The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-26
SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
NOVEMBER 80.
Lesson Text: "Jesus Risen," Luke
xiv, 1-12--GoldenT Text: Cor.
XIV, 20-Commentary.

1. sNow upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, they came unto
the sepu1cher, bringing the spices which
they had prepared, and certain others with
them" On Friday afternoon His body
wrapped in linen, with about hundred
pound weight Of spices which Nicodemus
provided, was by him and Joseph Of Art-
mathea laid in Joseph's new tomb, where-
in was never man yet laid John xix, 38-49.
According to Matthew and Mark, some Of
the women Of Galilee who followed Him,
ministering unto Him, saw Him die as they
stood afar off, or rather were standing afar
off when He died, and also saw where Joseph
and Nicodemus buried Him. Then they re-
turned and prepared spices and ointments
and rested the Sabbath day according to the
commandment (xxiii, 56). These are they
who come so early to the sepulchre. With
sad and heavy hearts they come to add one
more kindness to the many which they have
already bestowed on Him whom they loved
so well. ...a -...... Z. .s
2. "And they found the stone rolled away
from the sepulcher." They said as they came,
''Who shall roll us away the stone from the
door of the sepulcher% Mark xvi, 3 But
they find that difficulty removed ere they
come to it. When love leads us on in His
service, even though it often be unnecessary
and unbelieving effort, His love and power
rolls away all the stones; how much more
does He do this when our service is believing
as well as loving!
8. "And they entered in and found not the
body Of the Lord Jesus" Putting the various
accounts together, it would seem that Mary
Magdalene was the first to find the sepulcher
empty and the stone rolled away, and that
she, too, was the first to tell Peter and John
John u., 49, Then it would seem that
the other women came and saw an
angel sitting upon the stone which had
been rolled away, and also an angel
sitting in the sepulcherr, and that
each told them to go and tell His disciples
xvi, S, n. Mary Magdalene seems to have
fingered after the others, so blinded by
grief and tears that she either did not knowt
that it was angels who spoke to her rom
the tomb, or did not care to know; neither
did she know Jesus Himself when BE first
spoke to her until he called her by name. I
SO binding is unbelieving grief. II Mary
and the other women and the disciples had
only believed His simple statement that He
would rise again the third day they would not
have been found looking in sepulchre for
lifeless body or seeking the living among the
dead. &
4. "And it came to pass as they wers much
perplexed thereabout, behold two men stood
probably the same two mentioned by
Matthew and Mark. Jesus sent tho seventy,
two and two before Him luke 4, u; the
Spirit sent forth Paul and Barnabas, then
Paul and Silas, Barnabas and Mark (Acts
xiii, Q; xy., 39, 4Ol. In the beginning OF the
church's history, and also in Jesus's last
days, we read Of Peter and John as fellow
laborers duke xii, 8; Acts ill, /; iv., 19.
So also we often find the angels two to.
gether, as when two accompanied the Lord
to visit Abram and two appeared at the
ascension (Gen. xviii, 1, 2; Actsi., 10y.
5. "And as they were afraid, and bowed
down their faces to the earth. they said unto
them, Why seek ye the living (margin, Him
words to John long afterward: II am tho
first, and the last, and the living one; was
dead and behold 7 am alive foreyermore'
REV. l., II, 18, R. W. We learn from this
verse that unbelief causes fear and turns our
faces earthward. The remedy is to look up
and see Him who is alive foreyermore, and
who has the keys Of hades and death; who
has all power in heaven and on earth: who
says "Fear thou not, for am with thee" -
6. HE is not here, but is risen: remember
how He spake unto you when He was yet In
Galilee." 1t would not do for us to say OF
our dead in Christ that they are risen, for
''risen" refers to the body. and the body re-
mains in the grave till the resurrection OF tne
righteous at the coming of Christ; but we
may truly say as we look into the grave,
s'They are not here, they are with Christ"
Z. "Saying, the Son Of Man must bede-
livered into the hands Of sinful men, ana oe
crucifed, and the third day rise again"
Many times had He said these very words
lust as plainly as these angels now said
them Matt. xvi, 81; xvii, %; *, l9;; see
also John H., 19; Matt xii, 4V, but they had
never believed them.
8. "And they remembered His words"
That was tho right thing to do. II they had
remembered sooner they would have saved
themselves much sorrow The word OF God
is to be received, kept hid or laid up IN the
heart, eaten, talked about, meditated on.
9. ''And returned from the sepulcher, and
told all these things unto the eleven, and to
all the rest" Remembering His word makes
us forget our sorrow, and turns us away from
the dead to minister unto the living. II we
have not something to tell about Jesus our
hearts must be very empty of the things
which concern Him, and we had better ask
ourselves if we really know Him. There are
two appearances of Christ which occurred
somewhere in connection with this lesson,
though not mentioned by Luke. His appear
auce to Mary Magdalene before He had as.
cended to the Father John *, 10, ~, and
His appearance little later to the other
women whom he suffered to hold Him by
the feet and worship Him (Matt. xviii, 81.
10. 1T was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna,
and Mary, the mother of James, and other
women that were with them, which told these
things unto the apostles" According to the
word of the angels, $50 quickly and tell His
disciples that He is risen from the dead"
"they departed with fear and great Joy, and
did run to bring His disciples word.h It was
then that Jesus met them and said, "Be not
afraid; go tell my brethren" NIatt. xviii,
7-10. The explanation of any seeming diff.
fculty in the various accounts is that some
of the evangelists summarize matters, while
others give certain item or items more IN
detail. There are no contradictions.
II. "And their words seemed to them as
IDLE tales and they believed them not"
Paul preached Jesus and the resurrection at
Athens; some Knocked, and others said: We
will hear thee again of this matter. When
at Rome he preached the Gospel OF the
Kingdom, some believed and some believed
not (Acts xviii, 80; xviii, %, 2A. We are
nowhere encouraged to hope that in this dis
pensation all who hear the Gospel will be-
iieve The parallels Of the sower and the
tares declare the contrary, and also the con-
mission in Mark xvi, IS, 16. This is not to
be wondered at, for the carnal mind is
enmity against God. But these men to
whom the women came were disciples; they
had lived with Christ, had preached the
Gospel and wrought miracles in His name.
and to them the fact Of His resurrection was
an idle tale Let us not wonder then If the
Blessed Hope Of His return and all that it
signifies is to many true Christians only an
II. linen arose Peter. and ran unto Jne
sepulcher, and stopping down he beheld the
linen clothes laid by themselves, and de-
parted wondering in himself ct that which