43 Joseph of Arimathæa, 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. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. fore the sabbath, when they prepared what was necessary for use, that they might keep the sabbath holy. Verse 43. An honourable counsellor.He was a member of the sanhedrim, and a resident in Jerusalem, as appears from his having a tomb there. He is called HONOURABLE, Evσxnμv, not in respect of his station merely, but his character and influence. He waited for the kingdom of God, or, literally, who "himself also was waiting for the kingdom of God;" so that he was a believer in the claims of our Lord, but waited for a fuller manifestation of his character, purposes, and kingdom. This too, in him, if not quite unmixed with Jewish prejudices, must have been in no low degree a spiritual expectation, since his hopes were not extinguished by the very crucifixion of him whom he believed to be the Messiah. Went in boldly.-That is, having taken courage, Toλunoas, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. It surely re quired courage to profess reverential regard to one whom the sanhedrim had condemned as a blasphemer, and Pilate as a traitor and a rebel. Yet he went, trusting in God, and probably the somewhat uneasy conscience of Pilate disposed him the more readily to permit respect being shown to the remains of one whom, though knowing him to be innocent, he had delivered to death. Verse 44. And Pilate marvelled.-He was amazed to hear that he was already dead, and therefore, to be assured of it, sent for the centurion to attest it. The reality of the death of our Lord, on which so much depended, was therefore confirmed by many striking occurrences. 1. The omission of the Roman soldiers to break his legs. 2. The assertion of the fact by Joseph, a man of rank and a counsellor, before Pilate. 3. The testimony of the centurion, who had the charge of the execution, upon the interrogation of the governor. CHAPTER XVI. 1 An angel declareth the resurrection of Christ to three women. 9 Christ himself appeareth to Mary Magdalene: 12 to two going into the country: 14 then to the apostles, 15 whom he sendeth forth to preach the gospel: 19 and ascendeth into heaven. 1 AND when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. a Luke xxiv. 1; John xx. 1. CHAPTER XVI. Verse 1. And when the sabbath was past.-See the notes on Matt. xxviii. 1. They had bought these spices, apwμara,—myrrh, aloes, and unguents, according to the Jewish custom in honourable funerals, on the evening of the crucifixion, as soon as they had seen where the body was laid; and they rested on the Sabbath. Had there been time before six in the evening, when the Sabbath commenced, to have embalmed the body, they would have done it; and that they were prevented by the intervention of the Sabbath affords the reason why they went to the sepulchre so early on the morning of the first day. Such consenting but incidental circumstances in the account give it an irresistible character of veracity. Verse 2. At the rising of the sun.Ανατείλαντος του ηλίου, when the sun wαι b John xx. 11. about to rise, just before day-break, it being yet obscure. They were ignorant that the sepulchre had had a guard set over it, as not knowing what had passed between the Pharisees and Pilate, as to that security. They only knew that a great stone had been rolled to the mouth of the sepulchre, and they anxiously inquired of each other, who should roll it away. They might hope perhaps that some of the disciples would recover courage sufficient to come to the tomb of their Master, and that they might obtain their assistance. They found it, however, rolled away; which had been done by the angel of terribly glorious aspect, at whose presence the Roman guard had fainted with terror, and then hastened away. This same angel, it appears, was now in the interior of the sepulchre, and had laid aside all terror; and though re 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre : for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. 9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 ¶ After that he appeared in another form unto 'two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Verse 7. Tell his disciples and Peter.Kai has here the force of especially : tell his disciples, and ESPECIALLY Peter. This was the angel's message; but he had received it from his Lord, who showed himself thus mindful of the repentant Peter, in the very moment of his glorious and triumphant resurrection. Verse 8. Neither said they any thing to any man. They would meet many, no doubt, on their return to the apostles; but such was their emotion, so strong and overpowering, that they spake to none by the way: a circumstance which intimates that they might meet some whom they knew, and those probably disciples. Verse 9. Now when Jesus was risen, &c. -From this verse to the close, we have a rapid summary of the resurrection and appearances of our Lord to his disciples, the commission he gave them, his ascension into heaven, and the success of their preaching. It is so evidently appended as a hasty summary to what precedes, that its genuineness has been attacked by some critics, but most successfully defended. Verse 10. As they mourned and wept.— This shows the deep sorrow and perplexity into which the death of Christ had thrown the disciples: the third day had arrived, and their sorrow was still unabated. In them were indeed fulfilled the words of Christ, "Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice;" and in a very short time were those words, of very different import, as signally fulfilled, "But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” Verse 12. In another form.-This refers to the two disciples going to Emmaus. That εν ετέρα μορφη does not mean, as some will have it, a different dress or habit, appears from the history. The uspect under which our Lord appeared to the two disciples was a disguised one; and he only presented himself in his true form in the breaking of bread, when they instantly knew him. g 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat * at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 m They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; "they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Verse 15. Preach the gospel to every creature. See notes on Matt. xxviii. 19. St. Matthew has, all nations; and St. Mark's every creature must be taken as exegetical of that phrase. It signifies, in fact, all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, and is used constantly in this sense in the Jewish writings; where the phrase "the creatures" signifies sometimes, it is true, the Gentiles in opposition to the Jews, but more generally men of all nations, all the rational creatures upon earth. This is the extent of our Lord's commission; and if the gospel, the good news, is to be offered to all, it is that they may believe and be saved, from the power and possibility of which no one can be excluded by any decree of reprobation or preterition, or there would be no offer of good news to him; nor can he be damned according to the terms of this commission, but in consequence of rejecting the doctrine and offer of salvation, when proposed to him. Every creature is a redeemed creature, or there could be no offer of mercy to every crea ture. Verse 18. They shall take up serpents. -As St. Paul in the island of Melita. And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not h Matt. xxviii. 19. m Acts xxviii. 5. i John xii. 48. n Acts xxviii. & hurt them; of which we have no instance in sacred history; but several are recorded in the ancient ecclesiastical histories, and the martyrologies. These, with the casting out of devils, speaking with new tongues, that is, tongues new to them, foreign languages, and healing the sick, are called signs: 1. Because in the sense of wonders, as things unknown and unheard of, either in themselves, or in their circumstances and accidents. 2. As attestations of a divine commission, and therefore of the truth and heavenly anthority of the doctrines taught, and the facts declared. How long these gifts continued in the church has been a matter of controversy. This we know, that they were not only exercised by the apostles, but conveyed by them to others; and yet we soon reach a period when the pretensions to such gifts become equivocal and doubtful, and finally are to be resolved into pious frauds, or rather into impious imposture. It is not of much importance to ascertain at what precise point between these two periods the true gifts ceased. They were probably withdrawn gradually, and were exerted in some places longer than in others, or appeared in some parts when they had 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and P confirming the word with signs following. Amen. o Luke xxiv. 51. ceased in others. In their nature they were adapted to the introduction and establishment of a new form of religion, claiming to be an immediate revelation from God; but as soon as they entwined themselves into the records of authentic history as facts, they became good and sufficient evidence to carry down the demonstration of the truth of Christianity, along with its own glorious internal evidence, to all future ages. There was no necessity for their permanency; and that Christianity, pure and efficient Christianity, has, in these later times, made its way without any restoration of such gifts, at home or abroad, is an additional presumption that they were designed to be confined to the first ages, and that they have ceased, not for want of faith, as some have thought, but in pursuance of the divine purpose and plan. There is nothing in this view, however, contrary to the very rational opinion, that extraordinary circumstances may even now produce extraordinary aids to God's servants; and that sometimes they may be furnished with remarkable powers. We have no authority to prescribe one uniform mode p Heb. ii. 4. of working to Him, who is not only supreme as Sovereign, but infinite in wisdom. This, however, appears to constitute the difference between the former and the latter times of the church; that in the former, what we call extraordinary gifts were so common as to be reckoned, in fact, among the ordinary means of spreading the influence of Christianity; whereas, in these later times, they are, in truth, extraordinary wherever they exist, and can only be regarded in the light of very rare and special visitations. Verse 20. The Lord working with them. -Which refers to the secret influences of his grace, giving the increase to the seed they sowed, and to the shoots they planted. This co-OPERATION of Christ with his servants, in their employment of preaching every where, is therefore distinguished from his confirming the word with signs following, that is, proving the divine original, and therefore truth, of their doctrine, by the miracles by which it was followed. They proposed the doctrine, and then the miracle became the sign and seal of its divinity. |