The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-11-27
JESUS RISEN.
irrational Sunday School Lesson for
November 80, 1890.

LESSON TExT-Luke -: lis.
GOLDEN TExT-Now is Christ risen from the
aead, and become the first fruits Of them that
sIept--l Cor. Is: 90.
CENTRAL TRUTH - The risen Saviour is our
xesurrcction and Life.
TfME-Early Sunday morning. April Q, A. d.
30; third day after the cruclfixion.
PIACE-The tomb in the garden near Calvary.
PARALLEL AccouNTs-Matt %: Ills; Mark
l6: lii; John 20: 1-la
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-2 'The stone
rolled away" the sepulcher was in q rock and
shcavy stone that would take twoo three men
to move was rolled against the opening. z.
"Saying:" 9: 22; Matt. 49, 81 10. 'Joanna:"
wife OF Chusa, the steward Of Herod Ant1pas
q: 81. l2 "Then arose Peters" John going
2ith him. John 20: 3.10). He had heard the
ssory from Mary Magdalcne, before the woman
returned. Ran unto the sepulcher:" John out
rAnning him and reaching the place first But
Peter was the first to enter the tomb. And
departed:" toward the mectin. place Of the
Disciples. Mary Magdalene had returned more
sAowly to the tomb, and reached the place after
Peter and John had gone. To her, lingering
noar the sepulcher, Jesus made His first appear
snce. During forty days Jesus appeared on
oleven occasions and to several hundred per-
sons. Five of these appearances were on the
dny He rose from tho dead.
INTERVENING EvENTs.-The burial: Friday
afternoon between four and six o'clock In q
new sepulcher near Calvary aided by Joseph
Of Armathea and Nicodemus. Jesus died about
three o'clock Friday afternoon. Precautions:
the Sabbath Matt 27:G2.G6). In order to prove
the resurrection, the death must be proved
beyond doubt. In the providence Of God, the
centurion testified to the death of jesus the
spldicrs pierced his heart the tomb wGs new
and AT the request Of the chief priests the
tomb was sealed and guarded. The Rosurrec.
tion: very early Sunday morning (Matt. 28:2-G,
accompanied By an earthquake and by shin
Ing angel. Jesus had lain in the grave part
OF each of three days Friday afternoon, Satur-
day all day, and part OF Sunday, beginning at
sunset Saturday night. The Women at the
Sepulchre: early Sunday morning ". II. These
re the women mentioned ut the close OF the
preceding chapter some OF whose names arc
given in V. 10. Note tho devotion Of these
women who went to the sepulcher before even
the best Of the Apostles.
LESSON COMMENTS.
Notice in this lesson the utter spirit
ual darkness in which the death of Jesus
left the disciples. They had hoped
that He was to be the deliverer Of Israel,
and all that He had ever said to them
about His death and resurrection had
made no real impression on their minds;
for they, believing that He was the Mes
siab, had also made up their minds that
He ''was to abide with them forever"
He could not die, they thought. And as
soon as they saw that He was really
dead, they gave up all hope in Him as
the Messiah No sadder set of men
ever lived in this world than those dis
eiples who buried all their hope with
Him in His sepulcher. That they had
no expectation of any resurrection is
apparent from the way in which they
received the first tidings that He had
risen. They believed it not and it
seemed to them like an idle tale of fool
sh women.
Well, God was better to them than
their hopes. The day that dawned,
that they thought was to be His funeral
day, was lis resurrection day. And just
as angels announced His first coming
to this world, on the plains of Bethle-
hem, SO angels announced His return to
this world, in the garden of Joseph. No
angels had brought any message to man
kind between those two great events; but
ii seems as though Heaven was not able
to restrain these angelic visitors, when
there was such tidings to be brought to
men. They simply had to come to sing
the birthday song of the child, and
again to announce His rising from the
grave.
Had Jesus not risen from the dead,
all the lessons that we have been study
ing, of His birth, His life, His miracles,
his teaching, would be of no avail for
ua. He did not come to this world to
work miracles, nor to give US wonderful
sermons, nor to set us beautiful ex-
ample. All this would have been very
kind, but it would have been of little
use to u.s. He came to be our Saviour,
and TO be that by atoning for our sins
ON the cross. And if after a IL that He
did and suffered, He had not been able
TO tear Himself away from the power of
death, we should have had no assurance
that He was what He claimed to be. Paul
says truly: 'If Christ be not risen from
the dead, your faith is vain, ye are yet
In your SINS" On the resurrection we
hang our hopes Of the Divinity of the
Master, and on that also our conf
dence of the power that He has
to tear US away from the grasp
Of death. A dead Saviour would be
no Saviour at all, and our hope
would vanish, even as the hopes of
the disciples vanished when they
tbonght that He was not to come forth
from the grave.
In the resurrection of our Master we
also see the promise of our own resur-
Rerrion. When we lay away the bodies
Of our Christian friends in the grave, we
need mot sorrow as those who have no
hope; for. at His appearance, He will
bring with Him all those who sleep in
the dust. Christ's resurrection assures
that of all of HIS children, even as the
. Apostle tells US. So we may with conf
deace say in our creed: 81 believe in
the resurrection Of the dead" Death
: docs not end all, but is only the transit
tion between this poor mortal life and
the more glorious life that remains to
al of Gods people. II we desire to take
. part in that glorious resurrection, we
nust be His disciples here in this world;
Ex.,. 10 oil