Job 19:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Did he truly grasp the concept of resurrection? It appears to me that even concerning the resurrection of the body, unless one suggests that resurrection signifies liberation from the adversities that plague him. ‘Therefore I desire,’ he states, ‘that my sufferings may endure even after my liberation.’ This represents the highest wisdom, to keep the chastisements of God, even those of the past, continually before our eyes! From the Lord, he proclaims, it has been achieved for me. He rightly indicates that there is a justifiable reason for his transformation. He, he says, who struck, He will also restore (Job 5:18).

When he states, ‘And again I will put on my skin, and in my flesh I will see God,’ it is clear that he does not speak as one who clings to the decaying flesh he observes, but rather expresses a profound faith in the resurrection, disdainful of his current plight, and finding solace in what is to come. When he proclaims, ‘I will put on my skin,’ one must ask, where is the earthly body in this declaration? Where is the ethereal, spirit-like form? Surely, where skin and flesh exist, along with bones, nerves, blood, and veins, there remains a corporeal reality, a unique expression of humanity.

Through His Resurrection, blessed Job, you find hope for the resurrection of your own flesh, speaking openly of it: "And I must rise at the last day out of the earth" (Job 19:25).

This signals the Resurrection that He demonstrated Himself, promising it for us as well, since the members of His Body will share in the glory of their Head. Our Redeemer traversed death to alleviate our fear of it, revealing the Resurrection to instill within us the assurance that we, too, will rise again. His own death lasted only three days, mitigating any despair regarding the necessity of death, and it is aptly noted by the prophet, "He shall drink of the stream in the way; Therefore He shall lift up the head" (Psalms 109:7). He took upon Himself our sufferings in the present world, experiencing death not as an eternal state but as a transition, leaving it after three days, unlike us who face death until the end of days.

When He was resurrected on the third day, what did He reveal if not His Body, or the Church? By His example, He illustrated the reward of the resurrection, anchoring our hope that we, too, shall receive the promise of resurrection at the end of time, just as He was raised. Although our flesh may remain in the dust until the end of the world, He transformed into life on the third day, showcasing the power of His divine nature. This reality is paralleled in the twelve rods placed in the tabernacle, where, despite the priesthood of Aaron being disregarded and the tribe deemed unworthy, the rod of Levi flourished, signifying Aaron's divinely given authority (Numbers 17:8).

This serves as a sign that while we lie in death's embrace, we may resemble the other rods in barrenness. Eventually, while all other rods remained dry, the rod of Levi blossomed, just as our true Priest, after experiencing the dryness of death, was resurrected into the flowers of life. The blossoming of Aaron’s rod illustrates the glory of the Resurrection of our Redeemer from the tribe of Judah and Levi (Luke 1:5, 36), who serves as our Advocate. Recognize then, that while Aaron's rod came to life, the other tribes' rods remained lifeless, revealing the distinction between the resurrected Lord’s Body and our own mortality, yet prompting Job to note, "And I must rise at the last day out of the earth."

Thus, our hope in our own resurrection is rooted in the glory of our Head. We might wonder privately about the nature of our resurrection, pondering whether we will arise in a different ethereal body or in the same form as in our earthly life. Yet, to resurrect in a non-physical form would mean that it would no longer be truly ‘me,’ as a genuine resurrection requires the same flesh that once perished. Simply put, if it is not that which has fallen that is raised, then it cannot justly be termed a resurrection. Yet, glorious Job, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, has dispelled our fears, imparting wisdom about our resurrection, clearly explaining whether our flesh shall indeed be restored.

This profound truth was acknowledged even in the heathen world and was vaguely recognized by those under the law. The belief in the Redeemer provided comfort and hope to the righteous throughout the Old Testament, and Job, who endured so much, clearly articulated this understanding. Job is not speaking of a mere restoration of his physical health or earthly existence; he has just declared his firm belief in his imminent death. Many of the Church Fathers recognized this passage as a reference to the future resurrection. However, while Irenaeus and Athenagoras did not cite this passage as evidence of the resurrection, and St. Chrysostom suggested that Job was unaware of it, this may be due to the overshadowing reality of Job’s dire earthly circumstances.