The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-06-02

Copyright 1908. by American Press Association
| We have come 10 our last lesson IN
| this gospel. in which we have been
| spending nearly six months. and While
| the lesson verses are but few we are
asked to read the last two chapters
| In NX, 81, we have the reason why
John wrote this gospel, that we might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
| Son of God. and. believing. have life
| through His name" We called at
tention TO this IN the first lesson. and
! after these months of study ii should
| come with more power. He came TO
| give life and life abundant, and there
is no life but i'm Him, as it is written
HE that hath the Son hath life, and
he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life" Il John V. 12). 1t is the risen
Christ who gives life, for by the resur-
rection from the dead He was with
power declared to be the Son Of Coo
| (Rom. j, A..
| The word "believe" is used in some
form over ninety times, and in chapter
! i. II, it is shown to signify receiving
| Him. We have been taught through
out that believing does not mean see
| ing or feeling, and now in the end we
| have His great word, blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have be
| lieved' Xxx, 29). one of the strangeSt
things in all the resurrection story is
that even John. whom Jesus loved.
who also leaned on His breast at sup
per, knew not the Scripture that He
must rise again from the dead Xxx, ,,
9; xxi. 2O) and that He had TO upbraid
all the disciples with their unbelief and
hardness Of heart because they refused
to believe those who had seen Him
after He rose from the dead Mark
xvi, 11-14.
In these two chapters we have three
OF the ten or more appearances after
His resurrection, concerning which it
is written that lie showed Himself
alive after His passion by many in
fallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God"
! acts /, 3. In all the appearances He
showed Himself, and in His discourses
He eXpounded Scripture and opened
up the Scripture and opened their I'M
Outstanding that they might under
stand the Scriptures concerning Him
self duke xiv, -, 81, SO. 80, HID.
Mary Magdalene was the first TO see
Him Mark xvi. 81; then on that same
day He seems TO have been seen on
four other occasions 10y the other wOm-
en-. by Peter, 10y the two who walked
TO EmmauS. and in the evening by the
ten, Thomas being absent. In our les
son chapter we read that Mary Mag
dalene having found the tomb empty,
ran to tell Peter and John, and they.
| having come and seen for themselves
the empty tomb, went away again 10
their home, but Mary remained at the
sepulcher weeping and was SO intent
upon finding the body of her Lord that
she had neither eyes nor ears for even
holy angels. and when He Himself
spoke to her she did not know Him,
but supposed Him to be the gardener.
She loved intensely, but grief because
Of unbelief blinded her.
The love of God is the greatest thing
we ever heard of. but on our part love
is not always the greatest thing, for
without faith ii is impossible to please
Him QIeb. Xi, O.. and in Mary and the
other women who bought the spices
we see how blindly and frutlessly love
! apart from faith may act. Faith, which
worketh by love, is the true method of
! serving God and one another The per
! feet picture is work Of faith, labor Of
! love and patience of hope (Gal. V, 6, -;
! Thess. 1-3. His first resurrection
word is: "Why weepeSt thouI Whom
| seekest thouf' And it is a good word
/ for every weeping. disconsolate one. 50
also is His word TO the disciples that
same evening, "Why are We troubled.
| and why do thoughts arise in your
! hearts," luke xiv, 49, He Himself
| is the remedy for all trouble and sor-
row of heart, even as He said, Let
not your heart be troubled; believe God;
/ believe me-" He called her by name
| and that seems TO have opened her
eyes. We are reminded of lisa. Aliii, /,
Fear not, for have redeemed thee;
have called thee by thy name; thou
art mine" See also Elk. xXXiii, -.
Much has been said and written as
to why He refused to allow Mary to
! touch Him when little later on the
same morning He allowed the other
women to hold Him by the feet ana
worship Him Matt. xviii, o.. | am
content TO accept His own reason given
in few words, For | am not yet
assembled TO my Father" and to believe
/ that between the time of His meeting
Mary and the other women He had
assembled and returned. The ritual Of
the great day of atonement explains
why she could not touch Him till He
had ascended.
The last verses Of our lesson tell Of
His appearance that evening TO the
disciples as they were assembled with
closed doors for fear of the Jews No
door was opened for Him, yet He sud
denly stood in the midst. In our glori-
fed bodies we, too. shall pass through
doors and walls without hindrance and
| Il