The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-15
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
E QB
A Study Of the International Sunday
ELLIOTT
School Lesson Appointed for March
%, 1894. 90,


%, 1894. ,a
Subject: Christ's Resurrection. ST. Mark,
1918.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated aboye.i -cg
INTRoDgCTIoN.
Welcome, Easter! Some pictures have q
black background, so as to set off the lighter
colors. Good Friday is the tenebrious outline
which helps to make Easter sparkle. Anne
thyst-diamond-pearl of days!
Easter this year is very early. The earliest
possible date for Easter is March %. 1t can
never occur later than April %. 1t will not
happen on March 90 till 1890 nor on April %
till 1943 1t occurred on the 25th in 1888, and
will not happen on that date again till 1851. 1t
was celebrated on April %, 1856.
Easter and Christian Unity.
l. 1t illustrates the unity os living Christians,
since it is recognized by Roman, Greek and
Protestant bodies
2. Unity with the dead. If the resurrection
be true, they and we are practically one.
8. Unity with Christ. If the doctrine of the
resurrection be true, Christ was and is true,
and all our hopes center in Him.
4. Unity with the historic Church. The
common tApostolic) Creed accepted by Christ
endom calls on each to say, Il believe in the
resurrection of the dead"
FIRST: The SATURDAY EVENING PURCHASES
OF THE MARYs.
ST. Mark, 49, /, states fact not referred to
by the other Gospel writers. Mary Magdalene
and Mary the mother of James, and Salome
bought some sweet spices. As to Mary Magda-
lene (meaning probably Mary of Magdala) see
st. Luke. S:2. AS to Mary mother of James
see ST. Mark, 49, 40. The reference is to st.
James, the son of Alpheus. (St Matt, 10: 81
Alpheus was also named Cleophas. (St. John,
10: 25.) Salome was the mother of Sts James
and John, wife of Zebedee. 1t is quite plain
they bought some spices on Friday evening,
unless, perchance they had a quantity on
hand. (St. Lu.. %: 56.) If they secured and
prepared portion on Friday evening, it was
before 6 o'clock, since the Sabbath began then,
when all further arrangements were suspended.
They may have fingered so long at the cross
that they could do but little on Friday even
ing before o'clock, and so were eager for 6
o'clock the next evening Saturday. to come,
when, according to Hebrew reckoning, Sunday,
or the first day of the week, began. st. Lu.,
"a l. refers back to the preparation of Friday
evening (St. Lu., %: 56) aud includes the fur
Their preparation of Saturday evening. (St.
Mark, 1911 The Jewish Sabbath Saturday
closed at sunset. Then secular affairs began
again. The stores were reopened. The spices
were myrrh, .. oes, etc, used generally in en-
balmiUg. See case of Asa in 9 CHI, 16: II. The
women were not probably aware that on Fri
day evening Nicodemus had used 100 librae. or
about Y pounds, of aromatics in the preparation
of Christ's burial. fSt john, 10: 80, 40.) The
quantity seems enormous, but much was prob
ably used in making sort of bed on which to
lay the body, as in the case of Asa. e Ch-,
Is: a. The object, bad in mind by the Marys
and Salome was to anoipt the body of Jesus.
Est. Mark, 16 H. These spices had to be bought,
and were expensive, and yet the three women
secured them. g.
Suggestions.
J. Be prompt in duty. oAt the first moment
allowable the women entered the market and
purchased the spices.
2. Women can do much to ad vance the in
terests of Christianity. They proved most
faithful of ali to Jesus They fingered about
the cross till the body was removed. They
could not keep away from the tomb.
g. Give attention to the deceased. It is
mark not only OF Christianity but of cviliza-
ton TO show respect to the dead. Flowers are
a perfume. 2ie]
4. Make pecuniary sacrifices for religious pur-
poses. buy what is now needed for Christ.
5. Keep Sunday. "When the Sabbath was
past" the Marys proceeded with the secular
work of getting and preparing the spices. We
should utter word here of disapproval of Sun
day funerals when it is at all practicable to
have them on secular days.
6. Thank God we can now 60 to our living
Savior and offer him our prayers as sweet in
cense.
SECONDLY: THE WOMEN VISITING THE Sc
PULCHER.
l. Data
Read st. Matt, %: ], $40; st. Mark, I6: 2-s;
q n
she runueth and cometh to Simon Peter, and
to the other Disciple whom Jesus loved"
g Time.
We find ourselves in the year A. D. 90, month
of March, Goth day, Sunday, very early in the
morning. The Jewish day began at 6 o'clock
of the evening. When st. Matthew (28: II
says " as it began to dawn toward day" it can
not be he refers to the early part of Saturday
evening as the Jews reckoned. The time was,
on the contrary, somewhat near sunrising. See
St. Mark 1872. The dawn certainly refers to
the beginning of the light part of the day.
(Gcn., l 81 All the accounts teach that the
women went early in the morning of the first
day of the week, Sunday. st. Matt, %: !, has
" az it began to dawn; st. Mark, 16: 2 very
early in the morning.; st. Luke corresponds
with St. Mark. And the language of ST. John,
20: l. does not contradict the other accounts
I" When it was yet dark" While day was
actually coming it was day succeeding night
night and day mingled-light combating
with darkness. The very verse st. John, 20: l,
which states it was dark says "seeth the stone
taken away" Hence it was light enough to
see. The expression in ST. Mark, IS: 9, is more
troublesome-"at the rising of the SUM-" But
the rises till noon. The idea of St. Mark
is this-at the first indication of sunrisng.
This is evident, since in the same verse he says
very early in the morning" We may look
out over the Eastern hills and declare for a long
time before the actual orb heaves in sight,
while only points OF rays are visible that the
sun is rising One looking toward the west
would notice mostly the darkness, while to one
gazing in the eastward direction light would
be in thought. The Sun of Righteousness pre-
coded by little the natural sun in rising
Christ is the Morning Star. Grew. %: 49, By
the laws of publication among the Jews dead
body could not be touched the Sabbath
Saturday, but the women availed themselves
And yet Jesus rose from the grave even before
their arrival. The exact time of the resurrec-
ton is not known.
Where,
The sepulcher was not far from the place of
execution of Christ. (St. John, 10: A. 42.)
Calvary and the Garden-the cross and the
tomb-were but little way from each other
A church building-tIe Church of the Holy
Sepulcher-has been constructed over the spot
What was grotto in a hillside is now hill
lock elevated between one and two steps from
the floor of the room into which the visitor is
taken. A structure of yellow and white mar