“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 15:8 Mean?
Paul describes his resurrection encounter with Christ as the last in the sequence: "last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." The word "last" (eschatos) means final — Paul's encounter on the Damascus road was the closing of the resurrection appearance window. After Paul, no one else saw the risen Christ in this manner.
The phrase "born out of due time" (ektroma — miscarriage, premature birth, abortion) is Paul's most self-deprecating description. He compares himself to a spiritual miscarriage — born too late, out of sequence, not properly developed. He missed the earthly ministry entirely and was persecuting the church when the other apostles were following Jesus.
Despite the self-deprecation, Paul insists the encounter was real. He saw Jesus. The same Jesus who appeared to Peter, to the twelve, to five hundred, to James — appeared to Paul. The ektroma had a genuine encounter with the risen Lord, however untimely his arrival to the faith was.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does Paul's self-description as a 'spiritual miscarriage' comfort you about your own imperfect entry into faith?
- 2.What does 'last of all' teach about the closing of certain windows while the faith itself remains open?
- 3.Where has your timing been 'wrong' in ways God redeemed anyway?
- 4.How does Paul's insistence that he saw Jesus (despite the untimely birth) validate encounters that don't follow the expected pattern?
Devotional
Last of all. A spiritual miscarriage. Born at the wrong time. Paul describes his own apostolic calling with the least flattering language available in the Greek language.
The word ektroma means a premature birth — or more literally, a miscarriage. Paul looks at the other apostles (who walked with Jesus, witnessed the ministry, saw the crucifixion and resurrection in real time) and says: I'm the one who shouldn't be here. I arrived late, deformed, out of sequence. The others had a normal birth into apostleship. I was born wrong.
The honesty is disarming. The greatest theologian in church history describes his own calling as a medical emergency. Not a triumphant conversion story — a barely-survived, against-all-odds, shouldn't-have-happened spiritual birth. Paul was persecuting the church when the risen Jesus showed up. The timing was wrong. The condition was wrong. Everything about Paul's entry into the faith was premature and violent.
But he saw Jesus. That's the non-negotiable. However Paul describes the quality of his birth, the encounter was real. The same risen Christ who appeared to Peter in the upper room appeared to Paul on the Damascus road. The ektroma saw the same Lord. The miscarriage encountered the same resurrection.
If Paul — the spiritual miscarriage, the late arrival, the one who shouldn't have been there — saw the risen Christ and became the church's greatest apostle, then your late arrival doesn't disqualify you either. Your timing might be off. Your preparation might be incomplete. Your birth into faith might look like an emergency rather than a celebration. But if you've encountered the risen Jesus, you belong in the list.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And last of all he was seen of me also,.... Either when the apostle was caught up into the third heaven; or when he was…
And last of all - After all the other times in which he appeared to people; after he had ascended to heaven. This…
And last of all - of me also - It seems that it was essential to the character of a primitive apostle that he had seen…
It is the apostle's business in this chapter to assert and establish the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which…
of me also, as of one born out of due time Deed borun, Wiclif. The word here (after Tyndale) translated born out of due…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture