Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

What if the Messiah wasn’t raised?

¹² Well, then: if the royal proclamation of the Messiah is made on the basis that he’s been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead, the Messiah hasn’t been raised, either; ¹⁴ and if the Messiah hasn’t been raised, our royal proclamation is empty, and so is your faith. ¹⁵ We even turn out to have been misrepresenting God, because we gave it as our evidence about God that he raised the Messiah, and—if the dead really are not raised—he didn’t! ¹⁶ For if the dead aren’t raised, the Messiah wasn’t raised either; ¹⁷ and if the Messiah wasn’t raised, your faith is pointless, and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ What’s more, people who have fallen asleep in the Messiah have perished for good. ¹⁹ If it’s only for this present life that we have put our hope in the Messiah, we are the most pitiable members of the human race.

The reign of the Messiah

²⁰ But in fact the Messiah has been raised from the dead, as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁷ He went down with them, and took up a position on a level plain where there was a large crowd of his followers, with a huge company of people from all Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They came to hear him, and to be cured from their diseases. Those who were troubled by unclean spirits were healed, ¹⁹ and the whole crowd tried to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing everybody.

²⁰ He lifted up his eyes and looked at his disciples, and said: