One of my favorite childhood memories is picking blueberries with my uncle in Indiana near the shores of Lake Michigan. The goal was to bring them back to my aunt and make blueberry pancakes for the family. Yet, for every early July, plump, juicy blueberry that ended up in our buckets, there were at least two more that my brother and I consumed right there on the farm. As Southern California kids, who rarely had this experience, we couldn’t get enough of those delicious first fruits of the season.
Today, in 2022, most of us have spent far more time in a grocery store than on a farm, but those few opportunities to experience a ripe harvest is one we will never forget. Even more so, agrarian illustrations were ones that resonated deeply in the souls of Jews and Gentiles alike, both before and after Christ walked this earth. They understood the firstfruits were the finest; a promise of what was to come.
In Leviticus 23, God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to bring the firstfruits of their harvest, the first and best that they had, as an offering to the priest that he may present it to the Lord for his acceptance. This harvest was a perfect picture of what was yet to come. In 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 we see Paul referring to Jesus as the firstfruit; the best of humanity, fully acceptable as the perfect sacrifice for mankind. God did not hold back, he gave his very best, a spotless, unblemished sacrifice; his one and only Son.
In 1 Corinthian 15:20 Paul says, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Jesus was the prototype, the firstfruit, a perfect portrayal of what humanity was created to be. This was God’s guarantee that we would share in Christ’s resurrection with the anticipation of eternity with him. Jesus’ resurrection is not the end of the story. It is a vision for the future, the firstfruit, the longing of all mankind. It is the beginning of the hope that is yet to come!
Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director