T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
1150
and believed. The believing is all p u t down to Jo h n ’s credit. They entered, bu t he believed. It is possible to be first in and la st to believe. The first shall be last. Love’s eye alone can keenly detect. This was th e belief of love not the belief of faith , fo r “ as. yet they knew not the S criptures.” God’s h in ts lead up to God’s Words. Blessed is he who ta k eth God’s hints. Love ever does.-—-Crawford. Again John had ou tru n Peter. Perhaps if P e te r’s h ea rt had no t been oppressed by his sin, he would have been read ier to feel the sunshine of th e w onderful hope. We condemn ourselves to th e shade when we deny our Lord by deed or word.— Maclaren. v. 9. They knew n o t th e Scrlptnres. All Jesus had said abou t rising again the th ird day had fallen upon dull ears. The chief priests had tak en note of His words (Mt. 27 :63 ) b u t th e disciples had not.— Bullinger. Even w ith Christ to expound Scripture to them , th e prophe cies about His passion and resu rrection had rem ained a sealed book to them . (Lk. 24:25 -27 ).— Camb. Bible. v. 10. Disciples w ent away again. How much those two disciples missed. Had they only waited they m ight have seen th e Lord. Do no t h u rry w ith w an ton haste from th e mysteries of our Lord’s grave, bu t learn th a t on th e one hand, He was declared to be God’s Son (Rom . 1 :4 ) and on the other, we are ta u g h t th e victory of faith even over death. (Jn . 1 1 :2 6 .)— Meyer. v. 18. I know n o t w here they have la id him . To mourn Christ’s absence is to desire and invite H is presence and to invite His presence is to secure it.— Pusey. But th a t empty tomb m eant th e conquest of death and sin and so be came th e symbol of a tho rough fare be tween life in tim e and life in th e un shadowed presence of God.— Jow ett. v. 14. I t was Jesus. W hat a jubilee th e re m ust have been in hell when th e Savior came under th e power of death
incentive— they run. God has ou trun them , yet would they run . Even so it ever was w ith th e church. Ah, empty tomb, may we ru n because of thee.— Crawford. Did o u tru n P ete r. John could ou tru n P eter bu t P eter could out d are John. Some disciples are quick, and they are useful to quicken those th a t are slow. O thers are bold, and they are useful to embolden those th a t are tim orous.— Henry. v. 5. Looking in. Don’t fear a grave. Christ has lain in one and come fo rth .— Sel. Saw th e clothes lying. This is an apparen tly insignificant de ta il bu t is one in which th e re is deep significance. It is n o t merely a proof th a t the tomb had not been rifled leav ing disorder behind, b u t it shows us th a t Jesus, in th a t suprem e moment, displayed th e same divine seren ity and calm th a t m arked H is whole career. He quietly took th e napkin off and, in an orderly way rolled it up and laid it in its place.— Torrey. No one would steal a dead body and leave th e fine linen clothes. (Mk. 1 6 :4 6 .)— Sel. The Lord had passed ou t of th e clothes, no t need ing as L azarus (1 1 :4 4 ) to be loosed. I t was th is sigh t th a t convinced John (v. 8 .)— Comp. Bible. v. 6 . P e te r w ent in. John h ad re mained standing th e re in awe and medi tation. P eter, w ith his n a tu ra l impul siveness, goes in a t once. Both act characteristically.— Camb. Bible. v. 7. Napkin w rapped in place by itself. If it was clear th a t hum an hands h ad no t undone w h at hum an hands had done a few days before, it was equally clear th a t n eith er by streng th nor ingenuity had th e Lord freed H imself from th e bonds. No merely n a tu ra l power had been a t work. —-Hogg. v. 8 . Then w ent in also. John is en couraged by his older companions. Note how all th e details te ll of eye w itness es. He rem embers even th a t th e nap kin was folded.— Plumm er. H e saw
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