from the dead,^{(J) 8} others that Elijah had appeared,^(K) and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.^{(L) 9} But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.^(M)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^(N)(O)

¹⁰ When the apostles^(P) returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,^{(Q) 11} but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,^(R) and healed those who needed healing.

¹² Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

¹³ He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” ¹⁴ (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. ¹⁶ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.^(S) Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah^(T)(U)

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying^(V) in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^(W) others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”^(X)

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”^(Y)

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.^{(Z) 22} And he said, “The Son of Man^(AA) must suffer many things^(AB) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(AC) and he must be killed^(AD) and on the third day^(AE) be raised to life.”^(AF)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^{(AG) 24} For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.^{(AH) 25} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them^(AI) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.^(AJ)

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration^(AK)

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James^(AL) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.^{(AM) 29} As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure,^[a](AN) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy,^(AO) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master,^(AP) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;^(AQ) listen to him.”^{(AR) 36} When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.^(AS)

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy^(AT)

³⁷ The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸ A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

⁴¹ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”^(AU) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”^{(AV) 45} But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,^(AW) and they were afraid to ask him about it.

⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.^{(AX) 47} Jesus, knowing their thoughts,^(AY) took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.^(AZ) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”^(BA)

⁴⁹ “Master,”^(BB) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”^(BC)

Samaritan Opposition

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,^(BD) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.^{(BE) 52} And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan^(BF) village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John^(BG) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[b]?”^{(BH) 55} But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus^(BI)

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road,^(BJ) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(BK) has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”^(BL)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”^(BM)

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”^(BN)

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”