Arizona republican., 1919-12-21

Subject: At the empty tomb and with the risen Lord. Lesson reference, John 20: 1-10; 21: 15-19) Golden text: He is risen, even as he said. Matt. 2S:s.
 The Lesson Text
 l. Now on the first day Of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. 2 She runneth therefore, and cometn to Simon Peter, and to the other dis ciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto | them. They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb. and we know not where they have laid him. 3. Peter disciple, and they went toward the tcmb 4. And they ran both together; and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb ,. And stopping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not l il 6. Simon Peter therefore also co meth, following him, and entered | into the tomb: and he beholdeth the linen cloths lying. :. And tho napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with r the linen cloths, but rolled up in | place by itself s. Then entered in came first to the tomb and he saw, a',d believed. 9. For as yet they knew lOt the scripture, that he must rise again from the deaG 10. Sj the dis cipies went away again unto their own ! fome.
 15. So when they had broken their l fast, Jesus said unto Simon Peter, Simon, son of John. lowest thou me more than~thesea He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that love | thee He saith unto him, Feed my ' laEnps- 16- He saith to him, again the second time, simon, son of John. lowest l thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord. thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Tend my sheep. r. He saith unto him the third time. Simon, son of John, lowest thou me? | Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lowest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, tECu knowest all things; thoL knowest that love thee. Jessu saith unto him Feed my sheep. 1S Verify verify | thou girdest myself, and walkedsI whither thou wouldst: but when thou shalt be old, thou sbalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee. and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19. Now this he spake signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him. Follow me.
 Introduction
 We left Jesus last week hanging or | the cross in the midst of a bowling mob and between two thieves. We heard him say to his Mother. Woman behold. thy Son. and to John Behold l thy Mother" After these words were | spoken, we saw John leading Mary the mother of Jesus away from the awful scene and taking her to his own home.
 1 When we turn back to the cross we see the head of Jesus bowed heavily on his breast, and the disciples pre- ! pairing to lower the body and lay it in the tomb This was Friday afternoon -I et- tomb is sealed and the disciples depart to the upper room, where they were l instructed to wait. Friday night, Sat 1 urday all day, and night were spent in bitter sorrow and watching for some ray of hope. Early Sunday morn ing before sunrise the women slipped away and sought their way to the tomb, and it is here that We begin our study today.
 The Empty Tomb
 The Sabbath ended at sunset so that Jesus had been dead and buried Fri | day afternoon and night. Saturday and Sunday morning beginning at the pre- vious sunset, three days according to Jewish reckoning. See 1 Sam. 30: r, IS; Chron. 15. ,. F. This visit John l says was early. while it was yet dark Mark says, "Very early in the morn l ing Matt. says. AS it began to | dawn" John names Mary Magdalene as the important one of these women --who visited the tomb. but does not say l she was alone. From the other Evan l gelists we learn that other women were with her and that they had come, not expecting the resurrection, but to place more spices on the body. As soon as Mary saw the tomb was empty she hurried away 10 Peter and 1 John. and while gone the other women entered the tomb and heard the angel. Marys sad cry to Peter and John was ! They have taken the Lord away out Of the Sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him" This sent Peter and John running to the tomb T with all their might.
 John outran Peter but would not enter the tomb until Peter came up and went in. One has said, Peters entrance into the Sepulchre was as I characteristic as Johns hesitation at the door. While this was a charac- teristic of Peter yet there was another 1 motive that sent him rushing into the ! tomb He was suffering because of his open denial of his Lord and was anxi- ous to see him and make things right
 What They Saw in the Tomb
 First they were impressed with the emptiness of the tomb F'axrar speak ing upon the resurrection of Christ makes the following statement. At the moment when Christ died nothing ] could have seemed more abjectly weak more pitifully hopeless. more abso-
 
 and despair than the church which he 1 had founded It numbered but hand ful of weak followers. They were poor, they were ignorant, they~were hope less They could not claim a syna- gogue or a single sword So feeble were they and insignificant that 1t would have looked like foolish partial ity to prophecy for them the limited existence of a Galilean sect. How was It that these dull and ignorant men, with their cross of wood triumphed | over the deadly Vaccinations of sensual mythologies. conquered kings and their armies. and overcame the world :? There is one, and one only, possible | answer. the resurrection from the dead. All this vast revolution was due | to the power of Christ's resurrection" Why Seek Ye the Living Among the
 Dead
 "Oh. mother l am so disappointedr ! You told me something beautiful would come out of the brown thing