The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-03-22
The
Sunday School
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
iENTs FOR MARCH 20.
Subject: Easter-The Empty Tomb,
Mark 16:1-S-Commit
Verses 6, z.

GOLDEN TENT am He that
liveth, and was dead; and behold,
am alive forever more" Rev 1918.
TIMIE.-Sunday, April g., A. D. 80.
PLACE.-Jerusale
EXPOSITION.--I. Saturday NIGHT,
v. 4. The Jewish Sabbath ended Sat-
urday at sunset. AS soon as the day
was over the shops opened, and Mary
Magdalene and her friends bought
spices that they might come at early
break of day the next morning to the
tomb with the spices they had pres
pared and anoint the dead body OF
Jesus. 1t seems from Matthew's ac-
count that they also made a brief
visit to the tomb on Saturday night
(Matt 28:1, r. w.
III. Early Sunday Morning, 2-8.
They started for the tomb while it
was yet dark John POLY. Mary
hurried on little way ahead of the
other women and reached the tomb
before the sun had risen (John 30I
ID. The sun had risen before the
other women had reached the tomb at
early dawn mark 1862; Luke 14:1).
The love of these women for their
Lord, whom they fancied dead,
brought them thus early to His sepul-
chre to perform for Him the last SER
vices that lay in their power. Part of
their faith was gone, but all their
love remained Jesus did not need
amounting, and thew ought to have
known it (Matt. 1921; 2O:19). But
their service, though mistaken, was
acceptable to Jesus, and He rewarded
it by a revelation of glorious truth
by angelic messengers. Mary of Beths
any was the one who was on time
with her amounting (ch. 26:G-18),
and she was not in this company The
reason why they did not know that
He had left the sepulchre was that
they had not listened to and pon+
dered His own words. This is also
the reason why we do not know many
things about our Lord that we ought
to know. None of the men were at
the tomb. 1t was not their superior
knowledge but their inferior love that
kept them away. They were at home
mourning and weeping, and wheE
they were told that the Lord had risa
en- they did not believe it (Luke "a:
10, IL; Mark 1910, III. The woms
en- appeared in better light than thd
men in this story. Mary Magdalene
was the leader of the women (cf,
f.
for her duke S:2) that she became
the leader in love and in these minis
tries. The depth and genuineness
and unselfishness of the love of these
women is seen in their going to serve
Jesus at the time when their faith
was blighted and they had nothing
more to expect from Him { l Cor. 13:
s, r. W. The eagerness of their
love is seen in the early hour that
found them at the tomb. Few people
get up at such an early hour to per-
form service for Christ AS they
drew nigh to the tomb they recalled
the great stone at its mouth and won
dered who would roll it away for
them ". 81. If they had been more
practical they might have thought
of that before. But the PRACTICAL
cool headed, common sense that fore.
sees all difficulties. and therefore sits
down and does nothing, does not &C.
complish as much in this world as the
matchmaking, impetuous love that
follows its own impulses and plunges
ahead and risks the difficulties. The
difficulty in this case was great ". 4;
Matt. 27:66), but they went right on,
and when they had reached the place
the difficulty was gone. God sent His
own messenger to open the door for
them (Matt. 1882; CT. Acts 1910,
All the precautions the Jews and R0
mans had taken to keep the disciples
out of the tomb prove vain when God
took hand in the matter (cf. Rom,
S:31). God did not roll away the
stone for Jesus to get out (cf John
20:26), but for the women to get in.
There is good reason for supposins
that Jesus had been out for some
hours, that He arose and left the tomb
just at the beginning of the first day
of the week, that is, at sunset Saturs
day evening That would make just
three days and three nights in the
tomb Wednesday night and Thurs
day, the yearly Passover Sabbath;
Thursday and Friday, the prepare.
ton for the weekly Sabbath; Friday
night and Saturday, the weekly Sab.
BATH. They did not find what they
expected in the tomb. the body of the
Lord Jesus was not there (Luke "a!
80. On entering the tomb they saw
young man sitting on the right side
arrayed in white robe Later two
men stood by them in dazzling appar.
ell (Luke 23:4). When Mary returned
to the tomb from the city, the two
angels were sitting. one at the head
and one at the feet, where the body
of Jesus had lain John 20:12). The
women were overwhelmed with per.
plexity. If they had not forgotten
Jesus words, the true solution would
have occurred to them at once The
angel soon gives it in one of the glad.
dest messages this old world ever
heard, He is risen. He Is not here"
He then bids them see for themselves
and then go and tell others. Definite
experience must precede effective ties.
timony. The women might naturally
have wished to linger around the sep,
ulchre where the Lords body had sc
recently rested, and where so great
wonder had been enacted, but they
were to go (and go quickly and tell
Others (cf. Matt. 2S:7). There is a
wonderful touch of tenderness in the
7th verse in the two little words, land
Peter" Why land Peter?" Was he
not one of the disciples? Yes. the
leader of the company Why, then,
and Peter?"l Because Peter had de-
MED his Lord three times with oaths
and curses, and if the message had
Just come to the disciples" poor,
broken hearted, backslidden Peter
would have thought he was not in
Guided. But the Lord in His tender
ness and compassion bids them
through His angel to go and tell His
disciples, and who ever you tell, be
sure you tell Peter 1t is deeply sig
nificant that this little touch is found