But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue exulted; my flesh, too, will swell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption.
In today’s reading we are presented with the teaching of the resurrection of the dead. Jesus has conquered death through the cross. He has risen with his new body and we will do the same. In Romans 8:23-24 we read, “and not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as children, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?” No other founder of a world religion has ever promised or done this. Not Buddha. Not Muhammed. Only Jesus. Interesting fact, “The Jewish view was that physical decay began on the fourth day after death, as illustrated in Martha’s comment that there would be an odor because Lazarus had been dead four days (John 11:39). But Jesus was raised on the third day—a sign that this prophecy that God’s holy one “would not see corruption” was fulfilled in him!”(William S. Kurz) Jesus really did die and rise again on the third day (Sunday). Jesus had to physically suffer and die on the cross. He didn’t die metaphorically or spiritually. He didn’t faint (like some people think). He didn’t trick his apostles and say, just kidding! Here I am. Nope. Did all the people hallucinate seeing him walk around for forty days? Smh. That’s crazy talk. No one could have survived a crucifixion. The Romans were EXPERT EXUCUTIONERS. They knew what they were doing and they were good at it. I emphasize all of this because Jesus knew physical death was the key to saving not only our souls, but our bodies. We should not take Christ off the cross. It is where he chose freely to show his love for us. I know I’ve talked about this before. Jesus humbly submitted his will to the cross so we could rise with him. Secondly, sin is what separated the perfect union of body and soul in Eden. Christ has conquered sin. Many of the Jews Peter was speaking to didn’t believe in the resurrection of the body.
The Old Testament brings up resurrection as well. In Job 19: 25-27 we read, “For I know my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” Also, in Samuel 2:6 it says, “The LORD brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.” This teaching has serious ramifications if we hold it to be true. It means that our bodies are JUST AS IMPORTANT as our souls. Our bodies are GOOD.
Reflection: We need to love our bodies and not place more value on the soul. We are NOT GNOSTICS. Gnosticism is a heresy that the church condemns. To put it extremely simply, it states that the body is evil and the soul good. A fantastic thing to read if you want to learn more about how wonderfully God created your body is, Man and Woman He Created Them by Saint John Paul II. It talks about how we can discover God’s plan for us through our bodies. If that’s too hefty for your comfort level (its intense 0.o), pick up Mary Healy’s or Jason Everett’s explanation of it. God bless you sisters! Remember, your body is good and it will be with you for eternity so LOVE IT ;) Shalom. Xoxo.
