The Tupelo journal., 1904-06-17

" "A .94-O0
TIME.-Sunday morning, April 8, A. D..
80.
PLACE.-A private garden near Calvary.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Jesus died about the middle of the aft
ernoon of Friday, April 7, and two prom
inent men, Joseph of Arimathaea and
Nlcodemus, who had always esteemed
Jesus highly, but who had never reused
themselves to do for Him till it was too
late, saw to His burial that same after
noon in a new rock-hewn sepulcher.
b resurrection occurred ION the third
day." or after three days" We must
remember that our narrators were Jews
and that the Jews always counted each
part OF a day as a day. The last part of
Friday afternoon was counted as one
OF the three days, the sabbath (Satur-
day., which began at sunset Friday
night, was the second, and from that
time on till Sunday morning when Jesus
rose, the third.
A it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week." Jesus had been hast
lily buried on Friday because it could
not be done after sunset, when the great
Sabbath of the feast was supposed to
begin. Even those who loved Jesus re-
NAMED away from the tomb during
that day, but came with the dawning
light of Sunday. Mary Magdalene:"
Who owed Jesus a great debt of graft
tude. THE other Mary" The mother
Of James the Less and Joses. Other
women also came with them, or at least
all met at the anne place on the same
errand. They brought spices for the
final embalming. There was a great
earthquake" etc.: The fact of the re-
surrection is one of the best attested
facts Of history; the manner of it will
always remain a mystery. THE watch
ers:" The guard stationed at the tomb
at the request of the chief priests to
guard against imposture Matt. 27:62-
66).
Fear not ye:" We have only to
imagine ourselves in the places of these
women to realize that the reassuring
words were necessary. Come, see the
place." At such a time as this. if ever.
one would want to see with his own eyes.
The women saw: "And go tell
His Disciples" Mark adds, land Peter"
Remember Peters desertion of the Mas
ter, his p~rofane denial and also his bit
ter sorrow. What he believed to be I'M
dying emorse had settled upon him.
This message was to make a change in
his life. He goeth before you into
Galilee; there shall We see Him." 1t
was in Galilee that Jesus had found His
disciples. Think of the reunion there,
with the struggle past and the victory
won!
with fear and great Joy" Almost
stunned by what they had seen and
heard, and not knowing whether they
were dreaming or awake. but excited
by news almost too good to be true"
Tell My brethren" 1t was the risen
Son of God who was speaking, and the
word He used to these ordinary weak
men was brethren. Jesus thought now.
as ever before, was for others. Heknew
that His friends were dumb with despair
over what seemed to be the end both
Of their hope and their faith.
When the startling and wholly I'M
expected news reached the chief priests.
a hurried meeting of the Sanhedrin was
called. If anyone had questioned
whether the religious machine" may
not perhaps have been misguided, but
still doing what it believed to be in the
interest of true religion, this Scene set
ties it. "They gave much money unto
the soldiers" What a spectacle! These
pious men, the defenders of what was
left of Israel's religion, bribing a guard
of Roman soldiers to lie about what had
happened at the tomb. "Stole Him away
while we slept" "The report to be set
abroad assume that there is a fact
to be eXplained-the disappearance Of
the body. The lie . is suicidal:
one half destroys the other. Sleeping
sentinels could not know what had hap
pened."-Bruce. eff this come to the
governors ears, we will persuade him."
The chief priests knew the power both OF
money and Of DO1itica1 ODnOSitfpn,