THE KING’S BUSINESS
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and him from believing up to that point. They, however, were responsible for not understanding and believing before (Luke 24:25, 26), but certainly they were not so responsible for believing as many are today who do not believe. John’s faith was not of a credulous and irrational sort, but was built upon facts that he observed, and was to be confirmed by further facts. vs. 10-13. “Then (So) the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood (was standing) without at the sepulchre (tomb) weeping: and as (so, as) she wept, she stooped down, (omit, down,) and looked into the sepulchre (tomb), and seeth (; and she beholdeth) two angels in white, (omit ,) sitting, the (omit the) one at the head, and the other (one) at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain: and (. And) they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him." Peter and John leave the tomb. Mary, who was exhausted with her first hurried walk to the tomb and by her Swift run back from the tomb to the house where Peter and John were, slowly follows Peter and John to the tomb and reaches it after the disciples are gone. Reaching the tomb she does not enter, but stands without weeping. Then as she weeps she stoops down and looks into the tomb. As she looks in she sees two angels in white sit ting one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain, but she is so entirely taken Up with the thought of her supposedly dead Lord that she has no eyes even for angels. Tenderly they say unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” and with the utmost naturalness she replies, “Because they have taken away my Lord, ' and I know not where they have laid Him.” It was love that kept Mary lingering at the sepulcher, but it was unbelief that kept her weeping. Again and again Jesus had told His disciples that He was, to be cruci fied and buried and that afterward He should rise again the third day, but this was so foreign to their ideas that they
could not understand it and it had found no lodgment in their minds. His enemies remembered it (Matt. 27:63) though His friends did not. No wonder Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart (Matt. 16:14; Luke 24:25, 26). Mary looks into the tomb to see if after all there is not some mistake about it, half hoping to see the body of her crucified Saviour lying there. It was half in wonder and alto gether in protest that the angels exclaim, ‘Woman, why* weepest thou?” Mary’s answer is. very touching “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” Her faith was badly shattered and yet she still speaks of Jesus as “my Lord.” He was a dead Lord but she will go to Him, and right at her back all the time was the Living Lord, who had come to her. The darkest hour Mary ever knew will soon give way to the gladdest. vs. 14, 15. “And when (When) she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw (beholdeth) Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She (add a comma) supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have (hast) borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away." Now Mary turns and looks quite steadfastly at, Jesus, but she does not recognize Him. How clear it is that we are reading an actual description of facts and not skilfully constructed fio tion. Anyone manufacturing a story of the resurrection to convince people of the truth of a resurrection that never occurred, would not have made it up 1 in this way. They would recognize at once the difficul ties that would be raised, namely that it was not really Jesus that she saw. Why, then does John tell the story in this way? Simply because John is concerned, not with making up a story to produce effect, but is telling things exactly as they are and this is how it was. But why did not Mary recognize Jesus? She was too blinded by her tears and too much occupied with her
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