"And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, and the women also
which came with him from Galilee, followed after" Joseph and
Nicodemus, "and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid." And
they returned and prepared spices and ointments, in order that the
process of embalming, hastily begun by Joseph and Nicodemus, might be
properly finished after the Sabbath should be past. Having made their
preparations, they "rested the sabbath day, according to the
commandment."
By comparing the accounts of all that happened after Jesus was laid in
the tomb, we find that though the greater number of the women went
away, as has been said, two of them remained watching the spot which
now contained the body of Him whom they so loved and reverenced: for
we read, "And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (the mother
of James and Joses) sitting over against the sepulchre." There they
stayed, probably till the Sabbath had begun, when, of course, it was
too late for them to prepare their share of spices, without breaking
the fourth commandment.
"Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation" (this
seems to mean in the beginning of the Sabbath, soon after 6 o'clock on
Friday evening, just after the burial of our Lord), "the Chief
Priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we
remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three
days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made
sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal
him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the
last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye
have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went,
and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."
Thus did the Lord make these Priests and Pharisees bear witness to
Christ's resurrection. It was little likely that the Apostles would
make any attempt to carry off the body, and still less likely that
they could succeed in any such an attempt; but what was now done
rendered it _impossible_; for there was no way of carrying the body
out of the sepulchre but through the door, which was closed by a heavy
stone, and was now watched by a guard of soldiers, who would not allow
any one even to touch the stone, which could not be moved without
making much noise. It was essential that there should never be any
doubt as to the fact of Christ's having risen from the dead, and
therefore His very enemies were made to furnish the strongest proofs
of His resurrection. Thinking they had made the sepulchre sure, they
went away to rest on the Sabbath. But
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,
Christ has burst the gates of Hell;
Death in vain forbids His rise,
Christ hath opened Paradise.
Jesus laid in the grave all through the Sabbath, from 6 o'clock on
Friday evening to 6 o'clock on Saturday evening. The Sabbath was now
past; the first day in the week, called by us Sunday, was begun. "And
when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
Joses, and Salome," who had not had time to make any preparations
before the Sabbath, set out from their homes to go to the sepulchre;
and they "had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint
him." But while they were on their way, "behold, there was a great
earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came
and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for
fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men."
The time and circumstances of Jesus's rising from the dead, are veiled
in mystery. He had evidently left the sepulchre before the stone was
rolled away. All that we know is, that Christ rose, and was the "first
fruits of them that slept"; and He rose on the day when the first
fruits of the harvest were presented in thankfulness to the Lord God
Almightly. His resurrection secured ours; and, as a sign that it did
so, "many bodies of the saints which slept arose out of the graves
after his resurrection, and went into the city, and appeared unto
many." The graves were opened when Jesus gave up His life on the
cross: when He arose, the bodies which lay in them arose also,
testifying to His triumph over death and the grave.
Wonderful indeed were all the events which took place at this time! In
their several accounts of what happened after our Saviour had risen,
some of the Evangelists mention one thing, and some another; but as
clever men, who have considered the subject, show us how all the
events mentioned must have followed one another, we shall keep to
their account.
We have said that before the earthquake took place, Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary, accompanied by Salome, who had joined them, set out to
go to the sepulchre: knowing that it was closed by a great stone, they
naturally, as they drew near, "at the rising of the sun, said among
themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the
sepulchre?" Of the watch set there, they probably knew nothing. But on
coming close, this difficulty was at an end, "for when they looked,
they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great." Very
probably Mary Magdalene was the first who observed this fact, for St.
John speaks especially of her, and says, "The first day of the week
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre,
and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre."
Here you must understand, that the Hebrew sepulchres had two
divisions, or chambers. The inner division, or chamber, in which the
body was laid, was separated from the outer division by a door,
closed, as we have heard, by a large stone. The outer chamber, or
porch, had an open door, or entrance.
As soon as Mary Magdalene and her companions came near, they could
see, through the open entrance of the outer chamber, that the door of
the inner chamber was also open, and that the great stone, which they
had seen placed there after Jesus was laid in the tomb, had been
taken away: but they did not see either the stone itself or the angel
sitting upon it, on the right-hand side of the door; as this could not
be seen without going into the porch, or outer chamber. As soon, then,
as Mary Magdalene saw, through the open entrance of the porch, that
the stone was rolled away from the door of the inner chamber, or
sepulchre, she, concluding that some persons, either friends or
enemies, had opened it, and carried away the body of Jesus, "runneth,
and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved,
and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the
sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him."
After Mary Magdalene had left them, the other Mary and Salome went
into the outer division, and, "entering into the sepulchre" (that is,
into the porch), "they saw a young man sitting on the right side,
clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And the
angel answered, and said unto the women, Fear not ye; be not
affrighted; for I know that ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was
crucified: He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the
place where the Lord lay; behold the place where they laid him."
Having thus assured these women that the Lord was indeed risen from
the dead, the angel bade them make the good tidings known to others,
saying, "But go your way quickly, tell his disciples and Peter that he
is risen from the dead, and that he goeth before you into Galilee:
there shall ye see him, as he said unto you; lo, I have told you. And
they departed quickly from the sepulchre, with fear, and fled; for
they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything to any man."
These women were so confused and overpowered with surprise, fear, and
joy, that they scarcely knew what to say or do: so they told no man
what they had seen or heard as they went along, but "with great joy
did run to bring his disciples word" of what the angel had said.
It must have been a great comfort to Peter to hear that he had been
particularly mentioned by name, as it showed that Jesus had not cast
him off, but still looked upon him as a disciple, notwithstanding his
sin in denying his Lord and Master.
It seems that when the disciples saw their Lord condemned and
crucified, they must have forgotten all that He had told them as to
His rising again; and, instead of going early to the sepulchre on the
third day, they appear to have remained at home, mourning and
lamenting His death. Now, however, Mary Magdalene's tidings must have
brought their Lord's words to remembrance. "Peter therefore went
forth, and that other disciple (John), and came to the sepulchre. So
they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and
came first to the sepulchre. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw
the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in." The clothes in which the
body had been wrapped were there; but the body itself was gone. No
angel was now to be seen, nor did the disciples know that one had been
seen at all; for Mary Magdalene had left the sepulchre before her two
companions went into the porch of the sepulchre.
"Then cometh Simon Peter, following John, and went into the sepulchre,
and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his
head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a
place by itself." This circumstance was very important. If the body of
Jesus had been _stolen away_, either by friends or enemies, they would
have carried it away as it was, and not waited to unwind the linen
clothes, and more especially not to have folded the napkin up and laid
it in a separate place. The astonishment of Peter when he saw the
burial clothes thus lying in order caused John also to go into the
sepulchre: "and he saw and believed." "For as yet they knew not the
Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."