Why is Jesus the "First Fruits"?
Tim Davis
What does Paul mean when he calls Jesus the “first fruits”?
In 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, Paul writes, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
A SIGN OF WHAT’S TO COME
So what’s the deal with this first fruits language?
If you plant a garden, the first fruit is the first tomato or cucumber (or whatever you planted) that’s ready to eat. What’s more, the first fruits let you know your garden is a success! Why? Because the first fruits are a sign of what’s to come—more tomatoes and cucumbers are on the way!
Following this logic, Paul is asserting that Jesus’ resurrected body wasn’t a one-time event. His resurrected body is a sign of what’s to come.
If you are united to Jesus in faith, you too, will be resurrected to new life just like him.
Now let’s go back to the beginning of the Bible to see why this matters.
GOD’S IMAGE AND HUMAN REBELLION
In Genesis 1:26-28, God creates humanity—male and female—in his image.
Well, what does it mean to be made in the image of God. In short, being made in God’s image means you reflect what is true about God and you function as his representative in the world.
We get some clues in this text as to what it means to reflect and serve as his representatives. In part, humans should exercise dominion over the birds and fish and so on.
Now think about the word, “dominion”. What kind of person exercises dominion? Answer: a royal figure like a king or queen. Point being, part of what it means to be human is to be mini kings and queens in creation—that is, to be God’s vice-regents.
But in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve fail in their duties. Instead of listening to God’s voice, they listened to the voice of another—and for the first time in the Biblical narrative, someone other than God defines what is good (Gen. 3:6).
And with that, God’s representatives fail.
The rest of the Hebrew Bible is filled with image-bearers failing to reflect and represent God. This begs the question…
Will there ever be a human who will perfectly reflect God in this world and exercise dominion faithfully?
JESUS, THE TRUE HUMAN
The New Testament gives us the answer to that question.
In Colossians 1:15, the Apostle Paul writes, “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.”
What we witness in the gospels (among other things) is the perfect human at work. Yes, Jesus was and still is truly divine; but he was and still is truly human. Even now—like, right now!—Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father in resurrected bodily form.
Jesus is the human par excellence.
He did what Adam and the people of Israel failed to do. And on the other side of death, he resurrected to new life. His resurrected body is a sign—the first fruits—of what’s to come. God is committed to making a new creation—a new heaven and new earth—filled with a new humanity (Eph. 2:15).
So why does it matter that Jesus is the first fruits of what’s to come?
Because it’s a sign that God is restoring what was lost in Eden. God is putting the world right. God hasn’t given up on creation. Our final hope isn’t a disembodied existence floating in the clouds—our hope is a new created order where we will see his face (Rev. 22:4). We will reign with him as we were designed to do from the beginning (Rev. 22:5).
By faith, look to Christ and behold him. His resurrection life is the first fruits of what’s to come. One day, we will fully experience our new resurrection life that’s only found in him.