The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-16
The
Sundays School
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR MARCH 81.
Subject: Easter-The Empty Tomb,
Mark l6:1.S-Commit
Verses 6, z.

uSdlSm. H. sE-
EXPOSITION.-I. Saturday Night,
1. The Jewish Sabbath ended Sat
urday at sunset. AS 500 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 pre-,
pared and anoint the dead body OF
Jesus. It seems from Matthews ac-
count that they also made a brief
visit to the tomb on Saturday night
Matt. 2S:1, R.. W.
III. Early Sunday Morning, 2-6.
They started for the tomb while 1t:
was yet dark John 20:11. Mary
hurried on a little way ahead OF the
other women and reached the tomb
before the sun had risen (John 30:l;
u. The sun had risen before the
other women had reached the tomb at
early dawn mark 1872; Luke 14:1ls
The love Of these women Tor 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 "a gone, but all their
love remained. Jesus did not need
amounting, and they ought to have
known 1t (Maft. 1921; 20:19). But;
their service, though mistaken, was
acceptable to- Jesus, and He rewarded
it byya revelation Of a glorious trnth
by angelic messengers. Mary Of Beth:
any was the one who was on time.
with her AMOUNTING Och. 26:6-18),s
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. It was not their superior
knowledge but their inferior love that
kept them away. They were at home
mourning and weeping, and when.
they were told that the Lord had ris-s
en- they did not believe 1t (Luke IA
10, II; Mark 1910, III. The wom-
en- appeared in a better light than the
men in this story. Mary Magdalene
was the leader Of the women (cf.
Matt. '2S:1). She had so much done
for her duke 8:2) that she became;
the leader in love and in these minis
tries. The depth and genuinenessl
and u%nselfshness 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 q Cor. 49,
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 niga to the tomb they recalled
the great stone ct its, mouth and won
dered who would roll It. away Tor
them ". 81. If they had been more
practical they might have thought,
of, that before. But the, practical,
cool headed, common sense that foreys
sees all difficulties, and therefore stts
down and does nothing. does not acs
complish as much In this world as tina
uncalculating, impetuous love th2f
follows its own impulses aud plunges
ahead and risks the difficulties. The
difficulty in this case was, great ey.s
Matt. 1850. but they went right q
and when they had reached the place
the difficulty was gone. God sent His
own messenger to open the door for
them (Matt. 1872; CT. Acts 12:101..
All the precautions the Jews and R0z
mans had taken to keep the disciples
out of the tomb prove vain when God
took a hand in the matter Get. Rom
SGD. God did not roll away the
stone for Jesus to get out (cf. John
20:26), but for the women to get tl,
There Is good reason for supposinE
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 Satur-
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 preparar
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 24:i
81. On entering the tomb they saw q.
young mar sitting on the right side
arrayed in a 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 %forgottenI
Jesus words, the true solution would
have occurred to them at once. The
angel soon gives it in n 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 tes3
timony. The women might naturally
have wished to linger around the sept
ulchre where the Lords body had 50
recently rested, and where so great
wonder had been enacted, but theJ
we're to go (ahd go quickly and tell
others (cf. Matt. 2S:D. There is
wonderful touch of tenderness in TIN
7th verse in the two little words, "anS
Peter" Why land Peter?" Was b
not one of the disciples? Yes, tn
leader Of the company. Why, the1
land Peter?" Because Peter had de
MED his Lord three times with oath
and curses, and if the message ha
just come to "the disciples" poo
broken hearted, backslidden Pete
would have thought he was not II
cluded. But the Lord in His tende3
ness and compassion bids the5
through His angel to go and tell III