The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-03-26
SUNDAY MEDITATION

A Study of the International Sunday
School Lesson Appointed for April
5, 1896.
Subject: The Resurrection of Christ. st.
Luke, 24:1-1O.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
| indicated aDovU.4
Preliminary.
We are to consider the resurrection of Christ.
1t was the Seth miracle performed by our
Savior. 1t is the deed pivotal in the life of
Jesus. As truly as we can declare OF faith so
| can we of the doctrine of the resurrection OF
Christ, that IL is the "GrticutlHm ecfesiI Stdn'S
Uel cddentis "-the article of a standing or iali-
ing Church. The acceptance of this doctrine
| is the sticking point. Adopt this article OF
faith, and all that went before and all that is to
come afterward in the Christian system can be
entertained. The Church must rise or fall as
this dogma of the resurrection is believed or
| denied. 1t is this fact which gives so much
significance to Easter This is the reason why
| Easter is called The Queen of All Festivals.
| N
| the doctrine of the resurrection in any such
sense as that which requires some connection
| between the body buried and the body to be
occupied after death. And, since so much de-
pends on this doctrine, it has been the special
subject of antagonism on the part OF opponents
to Christianity.
1t is noticeable that the biography OF our
Savior differs from any ordinary biography in
that it adds chapter not met with in the ac-
| count of any other human being. All biogra-
| pixies end with the death of the characters.
| But in the case of Christ there is All additional
chapter. 1t gives account OF our Savior conf
ing TO life again. 1t tells of his Temperatures.
after death, in human form, at different places
aud to separate classes of people. This is very
singular, and offers tempting bait to antag-
onists of the supernatural.
| All students of the resurrection should in
clude in the subject Christ in his whole life.
| Consider who he was, what he did, what he
| claimed. and the resurrection was not only a
cOngrnity, but a necessity. Looking at the
entire career of Jesus and we shall find much
| less difficulty in admitting the resurrection.
| ST. Paul had this thought in mind when he
said, in his pentecostal sermon: Whom God
hath raised mp having loosed the pains (bands)
| Of death because it was not possible ICON
sstent, coneruous, fitting sequel to the life of
| Christi that he should be holden of it" death
| or the gravel.
|
| Be sure and road Cor. 10 1923.
Why should it lie thought thing incredi.
| bic with you that God should raise the dead ?"
| Why incredibe2 Who is God? Why can He
not raise the dead2 See what He has done
what He is doing. Why limit Him2
| /. The WOMEN GONG TO THE SEPULcHER
AND ARRIVAL THEREAT.
/. Data.
81 Matt, %: 1 st. Mark, 16 Q a; st. Luke
| "a: /, 9; ST. John. 90: l. 2-"Then she runneth
aud cometh to Simon Peter and to the other
| Disciple whom Jesus loved"
| 9 Time
We find ourselves in the year A. d. %. month
| of March, Goth day, Sunday, very early in the
morning The Jewish day began Mt six o'clock
OF the evening. When st. Matthew, %: ], says,
''As it began TO dawn toward day." it cannot
| be that he refers TO the early part of Saturday
evening as the Jews rcckoned. The time was,
| on the contrary. somewhat sunrsing.
| See St. Mark. 80. The dawn certainly refers
to the beginning of the light part of the day.
Gen., 1:5. All the accounts teach that the
women went early in the morning of the first
day OF the week. Sunday. ST. Matt. ISL has,
"as it began to dawn; St. Mark, 16: 9, very
early in the morning" st. Luke corresponds
with 81. Mark; aud the language of st. John.
90 !, docs not contradict the other accounts
when it was yet dark" While day was
actually coming. it was day succeeding night;
night and day mingled; light com atting dxrk
ness The very verse, ST. John, 20:l, which
states that it was dark says, "seeth the stone
taken away" Hence it was light enough to
see. The expression in st. Mark. 16 g, is more
troublesome-"a at the rising Of the sum-" But
the sun rises till noon. The idea Of st. Mark is
| this, at the first indication Of sunrsing. This
| is evident, since in the same verse he says.
very early in the morning" We may look
Al. L. 4 r
| time before the actual orb heaves in sight,
while only points of rays visible, that the
| sun is rising. One looking toward the west
would notice mostly the darkness, while to one
| gazing i'm the eastward direction light would
| he in thought The Sun of Righteousness pre-
| ceded by little the natural sunrisng. Christ
| is the Morning Star. Rev.. %: 1. By the laws
| of publication among the Jews, a dead body
| could not be touched on the Sabbath (Satur-
| day.; but the women awaited themselvesof the
very first chance next morning Sunday.
And yet Jesus rose from tho grave even before
| their arrival. The exact time of the resurrec-
ton is not known.
3. Where.
The sepulcher was not far from the place of
the execution of Christ. St. John, 10: Al, AZ.
Calvary and the Garden-the cross and the
tomb-were but a little way from each other.
church bnildinu-the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher-has been constructed over the spot.
What was gr0tto in hillside is now hillock
elevated between one and two steps from the
floor of the room into which the visitor is
taken. A structure of yellow and white marble,
20 by Is feet is now built over the sepulcher.
1t is called The Chapel of the Angel" Tho
sepucher proper is entered by a low. narrow
door, peccssitating one to stoOp nearly to the
floor to gain entrance. Once in, there is much
of interest to the Christian. The foor and
| ceilings are lined with beautiful white marble.
Forty-iwo lamps of gold and silver
pended in that little protto. At the right.
about two feet high, is horizontal marble slab
on which, IL is said. the body OF Christ recined.
The tomb in which Christ's body was deposited
was kindly preferred for the purpose by Joseph
of Aramathea who had it built for himself.
ST. Matt, 81: $50 Its dimensions admitted
an adult to stand erect within il. st. Luke,
24:4. Snch sepuichers were generally dug out
from the solid elevated rock. The entrance to
this kind of tomb was usually quite small and
covered by a large stone rolled up against it.
A. The Women.
The three women were those mentioned in
ST. Mark, 10: MARY Magdalene; Mary,
mother of James the Less. and Sai0me, mother
| OF SITS. James and John. But there were other
women See ST. Luke. "a: Joanna is named
in v. 10 of ST. Luke "a.
5. The Women on Way to Sepuicher.
We do not know the number of the women.
Early Sunday morning they left Jerusalem
bearing spices, going TO the tomb of Christ. 1t
is clear they had no intelligent conception of a
III I'd tay NAV