18
January 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Seed Thoughts From St. Mark By W ilfred M. H opkins C hapter XV— V erses 43-47; C hapter XVI
i OSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA—A rich man (cf. Matt. 27:57), a secret disciple (cf. John 19:38), a member of the Sanhedrin (cf. Lk. 23:50), a good man and a just. AN HONORABLE COUNSELLOR—The word real ly means “of good bearing, elegant” ; he was a gentle man. Not many rich, not many noble, accepted disciple- ship, but there were some. EXPECTING THE KINGDOM OF GOD (cf. Lk. 2:25, 38).j^Their expectation could only have been based upon the Old Testament Scriptures. They were evi dently Bible students. HAVING TAKEN COURAGE—He had been a secret disciple, but now comes out into the open. ASKED FOR THE BODY—He was afraid it would be cast into the place appointed for executed criminals. This was not to be: even in His death God’s HOLY ONE was not to come into contact with corruption (cf. Psa. 14:10). 44—PILATE WONDERED IF HE WERE ALREADY DEAD—Death by crucifixion did not usually occur for about three days. Death was divinely accelerated in the case of Christ in order that He might die at the proper hour, and on the proper day, as the true passover Lamb. This could not have been mere coincidence. 45—HE FREELY GAVE THE BODY—Money was usually extorted on such occasions, but Pilate was no doubt more than willing to spite the Jews (who had thwarted him in his desire to release Jesus) by allowing honor to be done to His corpse. Here again the divine intervention is very visible. .46—HE BOUGHT FINE LINENS—This was only the prep aration, not the feast day itself, or Joseph would not (perhaps could not) have broken the law by buying the linen. TOOK HIM DOWN—Assisted by Nicodemus, another member of the San hedrin (cf. John 7 :50; 19:39), and who brought myrrh and aloes for His embalming. WRAPPED HIM IN THE FINE LINEN —It was meet that He should be wrapped in fine linen, the em blem of righteousness (cf. Rev. 19:8) since the death penalty had been paid, and He now represented those who are dead in deed into sin but alive unto God. LAID HIM IN THE TOMB, i.e., Joseph’s own tomb (cf. Matt. 27:60)—He did therefore lit erally make His grave with the rich, as had been prophesied of Him long before (cf. Isa. 53:9). HEWN OUT OF THE ROCK —The water which was the emblem of life flowed out of the smitten rock (cf. Ex. 17:6) ; He who is the life came forth to be our life out of the rock that had been smitten. Was this mere coincidence? [The tomb was in a garden (cf. John 19:41) ; death in the place of life. Later, when the tomb was empty, save for the presence of the angels, there was life in the place of death. Surely this is a parable.] ROLLED A STONE AGAINST THE DOOR—A great stone (cf. Matt. 27:60) needing more than one man to move i t ; hence the disciples could not have rolled it away so noiselessly as not to waken sleeping soldiers when they came to “steal” the body, as was reported. 47—MARY MAGDALENE, etc.—[We must not confound Mary Magdalene, as the church has so constantly done, with the woman who was a “sinner.”] The devotion of womanhood to Christ was as conspicuous in those days as in these. C hapter XVI. WHEN THE SABBATH WAS PAST—The women kept the Sabbath in spite of their desire to do Him honor. This was in accordance with the divine declaration by His prophet (cf. 1
Sam. 15:22). To obey Christ is better even than to pay Him outward reverence. HAD BOUGHT SPICES—In order to com plete His embalmment. It is very noticeable how utter was the failure of all His followers to believe in His assertion that He would rise again. 2— VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING—[“While it was yet dark” (John 20:1)]. Dark! truly; for Easter had not yet “dawned upon the world” ; meet emblem of that darkness which would have enwrapped us forever if He had not risen. THE SUN HAVING RISEN—By the time they got to the sepulchre it was light; no doubt He rose while they were on the way. The darkness of this journey and the light in which it ended form a striking parable. 3— WHO SHALL ROLL AWAY THE STONE?—Poor, troubled doubting hearts! How like our own, prone to go out to meet expected difficulties and troubles, all forgetful alike of the promises and power of our Lord! 4— WHEN THEY LOOKED UP—'Another parable: with downcast eyes they had been looking at the earth ; raising them toward heaven they found the difficulty gone. What a lesson for us! IT WAS VERY GREAT —They could not have moved it, but there is no stone so great that it can resist the divine hand, or that of His divinely appointed instrumentality (cf. Matt. 28:2). Things which are mountain difficulties to us are as the dust of the balances to Him (cf. Job 9:5; Isa. 40:12). 5— ENTERING INTO THE SEPULCHRE—The tomb was a kind of artificial cave, not a pit as our graves are. It was large enough to accommodate several persons at once, being no doubt intended for Joseph and his family. THEY SAW A YOUNG MAN—There were various appearances of angels that morning (cf. Lk. 24:4); the constant attention of angels before and at His birth, in the wilderness, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and at the tomb, mark Him out as something more than a man; but it is also typical of their constant care of us (cf. Psa. 91:11,12). IN A LONG WHITE GARMENT—At once the garment of the servant of the Lord (cf. 2 Chron. 5 :12) and the emblem of divine purity (cf. Dan. 7:9). THEY WERE EXCEEDINGLY AMAZED—They had come to find a corpse and they had found a company of angels. Men are still amazed at the unexpected wonders wrought by the death and resurrection of Christ. 6— BE NOT AMAZED—[Much the same word as Christ addressed to Nicodemus (cf. John 3:7)]. They ought not to have been, for He had said that He would rise again. Yet we, too, often say “how wonderful,” when God keeps His word or answers our prayers; to our shame be it said. HE IS NOT HERE—It is useless to seek for a dead Christ; we must ever remember that we are saved by and are the servants of a living Lord. (Hence, the crucifix is not only too often the sub ject of idolatry, but a misrepresentation of the true object of our worship; Christ is no longer on the cross.) “Not here.” The same may be said, should be said, of our departed loved ones, Though their bodies are in the tomb, they are not there. HE IS RISEN—This was at once the consummation and the seal of His redeeming work; for He rose to be our life, and His being raised was the sign of the divine acceptance of His sacrifice (cf. Rom. 4:25). BEHOLD THE PLACE—To them partial sight was given, that they might be witnesses to that generation; from us faith is required. We do not really know
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