LOVE AND LIFE.
There was a good man of Arimathea named Joseph who was a disciple of
Jesus, but not a fearless one. He had not followed Jesus with the
twelve, but he had loved Him, and when he knew that his Master, who had
not where to lay His head in life, had not a place of burial in death,
he lost all fear and went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. This
Pilate willingly gave him, and he, bringing helpers, took the body from
the cross and tenderly brought it to his own garden in which was a new
tomb hewn out of the rock. In this peaceful garden-room for the dead
they laid Him, wrapped Him in fine linen and spices, for another
disciple who had not dared to follow Jesus openly had come with a
mixture of myrrh and aloes of a hundred pounds weight to embalm the
body of Jesus. This was Nicodemus who had a talk with Jesus by night
among the olive trees about the breath of God in man. So these two
rich men buried Jesus, and a prophecy was fulfilled.
[Illustration: The descent from the Cross]
We do not know that any of the eleven disciples helped to bury Jesus,
but, while John took the mother of Jesus to a place of rest and safety,
his own mother, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James, and Mary
Magdalene stood looking on afar off. There were other women also, who
helped to guard the body of the crucified Lord when it seemed to be
forsaken of all men. They marked the place where He lay and went away,
for the hours of "preparation" and the Sabbath were before them. On
the eve of Friday they prepared spices and ointments, and rested the
Sabbath day (seventh day) according to the commandment. But Roman
soldiers came and set a seal upon the tomb, and watched it night and
day. On the first day of the week (now the Christian Sabbath) very
early in the morning, while the streets were still, and there lay only
a faint streak of rose in the purple east, Mary Magdalene hastened out
of the city to the tomb in the garden, bearing her spices. When she
reached the place she saw no guards there, and the heavy stone was
rolled away from the door of the tomb. A great fear fell upon the
woman who "loved much," and she ran to find Peter and John. "They have
taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre," she said, "and we know not
where they have laid Him."
Then Peter and John ran, and John the loving ran faster than Peter the
believing, and was the first to reach the tomb. The other women also
had gone to the tomb early bearing their spices for the embalming,
wondering on the way who should roll away for them the great stone that
stood at the door of the tomb. But they found the stone rolled past
the door, and entering the low vestibule they saw a vision of an angel,
in a long white garment, and were afraid.
[Illustration: The angel of the Resurrection]
"Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified," he said; "He is risen;
He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. But go your way,
tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee;
there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you."
The Lord had left a special message for Peter who had denied Him so
cruelly and had repented so thoroughly! As they looked to "behold the
place where they laid Him," they saw another angel shining white
through the gloom, "one at the head, and the other at the feet where
the body of Jesus had lain." They also ran, glad, yet half afraid, to
tell the disciples what they had seen and heard.
Peter and John found the linen that had wrapped the Lord's body laid
carefully aside. They did not yet remember the prophecy concerning His
resurrection from the dead, but they believed He had risen, and they
went away, hoping perhaps, that He was seeking them.
Mary Magdalene could not leave the empty tomb until she had learned
something more about the Lord. Weeping and desolate she stood at the
low door of the cave-tomb, and stooping to look in again she saw the
vision of angels that the other women had seen, "one at the head and
the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain."
"Why weepest thou?" they asked, and she answered,
"Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have
laid Him." As she turned to go out into the garden she saw one
standing there who said,
"Woman why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?"
She thought as she looked through her tears that it must be the man who
kept the garden, so she said,
"Sir, if thou have borne Him hence tell me where thou hast laid Him,
and I will take Him away."
"Mary!"
It was the voice of Jesus--the same that once said to her, "Thy sins
are forgiven," and she spread her arms to clasp His feet, crying.
"_Rabboni!_--my Master!"
"Touch me not," He said, "for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but
go to my brethren and say unto them, 'I ascend unto my Father and your
Father: and to my God and your God.'"
It was while Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, were still in
the garden, perhaps, that Jesus met them and said,
"All hail!" and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him.
"Be not afraid," He said, "go tell my brethren that they go into
Galilee and there shall they see me."
When the women told all these things to the apostles who had come
together to mourn for their dead Master, they could not believe. But
the first Easter had risen upon the world, and though the joy of it
filled all heaven, only a few women knew the blessed secret on earth,
and were saying over and over, "The Lord is risen! the Lord is risen
indeed!"