The Washington herald., 1914-12-05
CHRIST RISEN FROM THE
DEAD.

DEAD.
LESsoN-Mark xvi -; Matthew xviii. n-l5
| GOLDEN TEXT-Luke xiv. 5, 9.
| And as they were afrighted, and bowed down
their faces to the earth, they aid unto them Why
seek ye the living among the dsAdi He IL not here.
| but Is Hsen; remember how He spake unto you when
He was Jet in GAlilee."
% And when the Sabbath was past,
Mary MagdaIene, and Mary the Mother
of James, and Salome bought spices. that
they might come and anoint him.
| (0 And very early on the first day OF
the week. they come to the tomb when
| the sun was risen.
| 90 And they were saying among them
selves. Who shall roll us away the
stone from the door OF the tomb?
! 90 And looking up. they see that the
| stone is rolled back: for II was exceed
ingly great.
% And entering into the tomb. they
| saw a young man sitting on the right
side arrayed in a white robe: and they
! were amazed.
| (6) And he saith unto them, Be not
amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene,
which hath been crucifed: he is risen; he
is not here: behold, the place where
they laid him!
% But go, tell his disciples and Peter.
| He goeth before you into Galilee; there
]
| 81 And they went out, and fed from
| the tomb; for trembling and astonish-
ment had come upon them: and they said
nothing to any one; for they were afraid.
| QD Now while they were going, be-
hold, some OF the guard came into the
city and told unto the chief priests all
| the things that were come to pass.
| O9 And when they were assembled
with the elders, and had taken counsel.
| they gave large money unto the soldiers.
Q9 Saying. Say ye. His disciples came
| by night, and stole him away while we
slept.
90 And II this come to the governors
ears, we will persuade him. and rid you
| OF care.
Q6 So they took the money. and did
| as they were taught: and this saying was
| spread abroad among the Jews, and con-
tinueth until this day.
The Narrative.
After the death Of the Lord. which took
place at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
there was a brief interval, a solemn and
| awful pause. Luke in his narrative tells
| US that the multitudes returned, shifting
| on their breasts. The manner of His
dying had evidently made a profound
and solemnizing impression upon those
who witnessed the scene.
| Then at evening oseph or Arimathea-
a man who had been a secret disciple OF
| the Lord, obtained the body of Jesus.
and gave 1t burial in a new tomb within
| his garden. At last all seem to have re-
| tired from the neighbOrhood OF the grave
| except the guard of soldiers, and some
| do with the resurrection. and in IL there
! are two paragraphs, that from Mark CIV
| ing the account OF the discovery thereof
| by the women, and that from Matthew
! telling how His enemies dealt with the
| fact
The coming and the purpose Of the
women in the early hour OF the morning
! Of the first day OF the week, are sug
: gestive. Their visit was in fulffllment of
a ministry OF love. They looked upon
! Him as dead: and consequently upon all
! their own hopes as extinguished: but
| their love for Him had not ceased.
1 Therefore they came, bringing spices
J that they might anOint Him. While this
was indeed a ministry of love. it was
| also a revelation Of the darkness OF their
mind, and OF how they. in common with
all His disciples. had failed to appre-
hend His oft-repeated declaration that
| He would rise again.
AS they drew near to the tomb they
became conscious OF a difficulty in the
way OF the fulfllment of their purpose.
and they were discussing together as to
tomb. When they arrived at the tomb
they saw the difficulty did not exist, for
the stone was already rolled back. Yet
while this difficulty was removed. a
greater was created in the fact that He
was not there. 1t is well that we remem-
ber when We read this story. that the
stone had not been rolled back In order
that our Lord might rise and depart from
the grave, but rather in order that those
~,
risen.
The angelic announcement Of the res
direction was singularly simple and yet
sublime. First speaking to them in their
evident amazement, he charged them not
to be amazed. and then declared that
the Lord had risen, and invited them
TO behold the place where He had been
laid. 1t is in this story by Mark that we
have the exquisite words, Go tell His
disciples. and Peter, He goeth before you
into Galilee." That little phrase. and
Peter" thrills with the tenderness Of the
| heart Of the Master. 1t is possible to
imagine the bitterness of the experience
through which Peter had passed from
that moment when on oath, and with
cursing, he had denied all knowledge of
his Lord. 1t is conceivable that as this
became known to the other disciples,
they would be tempted to look upon
him as having put himself by that denial
outside the company Of the faithful. 1t
was not so. and therefore the women
were charged to include him in the mes
sage of resurrection.
In the other paragraph taken from
the Gospel according to Matthew we have
the story Of the ultimate expression of
the antagonism of the priests and rulers
Of Jesus. The guard had seen the vision
Of the angel and in the presence Of II
they had become as dead men. When,
after a while, they recovered, they has
tened into the city. and told what they
had seen. that is they reported to these
priests and rulers the fact Of the COM
ing of an angel. and the rolling back of
the stone It is perfectly certain that
such a story must have impressed these
men. being brought to them as II was
by these Roman soldiers for they had
obtained a guard from PLATE. Bribed.
these men, following the instruction of
the priests, spread the report that the
body of Jesus had been stolen by His
disciples. That line OF falsehood is not
followed today. Later events in the lives