The Apostles appear to have come to the sepulchre, without any idea
that the Lord had risen from the dead. They had not understood rightly
what the prophets had said of the death and rising again of the
Messiah; nor had the words of the Lord, though He had told them
plainly that He should die and rise again the third day, prepared them
for what had happened.
When John examined the tomb, he saw that the body of Jesus must, in
some miraculous way, have slipped out of the linen clothes, leaving
them lying in such perfect order: "he saw, and believed" that Jesus
was indeed risen. "For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he
must rise again from the dead." Up to this time they had not rightly
understood this Scripture; and John's faith now rested on what he had
_seen_, not, as it should have done, upon the Word of God. Peter and
John, having satisfied themselves that the body of Jesus was no longer
in the sepulchre, "went away again unto their own home," before Mary
Magdalene, who had followed them, reached the sepulchre for the second
time: she arriving after they had left, would naturally be
disappointed at not hearing their opinion, as to the disappearance of
the body of Jesus. She was grieved that any one should have carried
Him away; and this, added to the recollection of what she had
witnessed in the sufferings and death of Jesus, so disturbed Mary,
that she "stood without at the sepulchre weeping. And as she wept, she
stooped down, and looked into the (inner) sepulchre, and seeth two
angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say, Woman, why
weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." So little did Mary
expect the Lord to rise again to life, that even the sight of angels
sitting by His open tomb, did not convince her that the body had not
been removed to another place. She was soon to know the truth; for
"when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus
standing." But it pleased the Lord to appear to her in such a form,
that at first she knew not that it was Jesus. This was the first
appearance of Jesus Christ after His resurrection; for, as St. Mark
tells us, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven
devils." "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest
thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if
thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I
will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary." This one word, spoken
in the tone she had been accustomed to hear, removed all doubts and
fears: now she sees and knows that it is indeed Jesus restored to
life, who stands by her. We can imagine with what surprise and joy
"she turned herself" quickly towards her Lord, "and saith unto him,
Rabboni; which is to say, Master." From what follows, we may suppose
that in her exceeding gladness, Mary would have laid hold upon the
Lord to detain Him; for "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; 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."
By these words, He seems to have meant that the time was not quite
come for Him to ascend into heaven; and that Mary need not therefore
hold Him, as if she was afraid of not seeing Him again; but, on the
contrary, that she should at once go and remind His disciples of all
that He had before told them, about His going to His Father, and not
leaving them comfortless; because if He left them, He would send the
Holy Ghost to teach and guide them. The message thus sent by Jesus,
should remind us all, that the Lord God Almighty is indeed our God; a
kind and loving Father to _all_ who believe in His beloved Son, so as
to love and obey Him.
Mary Magdalene set out immediately to tell "the disciples that she had
seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her." On her
way it seems that she fell in with the other Mary and Salome, who had
fled from the sepulchre at the sight of the angel. The three women now
went on together. "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold,
Jesus met them, saying, All hail." "All hail" signified Welcome; it
was a common mode of expressing pleasure at meeting. Mary and Salome,
who had heard from Mary Magdalene that the Lord was indeed alive
again, were neither astonished nor frightened at His appearance; but,
filled with joy and love, they fell at His feet; "they came and held
him by the feet, and worshipped him." "Then said Jesus unto them, Be
not afraid; go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there
they shall see me." The action of holding His feet, showed fear that
the Lord would at once disappear; but He bids them have no fears, for
that, on the contrary, He would meet His disciples in Galilee. But
before that, He appeared also to His Apostles.
Whilst the women were on their way to tell the disciples all they had
seen and heard, "behold some of the watch came into the city, and
showed unto the Chief Priests all the things that were done." We have
heard how, when the angel of the Lord descended, those who were
guarding the sepulchre were so terrified, that they "became as dead
men,"--unable to move, or know what to do. When they came to
themselves, they would see that the sepulchre was empty; whilst they
well knew that no human power could have removed the body. They went
therefore, and told those who had set them to watch, how vain all
their precautions had been. The Chief Priests immediately called the
Council together: "and when they were assembled with the elders, and
had taken counsel," or consulted amongst themselves what they had best
do to prevent their countrymen from believing in the resurrection of
Christ, "they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His
disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. So they
took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is
commonly reported among the Jews until this day."
Great indeed was the wilful unbelief of the Jews, if they could for
one moment believe such an absurd story, as the Priests and elders had
bribed the soldiers to tell. Amongst the Romans, death was the
punishment for any soldier who went to sleep whilst upon guard: yet,
in spite of this, men were required to believe, that sixty soldiers,
and their commander, were all so fast asleep, that the noise which
must have been made by moving the stone, did not even awake one of
them. Besides, if they had all been asleep, how could they have known
that the disciples had been there?
The Chief Priests and elders knew that this story was false; and we
may be quite sure that Pilate and those in authority did not believe
it, or the soldiers would not have escaped punishment: but the Romans
did not care what the Jews believed on the subject: and the soldiers,
being heathens, and therefore careless about speaking the truth, took
the money offered by the Council, and in return told what they knew to
be a lie. Even up to this day, the Jews, of whom there are many
thousands scattered in different parts of the world, believe the story
invented by the Chief Priests; and instead of acknowledging Jesus as
the Messiah, still look for Christ's coming. It seems to us quite
impossible that any one should disbelieve in Jesus Christ being the
promised Messiah; but unhappily it is so. Let us pray to God that He
will take from the Jews all blindness and hardness of heart, and bring
them into the Christian Church.
Now let us return in thought to the sepulchre, where, after the
departure of Mary Magdalene, and of the other Mary and Salome, another
party of women arrived. These were the women which came with Him from
Galilee, and who, after seeing where the body of Jesus was laid, went
away immediately to prepare spices and ointments, and then rested on
the sabbath day. "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in
the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which
they had prepared, and certain others," that is, some other women
came, "with them." These women had had a longer way to come than Mary
Magdalene and her companions, and therefore, although they set out as
soon as the Sabbath was past, they did not reach the sepulchre until
some time after them: although it was still early. "And they found the
stone rolled away from the sepulchre." This circumstance would
naturally cause them no surprise, as they would conclude that the
disciples or others had reached the sepulchre before them, and were
already engaged in the work of embalming the body, in which they were
come to assist.
But their surprise was to come; for "they entered in, and found not
the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass as they were much
perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining
garments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the
earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He
is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was
yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
The sudden appearance "of two men in shining garments," alarmed the
women; who at once knew them to be angels. Then the angels reproved
these women for the want of faith, which had made them expect to find
amongst the dead, One whom they ought to have known must be alive, if
they had remembered and believed what He Himself had formerly told
them. When the women heard the words of the angels, they remembered
the words of Jesus, "and returned from the sepulchre, and told all
these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest." But the eleven had
already heard these wonderful tidings from Mary Magdalene and Joanna,
and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them,
which told these things unto the Apostles, as they mourned and wept
for the death of their Lord.