Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-12-02

Commentary Prepared by Rev. o. M.
StearEs.
The resurrection from the dead Is
the crowning event In all His work
for IL Christ be not risen faith is vain.
preaching is vain. no one is saved.
there is no forgiveness of sins Il Cor.
XIV. 141St But before we consider His
resurrection we must look at some in
cidents in connection with His death
and burial which we have passed over
Note the women who ministered to
Him. who followed Him. who looked
ON afar Off as He was crpcifed. who
beheld where His dead body was laid
and returned and prepared spices to
anoint it when the sabbath was past
(Mark XIV, 4o47; Luke xiii. so
They loved Him greatly. but did not
believe that He would rise from the
dead. so those spices were in a meas
ure loves labor lost because of unbe-
lief. Note the pierced side. the blood
suggestions and the fulfilled Scriptures
about His being pierced and not
bone broken John xix. 31-3T: Zech.
xii. 10: Eek. xii, 46D.
The holiness of Joseph and Nicode-
mus at a time when all others seemed
to fail, the new tomb. the loving min
istry and the fulfilled, Scripture con-
corning His grave being with the rich
in His death are fascinating record
duke xiii. 1888: John xix. 3S-42; lisa
lii, 81.
1t would appear from Matt xvii.
membered. as His disciples did not.
that He had spoken of rising again
after three days and therefore they
had His tomb sealed. Our lesson
verses give US only the beginning of
the resurrection story. They tell US of
the coming of the women to the tomb
very early in the morning on the first
day of the week TO anoint His body,
wondering who would roll away the
stone for them. How often we find
the stone which We thought would
hinder us rolled away when we reach
lAC HlhNt. &c ACod Vi tA taA ahC
when He died. but this is another one
at His resurrection Matt. xvii. 81:
xviii, 2.
Inanimate nature is moved by these
events while the heart of man remains
harder than the rocks Some day
we shall see these angels, whose coun-
tenances are like lightning and their
raiment white as snow, and we, too.
shall shine as the sun (Matt. XVIII
3-4; xiii, 49, We should be rejecting
more of His glory now In these mortal
bodies Gil Cor. Iii. 49, How beautiful
it is that the first word from the angel
to these devoted women was fear
not" or "be not" atfrighted verses 5.
9; Matt. xviii. 5. g.. So He Himself
said to the other women after He had
appeared to Mary, as He allowed them
TO hold Him by the feet and worship
Him, BE not afraid; go tell My breth-
rem" Matt xviii. 8. 10).
With similar words He spoke TO the
disciples in the upper room that even
ing, saying: Peace be unto you. Why
are We troubled? Behold my hands
and my feat that it is | Myself" duke
fcrsake Him He has only words Of
peace and comfort for Us. Matthew
and Mark speak of one angel; Luke
ind John speak Of two. but there is no
discrepancy. for If there were two
there was certainly one, whether the
disciples or women saw one or two,
Neither is there any discrepancy In the
seemingly different positions of the
angels, for they can move about more
easily than we can. The words of the
angel concerning Jesus. He is risen.
He is not here Verse 81. are some
times used by ministers at a funeral
concerning the dead, but that is a
wrong use OF the words. for they refer
to the resurrection. not to the burial
of the body
How very gracious 1t was of the
Lord to tell the angel to send by the
woman a special message to Peter and
then to give Peter special personal
interview Verse Z; Luke xiv. 34l
after all his base denial of his Master.
1t is always so-weakest lambs have
largest share of their tender shep-
herds care. The angels reminded the
women that Jesus had said that He
would be crucified and the third day
rise again, and yet when the women
told the disciples that He was risen
their words seemed TO them as idle
tales. and they believed them not duke
xiv. Gill. Mark xvi. o. says that
Jesus appeared first to Mary Magda-
lene. but the full record of that ap-
pearance is found in John Xxx. iii.
Is not His appearing tirst to her an
other illustration of the same great
truth that we saw in His giving Peter
q special personal interview? She was
blinded by tears OF unbelief. but one
word from Him opened her eyes. A
peculiar thing In her case was His
"Touch Me not when He afterward
allowed the other women to hold Him
by the feet.