But ... not what we thought!

A fellow-driver and I like to attack the newspaper crossword while waiting for a job.  The other day this clue had both of us perplexed. “Contrast container, we hear, though not with tea? (3)”.  Eventually, having determined that the first letter was ‘B’, we settled for ‘BOX’, but with no real confidence that this properly matched the clue, and this was one puzzle that never got finished.  The next day, we looked at the solution, and found that the answer to this clue was ‘BUT’.  We had thought of a variety of containers, totally ignored the idea of a contrast, and certainly never considered such an insignificant little word like this.

It was about this time that my attention was drawn to a verse in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (I Cor. 15:20)”  Paul had been discussing the fundamental point of the faith he had been teaching, that Jesus died for our sins, that he had been buried, and was raised on the third day (vv. 3-4).  The purpose of his providing this summary was to counter doubts that had apparently spread in the Corinthian church that anyone – not even Jesus – could really rise from death as Paul had claimed.  We must remember that Corinth was a thriving port, and as such it embraced a wide range of nationalities and cultures.  It wasn’t surprising, then, that suspicions like this might be expressed in the community, and need to be refuted.

To this end, Paul lists many people, in addition to himself, to whom the risen Jesus had appeared: Cephas (i.e. Peter), the twelve, James, the other apostles, and over five hundred other witnesses, many of whom were still alive, and could be called on for verification if required (vv. 5-8).  He then explores the significance of the denial against which he is arguing.  Not only would it mean that he, Paul, had been peddling a tissue of lies; it would also invalidate the fundamental claim of the Christian faith – then and now – that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, man’s sins have been forgiven.

Having painted this picture of supposed hopelessness, Paul then re-affirms the great truth, the great contrast to this black and unimaginable alternative, that Christ has been raised from the dead, a truth preached not only by him, but also by Peter, “he gave us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (I Peter 1:3)”, and written about by John, “the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood (Rev. 1:5)”.

I hadn’t intended that this little anecdote of two drivers and their crossword should turn into a Bible study or a sermon, so let me close by simply stating what I see as the moral of the tale.  Never ignore what is apparently insignificant.  For surely, the key to Paul’s argument in I Corinthians 15 is the same as the answer to that crossword clue ... the tiny three-letter word that begins verse 20!