§ 156. THE VEIL OF THE TEMPLE RENT, AND GRAVES OPENED. JUDGMENT OF THE CENTURION. THE WOMEN AT THE CROss.-Jerusalem. Matt. xxvii. out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 55 And many women? were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. § 157. THE TAKING DOWN FROM THE CROSS. THE BURIAL.-Jerusalem. Sixth Day of the Week. g John xix. 31-42. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain the cross upon on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled,* A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another Scripture saith," They shall look on him whom they pierced. Matt. 27. 55, 56, and the parallel places, refer to a later point of time than John 19. 25, sq. Mary and the other women had now retired to a distance from the scene of suffering. ? Luke 8. 3. r Deut. 21. 22, 23. On the phrase that sabbath day was a high day, see Introductory Note, p. 159. Ex. 12. 46; Psa. 34. 20. "Zech. 12. 10. Comp. Psa. 22. 16, 17. an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled " if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre "It was according to custom among the Jews that the bodies of persons publicly executed should be taken down and buried before sunset. w Pilate marvelled, &c. The tortures of crucifixion did not cause a speedy death. The narrative strikingly teaches us that our Lord's death Luke xxiii. 50–56. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on."50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51 (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. 52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53 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. John xix. a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. Matt. xxvii. 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. a Mark xv. 47 And Mary Magdalene Luke xxiii. 55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." § 158. THE WATCH AT THE SEPULCHRE.-Jerusalem. Seventh Day of the Week, or Sabbath. 2 Matt. xxvii. 62-66. 62 Now the next day, that followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63 saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64 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. 65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. y Ex. 20. 10. On the expression After three days, see Note on § 49. a Matt. 20. 19. PART IX. OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION, HIS SUBSEQUENT APPEARANCES, AND HIS ASCENSION. TIME: Forty Days. INTRODUCTORY NOTE. A FULL discussion upon this part of the gospel history, embracing a review of the main difficulties in the way of harmonizing the accounts of the four evangelists, was published by Dr. Robinson in the Bibliotheca Sacra, for Feb., 1845, p. 162, sq. To this the student is referred for a more complete examination of the subject. More of these apparent difficulties are found in this short portion of the Gospels than in almost all the rest. This has its cause in the circumstance that each writer here records only what appertained to his own particular purpose or experience. Thus many of the minor and connecting facts have not been preserved; and the data are therefore wanting to make out a full and complete harmony of all the accounts, without an occasional resort to something of hypothesis. The general results of the investigations upon which we are now entering may be presented in the following summary view of the events and circumstances connected with our Lord's resurrection and ascension, in the order of their Occurrence. The resurrection took place at or before early dawn on the first day of the week; when there was an earthquake, and an angel descended and rolled away the stone from the sepulchre and sat upon it; so that the keepers became as dead men from terror. At early dawn, the same morning, the women who had attended on Jesus, namely, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, Salome, and others, went out with spices to the sepulchre in order further to embalm the Lord's body. They inquire among themselves who should remove for them the stone which closed the sepulchre. On their arrival they find the stone already taken away. The Lord had risen. The women, knowing nothing of all that had taken place, were amazed; they enter the tomb, and find not the body of the Lord, and are greatly perplexed. At this time Mary Magdalene, impressed with the idea that the body had been stolen away, leaves the sepulchre and the other women, and runs to the eity to tell Peter and John, The other women remain still in the tomb; and immediately two angels appear, who announce to them that Jesus is risen from the dead, and give them a charge in his name for the apostles. They go out quickly from the sepulchre, and proceed in haste to the city to make this known to the disciples. On the way Jesus meets them, permits them to embrace his feet, and renews the same charge to the apostles. The women relate these things to the disciples; but their words seem to them as idle tales, and they believe them not. Meantime Peter and John had run to the sepulchre, and entering in had found it empty. But the orderly arrangement of the grave-clothes and of the napkin convinced John that the body had not been removed either by violence or by friends; and the germ of a belief sprang up in his mind that the Lord had risen. The two returned to the city. Mary Magdalene, who had again followed them to the sepulchre, remained standing and weeping before it; and looking in, she saw two angels sitting. Turning round she sees Jesus; who gives to her also a solemn charge for his disciples. The further sequence of events, consisting chiefly of our Lord's appearances, presents comparatively few difficulties. The various manifestations which the Saviour made of himself to his disciples and others, as recorded by the evangelists and Paul, may accordingly be arranged and enumerated as follows: 1. To the women returning from the sepulchre. Reported only by Matthew. See $162. 2. To Mary Magdalene, at the sepulchre. By John and Mark. $164. 3. To Peter, perhaps early in the afternoon. By Luke and Paul. § 166. 4. To the two disciples going to Emmaus, towards evening. By Luke and Mark. $166. 5. To the apostles (except Thomas) assembled at evening. By Mark, Luke, John, and Paul. § 167. N.B. These five appearances all took |