Dear Church Family,

Hope you are praying for those who need to hear the Gospel and how you might be the bridge to help them have that opportunity. Could it be in one of our worship experiences like Tenebrae or Resurrection Sunday? Of course, it could be in your everyday interaction and conversation. Praying for us to be bold and see what the LORD sees. I’m so grateful for each of you and count it a privilege to be your pastor. Thursday is my birthday and I turn 60! The Wee School kids and our Wednesday night dinner crowd sang Happy Birthday and I had to hold back tears. I love serving with y’all! Here is a great devotional from Chad Bird:

There is a passage in 1 Corinthians 15 that puzzles many readers. Paul writes that Christ “was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4).

But which Scriptures did Paul have in mind? If you search the Old Testament, you will not find a single prophecy that explicitly says the Messiah would rise on the third day.

So what does Paul mean?

One helpful way to understand Paul’s words is to look for a pattern in the Old Testament. Again and again, God does something decisive on the third day or after three days. These moments often involve life, deliverance, restoration, or divine revelation.

Consider these examples:

1. Creation: On the third day, life springs forth from the earth in the form of plants and trees (Gen. 1:11–13).

2. Abraham and Isaac: On the third day, Abraham arrives at the mountain where Isaac is spared, and Hebrews later says that Abraham received him back “figuratively” from the dead (Gen. 22:4; Heb. 11:19).

3. Mount Sinai: God descends upon Mount Sinai on the third day to reveal himself to Israel (Exod. 19:11, 16).

4. Jonah: Jonah spends three days and three nights in the belly of the fish before being delivered (Jonah 1:17).

5. Hosea’s prophecy: The prophet says, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up” (Hos. 6:2).

When we look at these passages together, a pattern begins to emerge. The third day becomes the day when God brings life from the ground, life out of death, rescue out of danger, and hope out of despair.

This is likely what Paul has in mind in 1 Corinthians 15:4. He is not pointing to a single proof-text prediction but to this repeated scriptural pattern or typology.

The resurrection of Jesus on the third day is the climactic fulfillment of that pattern. What God had been foreshadowing throughout the Scriptures reaches its fullest expression when Christ rises from the dead.

Press On,

Mark