it. And he not only made the wheels of its machinery in the beginning,
but he manages them all the time. He has his hand on every part of it.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” to die for
us. He was willing to have him crucified with wicked men. But he wished
to have him buried with rich men. And seven hundred years before Jesus
was born into our world he had said that it should be so. And when the
time for Christ’s burial came, the clock of his providence struck, just
as he said it should do. Joseph of Arimathea was one of the wheels in
this clock; and when the right time came, there he was—ready to bury the
dead Saviour in his own new tomb. And thus, in the wonderful working
of God’s providence, it came to pass that Jesus was—“with the rich in
his death.” And as we think of ourselves, as standing by the tomb in
which Jesus was buried, and seeing how strangely the prophecy about his
burial was fulfilled, we cannot help wondering at the working of God’s
providence. It is true indeed, as the hymn says—that
“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform:
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.”
And it is just the same now as it was then. Here are some examples of the
working of this providence.
“The Raven of Winslade Quarry.” Winslade is a small town in England,
famous for its stone quarries. Some years ago an incident occurred there
which strikingly illustrates this part of our subject. The men were at
work in the lower part of the quarry. Directly above was a great mass of
overhanging rocks. Dinner time came; but just as they were getting ready
for it, a raven flew down, picked up the little parcel which contained
one of the miners’ dinner and flew away with it. The man of course did
not want to lose his dinner, so he ran after the bird, thinking that she
would soon have to stop, and lay down her heavy burden, and then he
would get his dinner again.
His companions wished to see the fun and they joined in the chase.
The bird was stronger than they thought and led them a long way off
before she alighted. But, at last she flew down the side of a steep and
dangerous precipice and laid her bundle on a projecting rock. She seemed
to feel that she was safe there, and so she was, for no one was willing
to risk his life by attempting to go down that perilous place. Then the
men gave up the chase, and went back to the quarry. On reaching the
spot they found to their surprise that a great mass of rock had fallen
down just where they would have been eating their dinner. It would have
crushed them to death if the raven had not come and taken them away in
time to save them. Thus God made use of that bird to save the lives of
those men. Here we see the wonderful working of God’s providence.
[Illustration: The Body of Jesus Laid in the Tomb
And, behold, _there was_ a man named Joseph, a counsellor; _and he was_ a
good man, and a just. (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed
of them;) _he was_ of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: who also himself
waited for the kingdom of God. This _man_ went unto Pilate, and begged
the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid
it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was
laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the
women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld
the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared
spices and ointments.—_St. Luke xxiii: 50-56._
_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
_In a garden beneath this cliff, where Joseph’s new tomb was, there is
a tomb bearing marked characteristics. The workmanship shows it to be
Jewish and of the Herodian period, yet when first discovered there were
traces of a cross painted upon the wall. Although there is room in the
sepulchre for four bodies, one only of these has been completed, one only
occupied. In digging near the foundations of a neighboring monastery, a
Christian grave was found bearing the remarkable words, “Laid near his
Lord.” We may never know the real meaning of these facts, but they are
at least significant, and especially so in view of the cogent arguments
which can be urged against the acceptance of the traditional site of the
Holy Sepulchre._
71]
“Delivered by a Dog.” A minister of the gospel, who had a country parish
in New England, tells this story:
“A farmer belonging to my parish, and who was quite well off, died
suddenly. Shortly after his death his widow, who was a good Christian
woman, concluded to give up the farm and take a small house in the
neighboring village. The farm was sold and then an auction was held to
sell the things on the farm and in the house, except the furniture that
would be needed for the little house in the village.
“I went to see her,” said the minister on the day of the sale. “I told
her I thought she had done wisely in concluding to give up the farm, for
it was half a mile away from any other house, and she would be lonely and
unprotected there.
“‘Oh! no,’ she said, ‘not unprotected; far from it! You forget that I am
now under the special charge of that God “who careth for the widow and
the fatherless,” and who, I am sure, will protect us.’
“And now, let me tell you how God did protect them. There was a good deal
of money in the house that night from the sale which had taken place. The
only persons in the house were the mother with her three young children
and their maid servant.
“Some time after going to bed she heard a strange and unusual noise at
the back of the house. Then she was startled by the barking of a dog,
apparently in the room under her chamber. This alarmed her still more as
they had no dog of their own.
“She arose and dressed herself hastily. She awoke her maid and they went
down stairs. They first looked into the room where they heard the dog.
There they saw a huge black dog, scratching and barking furiously at the
door leading into the kitchen. She told her servant to open the door
where the dog was scratching. The girl was brave, and opened the door
without a fear. In a moment the dog rushed out, and through the open door
the widow saw two men at the kitchen window, which was also open. The men
instantly turned to run, and the dog leaped through the window and ran
after them. There was a fierce fight between them, but the men finally
got away, though followed far off by the faithful dog.
“Mrs. M., and her maid fastened the window and doors, and concluded to
sit up for the rest of the night, for, of course it would be impossible
to sleep after what had taken place. They had hardly taken their seats
before they heard their noble protector scratching at the outer door for
admittance. They gladly let him in, and when he came up to them, wagging
his great bushy tail, they patted and praised him for his goodness and
courage. Then he stretched his huge form beside the warm stove, closed
his eyes and went to sleep. The next morning they gave him a breakfast
that any dog might have been glad to get. As soon as he had finished his
breakfast, he went to the door, and stood impatiently whining till the
door was opened, when off he ran in a great hurry, and they never saw him
again.
“They had never seen the dog before, and knew not to whom it belonged.
But the grateful widow felt sure that her Father in heaven had sent him
for their protection that night. And her faith was stronger than ever at
the mysterious working of his providence.”
“Say not, my soul, From whence
Can God relieve my care?
Remember that omnipotence
Hath servants everywhere.”
_The last lesson taught us by the burial of Christ is—A LESSON OF
COMFORT._
If Christ had not suffered, and died, and been buried for us, we should
have no comfort when we come to die. The thought of having to lie down in
the grave would have been terrible to us. But Jesus died and laid in the
grave for us, on purpose that we might not be afraid to die.
It is true as the hymn says, that:
“The graves of all his saints he blest
When in the grave he lay.”
David had learned this lesson, by faith in the promised Saviour, long
before he came to earth, and it was this that enabled him to say, “Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Ps.
23:4.
And the apostle Paul had learned the same lesson, when he exclaimed so
joyfully, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” I. Cor. xv: 55, 57.
Good Dr. Muhlenberg put this lesson very sweetly into a single verse of
his beautiful hymn, when he said:
“I would not live alway; no; welcome the tomb,
Since Jesus hath lain there I dread not its gloom.
There sweet be my rest, till he bid me arise,
To hail him in triumph descending the skies.”
The sweet Scottish poet Bonar had learned this lesson well, and was
feeling the comfort which the thought of Christ’s burial gives when he
could think of dying and lying in the grave, and speak about it in these
words:
“I go to life and not to death;
From darkness to life’s native sky;
I go from sickness and from pain
To health and immortality.
“Let our farewell, then, be tearless,
Since I bid farewell to tears;
Write this day of my departure
Festive in your coming years.
“I go from poverty to wealth,
From rags to raiment angel-fair,
From the pale leanness of this flesh
To beauty such as saints shall wear.
“I go from chains to liberty,
These fetters will be broken soon;
Forth over Eden’s fragrant fields
I’ll walk beneath a glorious noon.
“For toil there comes the crowned rest;
Instead of burdens, eagles’ wings;
And I, even I, this life-long thirst
Shall quench at everlasting springs.”
We see the true effect of Christ’s burial in the feeling of comfort which
those who believe in him experience when they come to die. Here are some
examples of what I mean.
When Dr. Watts was on his death-bed, he said, “I bless God that I can lie
down at night without the slightest fear whether I wake in this world or
another.”
Another good minister, when asked how he felt at the approach of death,
said,—“I am just going into eternity; but I bless God, I am neither
ashamed to live, nor afraid to die.”
During the reign of Henry VIII, of England, many good men were cruelly
put to death for the sake of their religion. Among these was Dr. Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester. When he came in sight of the scaffold on which he
was to die, he took out of his pocket a Greek Testament, and looking
up to heaven, said, “Now, O Lord, direct me to some passage which may
comfort me in this trying hour.” Then he opened the book, and his eye
rested on this passage, “This is life eternal, to know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” He closed the book and
said, “Praised be God! this is all I need. This is enough for life, or
for death; for time, or for eternity.”
When the Rev. James Harvey came to his last sickness, his physician came
in one day and told him he had but very little time to live.
“Then let me spend my last moments,” said he, “in praising my blessed
Saviour. Though my heart and my flesh fail, yet God is the strength of
my heart, and my portion forever. St. Paul says: ‘All things are yours,
whether life or death; things present, or things to come; all are yours,
and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.’ Here is the treasure of a
Christian, and a noble treasure it is. Death is ours. Jesus has made it
our friend, by his death and burial. Praise God for this truth. And now
welcome death! How well thou mayest be welcomed among the treasures of
the Christian. ‘For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain.’”
The Rev. William Janeway was another excellent and faithful minister of
Christ. In his closing sickness, these were among the last words that
he spoke: “I bless God I can die in peace. I know what that means, ‘The
peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts.’
It is keeping mine now. My joy is greater than I can express. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Now I
can die. It is nothing. I long to die. I desire to depart and be with
Christ.” And so he died.
These good men had studied well the subject of Christ’s burial, and had
learned the lesson of comfort it was intended to teach us. And when we
think of the burial of Christ, let us remember the lessons of which we
have now spoken in connection with it. These are the lessons about the
_certainty of his death_:—_the fulfillment of his word;—the working of
his providence;—and the comfort we derive from his burial_.
The collect for Easter-even, is a very appropriate one with which to
close this subject:—“Grant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the
death of thy blessed Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, so by continual
mortifying our corrupt affections, we may be buried with him; and
that through the grave and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful
resurrection, for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again
for us, thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
THE RESURRECTION
The rising of our blessed Lord from the dead was one of the most
important events in the history of his life on earth.
Let us take an illustration of its importance. Suppose that we were
living in England, and that we were well acquainted with Victoria—the
good and gracious queen of that great kingdom. And suppose that it should
please the queen to make us a present of one of the fine old castles of
England, with all the lands and property belonging to it. In giving us
this castle, or, as the lawyers say, in “_conveying_ it to us,” the queen
would order a title deed to be made out. This deed would be necessary;
because if any one else should claim that the castle belonged to him, we
could then open the deed and show that the queen had really given it to
us. A title deed, like this of which we are now speaking, is generally
written on a sheet of parchment. In this deed would be found the name of
the castle, with a full description of it, and all the property belonging
to it. It would be stated here how many acres of land were connected with
it; and then it would be written down that the queen had given it to us,
and that it was to belong to us, and to our children, or heirs forever.
But after all this had been written out, the deed would be good for
nothing unless something more were done to it. It would be necessary for
the queen to sign her own name to the deed—Victoria Regina—and then put
the royal seal upon it. The property described in it could never become
ours, unless the queen’s signature and seal were added to it.
When Jesus came down from heaven to earth, his great object was to
secure for his people a home in heaven,—a mansion in the skies. When he
hung upon the cross, we may well say that he was writing out the title
deed to those mansions, in his own blood. But, after this deed had thus
been written, it was necessary for his Father in heaven to show that he
approved of what had been done. When Jesus died and was buried, we may
say that he took with him the title deed to our heavenly home, to get
his Father to sign it and seal it. And when the resurrection of Jesus
took place it showed that this was done. Then God the Father did, as it
were, say—“I approve of what my beloved son has done. I sign and seal the
title deed which he has written out to secure a home in heaven for all
who love and serve him.”
This shows us how very important the resurrection of Jesus was. And
because it is so important, we may well feel a great interest in studying
the subject of Christ’s resurrection. And in doing this there are
two things for us carefully to consider. These are—_The proof of the
resurrection of Christ; and the lessons we are taught by it._
Let us begin by considering—_the proof of the resurrection of Christ_.
We have great cause for thankfulness that the proof given us on this
subject is so clear and strong. There is no fact of history supported
by stronger proof than is the fact of Christ’s resurrection. We believe
that there was such a person as Napoleon Bonaparte; that he was emperor
of France; and that he died a prisoner on the island of St. Helena. We
believe that there was such a person as George Washington; that he was
the leader of our armies during the revolutionary war; and that, after
the war, he was the first president of the United States. We believe that
there was such a person as Julius Cæsar; that he was a successful general
of the Roman armies; and that he met his death in the Senate chamber
from the daggers of the Roman senators. No one doubts these facts. They
are matters of history. And yet the proof we have of the resurrection of
Christ is clearer and stronger than the proof we have for what we believe
respecting Julius Cæsar, or George Washington, or Napoleon Bonaparte.
Nothing that we read of in history is more sure than this, that Jesus did
rise from the dead.
Many years ago, there was an infidel club in England. It was composed of
learned and distinguished men. At the meetings of the club, its members
were in the habit of ridiculing the Bible and of trying to show it was
not worthy of being believed. On one occasion a member of this club was
appointed to examine the subject of the resurrection of Christ and to
write an essay for the purpose of showing that there was no satisfactory
proof that he ever rose from the dead.
He examined carefully what is said on this subject in the New Testament.
And the end of it was, that he became fully convinced of the fact
that Christ did rise from the dead. And, instead of writing an article
for that infidel club to show that what Christians believe about the
resurrection of Christ is not true, he wrote one of the best books that
ever has been written, to prove, beyond all doubt, that the resurrection
of Christ is true. He became an earnest Christian. And that which led to
this great change was the convincing proof he found in the New Testament
of the truth of the resurrection of Christ. He saw it was true that Jesus
did rise from the dead. And when he became satisfied that this was true,
he was obliged to admit that all the other teachings of the New Testament
respecting Christ must be true also. The resurrection of Christ is the
foundation stone on which the religion of the Bible is built up. If that
falls, this must fall. But if that stands firm and sure, then this must
stand firm and sure also.
[Illustration: “He is not Here, but is Risen”
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day according to the commandment.—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_ with them. And
they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And 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. And they
remembered his words. And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these
things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.—_St. Luke xxiii: 56; xxiv:
1-9._
_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
_This and the following picture present the chief features of the
rock-hewn tomb referred to in Note facing picture No. 71. It is about
fifteen feet long by eleven feet wide, and eight feet in height, and it
is divided transversely by a flattened arch supporting the roof. The
single completed grave is formed by the erection on the floor-level of a
limestone slab in notches cut in the rock for its support, thus forming,
with the walls, a sort of built sarcophagus, or coffin. An additional
hollow, cut in the rock for the reception of the head, explains the
meaning of “the napkin that was about his head” being “in a place by
itself.” Sepulchres of this type are comparatively rare, and, providing
as it does a minimum of accommodation for the labor expended on its
construction, this new tomb must obviously have belonged to a man of
wealth._
72]
And in examining the proof of the resurrection of Christ the most
important thing to notice is—_the number and character of the witnesses_.
The first person who saw our blessed Lord, after he rose from the dead,
was Mary Magdalene. We read about this in St. Mark xi: 9. St. John xx:
11-18. After this he appeared to certain other women, who were returning
from the sepulchre. St. Matt. xxviii: 9, 10. Then he appeared to Simon
Peter, alone. St. Luke xxiv: 34, I. Cor. xv: 5. His next appearance was
to two of his disciples, as they were walking together from Jerusalem to
a village called Emmaus. He had a long talk with them and stopped and
ate bread with them. St. Luke xxiv: 13-32. The fifth appearance of the
risen Saviour was to ten of his disciples, Thomas being the only one of
them who was not there. This was at Jerusalem, on the evening of the
first glad Easter day. St. John xx: 19-32. After this we hear nothing of
him for a week. But on the evening of “the first Sunday after Easter,”
he made his sixth appearance. On this occasion the eleven disciples were
all together. Thomas was with them now. They were sitting in a room,
with the door closed, and no doubt fastened, for fear of the Jews. Only
one subject could occupy their thoughts—and that was the resurrection
of their wonderful Master. Suddenly Jesus himself stood in the midst
of them, and said, “Peace be unto you.” In spite of all that he had
heard from the other disciples, Thomas declared he could not believe it
possible that Jesus had risen from the dead. When his brethren told him
that it was true, he said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of
the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my
hand into his side, I will not believe.” But on this occasion the loving
and gracious Saviour met his doubting disciple in the very way in which
he had desired to be met. For we read: “Then saith he to Thomas, reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands: and reach hither thy hand, and
thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.” St. John
xx: 26-29.
The seventh appearance of the risen Saviour, was on the shore of the sea
of Galilee. A number of the apostles were together on this occasion. It
was one of the most touching and impressive of all his interviews with
them. The deeply interesting account of what took place at this time is
given in full in the twenty-first chapter of St. John’s gospel; but we
cannot enlarge on the subject now.
The eighth time that Jesus was seen after his resurrection was by the
eleven disciples again. We read in St. Matt. xxviii: 16—“Then the
eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus
had appointed them.” This refers to St. Matt. xxvi: 32, when as they
were partaking together of the Lord’s Supper for the first time, after
referring to his death he said, “But after I am risen again, I will go
before you into Galilee.” We are not told where this meeting was held, or
what took place on that occasion.
The ninth appearance of the risen Lord, is that of which St. Paul speaks
in I. Cor. xv: 7, where he tells us that “he appeared to above four
hundred brethren at once.” The place here referred to is not mentioned,
and so cannot be known. It was probably in Galilee. Jesus had spent
most of his public life in that part of the country. He had made most
of his disciples there. It was proper, therefore, that those disciples,
who would, of course, hear of his death, should have some public proof
given them of the fact of his resurrection. No doubt the eleven disciples
went to Galilee after Jesus rose. They would spread the news that he had
risen, and that he was about to show himself to his friends on a certain
mountain. Nothing more would be necessary anywhere to draw together a
great concourse of people than a report that one who was dead had come to
life again, and was about to show himself; and in this case where they
greatly loved him, and where, no doubt, many believed he would rise, they
would naturally come together in great numbers to see him once more.
The tenth appearance of Christ after his resurrection was to the apostle
James. This is told us by St. Paul, who says I. Cor. xv: 7. “After that
he was seen of James.” This is not mentioned in any of the gospels. But
as Jesus was on earth for forty days after his resurrection, it is most
likely that he appeared often to his disciples, and that only enough of
the more prominent appearances were mentioned, to prove the fact that he
had risen.
The eleventh occasion on which Jesus was seen after his resurrection was
on the Mount of Olives, just before his ascension into heaven. On this
occasion all the eleven apostles were present, and no doubt great numbers
of his other disciples.