The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-10-30
JESUS RISEN.
Or. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.


Sunday, Oct. 3I-GoIden Text, 1.-THE
Lord Is Risen Indeed, and Hath APP
pearcd Unto simon"-Lesson Text, John
H, lis.
II the report Of any startling occurrence
goes TO the parties concerned by those who
ahappen to know" and not by one special
messenger, they get their information at vari-
Gus times and in various ways. Some hear
soon, some late, some from one party, some
from another, some one portion of il, some
another So it was here. Hence four writ
ers, each having his own object in his selec-
ton of facts, may easily seem to vary one
from the other. Their seeming variations
prove that there was no COLLISION or con-
spiracy. John is here bent on showing how
Mary Magdalen came to be the messenger TO
confirm the faith of the disciples. Hence the
beginning of his narrative
v. l. So early in the morning that il WINS
yet dark Mary Magdalen was at the sepul-
cher, not alone, as the other gospels show,
though she speaks only for herself in V, -
She had been at the cross John XIX, 25l. She
noticed the stone rolled away by an angel, rs
Iatt. xviii, 2 describes But she did not
know how it was done, and unprepared like
the rest for the esurrection-plainly, as Jesus
had foretold it-she felt as the disciples did. So
W. q in her eager haste she runs to Peter
and John, and in words characteristic OF her
states the case. He is still her Lord; she has
not changed her view of Him from Ills hav-
ing died on the cross. She does not feel it
necessary to define the doer of this second
wrong "They have" his enemies, who cruel
fled him. She Matt xviii, 81 had Others
with her. but she is singled out, hence,
perhaps, "us know not, etc. So in sorrow,
helpleesness and bereavement the human
heart Graves sympathy.
| V. 3. Peter and John at once went to the
sepulchre, accepting her view so far, yet nat
urally wishing to see for themselves. John
was the younger, Peter was the more impul-
sive. John was first at the door, Peter was
first to 60 into the sepulchre ". A. Little
things show character.
! V. s. Hence John only stopped down into
the opening cut into the rock and saw the
linen clothes lying. Yes, there were the gar
ments; the body was not there. So far
Mary's account is confirmed.
! V. 6. Now Simon Peter comes up, passes
on, sees the same thing and more. The nsp
| kin ". 2, which it was the custom, as we see
from lazarus case John xi, AZ, to bind
about the head, was not thrown with the
linen clothes, but wrapped together in place
by itself This implied order, perhaps rever-
ence for all connected with the buried Master,
and certainly the feeling of right and time &c
make all decent. Who had loosed Him and
! let Him goa
| ". One believer gives courage to an
other John now enters and sees the same
facts and reaches the same conviction. Yes;
Jesus body has been somehow taken away.
/ He believed this, OF that Jesus had risen in
/ the true sense
". 81, for as yet they know not, did not UNI
dsIstand, his meaning and its fulfillment OF
Scripture when he spoke of rising from the
dead. YES" they probably thought, "he
when he has founded the kingdom, like David
| and Solomon will fall asleep and like others
rise again" But he had defined the time
the third day, This they did not take in;
they did not have the preparation of mind for
it which the Scriptures understood would
have given them FPS xvi, l0). So it is that
the Bible. rightly understood, prepares us to
realize the meaning of the facts and state
ments otherwise dark.
V. TO- There seemed no more to be done.
The disciples turned homeward. Not so
Mary. Women TO this day visit and linger
around graves when men are otherwise occu
pied. She fingered at the tomb weeping.
She, too, was moved to look in. To her
appeared what the disciples were not per-
mitted to see The honor was for her. She
stopped down, and there were two angels
sitting, the one where had been the head and
the other where had been the feet Of the
sacred body w. l9l. Their look and bearing
showed what they were according to the ira
ditiona and Bible view of the ministering
spirits. But she is so absorbed with the
thought of Christ that she does not linger
upon them. They are calm, at their posts
for the time They have been serving the
Lord of angels. They have been permitted
to look into the mysteries of redemption
They can report to municipalities and powers
in heavenly places what took place.
V. - There is nothing we see disrespectful
in woman" They so address her. They
speak in sympathy. Angels have much in
common with human believers. We shall be
with, and equal to, the angels. They put the
question to draw out her mind and TO prepare
her for the answer Her reply is as she had
spoken to the two disciples. The Gospel Of
Matt. xvii, Is having given all this-dwell-
nlS OH ii' angel WHO d'tt'i as N,Foh '>Hlhi--
John does not dwell on il, but hastens on to
the interview with Jesus himself
V. II. Still absorbed III the thought of
Jesus. She noticed man standing, and the
gardener being the natural person to look for
III the place and the natural person to do
anything in the garden, she st down tho
words even of Jesus to him ". -, and re-
piled accordingly-"Sir, if thou have" etc.
Here it is that Jesus speaks her name
V. H. The voice is familiar; she remembers
its tones. She turns 1t is Jesus, her Lord
and Master" she calls him, in glad surprise,
and probably with a movement toward him,
as would he natural in the circumstances.
V, II. This would imply heightened in
terview, questions, answers, etc. and he tells
her that it is not needful or wise to linger
over them now, for he is not Immediately |
going. The immediate thing is to relieve
the minds of, as he tenderly puts it, my
brethren and to tell them that the new
form of his work the triumphant part, and |
the part which also looked 10 thcm-namely |
.he giving Of the Comforts-is close at hand |
Again he puts the utmost tenderness into his |
Nords-"my Father and your Father" etc |
He indicates even here the clOseness of union |
between him and them. How wonderful |
not word OF their weakness, not reproach, |
not hint of injured feelings All is forgiven
and forgotten: my God and your God