In the last paragraph of his discourse on the resurrection, Paul’s focus shifts from what our bodies will become (1 Corinthians 15:35–49) to how our bodies will be transformed. The introductory words, I tell you this, brothers, express both authority and pastoral concern.

Jewish rabbis often used the term flesh and blood to express human weakness and mortality. Paul’s point is that our bodies, in their present weak state, are not suited for life in God’s kingdom. We need new bodies, bodies that are as imperishable as the kingdom itself.