Matthew 28:6

Mat_28:6-7

He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.

The open sepulchre a seal of redemption

I. The place which the angel bade the women come and see was an open, empty tomb. Earth is the place of tombs. There is no tomb in heaven; no silent grave in hell. Every grave of earth will yet be empty.

II. Momentous truths were uttered from the open, empty tomb where the Lord had lain.

1. The first voice proclaims the evil and the power of sin. Sin dug for Death all his graves. Sin has slain the Beloved of the Lord.

2. The second voice proclaims redemption from sin. The open grave of Christ is a three-fold sign of

(1) acceptance;

(2) liberty; and

(3) life.

III. There are some holy lessons which men may learn as they linger by the Redeemers open, empty tomb.

1. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and learn a lesson of penitence for sin.

2. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and learn a lesson of love to Him. The grave of loved ones has a strange fascination.

3. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and realize your union with Him and nearness to Him.

4. Come and be in alliance with those who honour Christ.

5. Behold He is alive for evermore. (D. Rose, M. A.)

Easter morning

1. Standing where the Lord lay I am impressed with the fact that mortuary honours cannot atone for wrongs to the living.

2. That floral and sculptural ornamentation are appropriate for the place of the dead. Christ was buried in a garden.

3. I am impressed with the dignity of private and unpretending obsequies. Funeral pageantry is not necessary.

4. I am impressed with the fact that you cannot keep the dead down. The seal of the Sanhedrin, soldiers, cannot keep Christ in the crypt. (Dr. Talmage.)

The great argument of the resurrection

1. The resurrection of Christ considered in relation to Himself as the promised Saviour of men.

2. The resurrection of Christ in relation to the comfort and service of His immediate friends and disciples.

3. The resurrection of Christ from the dead viewed in relation to the enemies of our Lord.

4. The resurrection of Christ considered in its relation to the religious life and experience of believers.

5. The resurrection of our Lord considered in relation to the thoughts and feelings of Christians when contemplating death. (T. Lloyd.)

The resurrection of our Lord-the fact and its consequences

I. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we affirm to be a fact.

1. Were the apostles deceived?

2. If not deceived, did they wilfully proclaim a falsehood?

II. Note some of its consequences.

1. The resurrection furnishes the only positive proof of our immortality.

2. It also assures us of our redemption, and this gives definite hope for the future.

3. It assures us of the redemption of the body. (H. Ward.)

The risen Saviour

I. This declaration proclaims the actual resurrection of christ. A fact established by the clearest evidence.

II. This language expresses several fundamental truths.

1. The humiliation of Christ.

2. The infinite love of God.

3. The Divine faithfulness.

4. The Divine sovereignty.

5. Christs triumph over all His enemies and ours.

6. The certain and glorious pledge of the perfecting of salvation. (Pulpit Thermos.)

Watching for the resurrection

As the flowers wait for the spring, and the yellow corn waits for the summer, and the stars wait for the morning, and as Lazarus waited in sweet silence for the voice of Jesus to awake him out of sleep, so do the blessed dead wait for the resurrection. (G. W. MCree.)

The proofs of the resurrection of Christ

I. Presumptive or circumstantial evidence.

1. The precaution of the Jews.

2. The departure of Jesus from the sepulchre.

3. The change which took place in the apostles after this event.

II. The testimony of credible witnesses.

1. The sufficiency of evidence depends upon the number of the witnesses, their qualifications, and their information.

2. Their competency being established, now examine their credibility. Their testimony was honest, prominent, explicit, and constant.

III. Divine testimony. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christs resurrection.

1. By the predictions of the prophets.

2. By the miracles of the apostles.

3. By the success of the gospel. (T. Gibson. M. A.)

The resurrection of Christ

I. Let us look at it as a fact established by reliable evidence. He is risen.

1. In order to a true resurrection we must first have it clearly established that at the time of His burial He was really dead. The soldiers found Jesus already dead. He was buried in a new tomb; hence no other body could have been substituted for that of our Lord. Nicodemus, Joseph of Aremathaea, and the women who assisted at His burial are witnesses of His death.

2. The testimony of those who saw our Lord alive after His resurrection.

II. But passing from the fact itself, let us consider its relation to the Saviours former utterances, He is risen, as He said (Joh_2:18-21; Mat_12:40; Mat_16:21; Mat_17:22). Christ perilled His whole Deity and Messiahship on His resurrection. There is a three-fold attestation in this wondrous event.

1. It proved Him to be a prophet, a miracle-worker, and it threw back its authenticating light on everything said and done by Him during His earthly ministry. Thus we learn to view the resurrection of our Lord as the foundation of our faith. Take this chapter out of the gospel and all others are worthless.

Two influences-

1. Hope through life-God hath begotten us unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

2. An influence of comfort in bereavement and death coming from this theme. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)

A living hope awakened by the resurrection of Christ

Mark the expression a lively or living hope. The expectation of perfected salvation which the believer cherishes is not contented with indifference or inactivity. It is a living, not a dying or dead thing, and it animates him to most earnest efforts after the attainment of the object to which it looks. A ships crew have been forced to leave a sinking vessel and commit themselves in an open and frail boat to the mercy of She ocean. They do not know that they shall be picked up, but they have an intense desire to be delivered and a vague hope that they shall be. Day passes after day. Their scanty stock of provisions is almost exhausted, the water is entirely spent, and hope in them is all but dead, so that every energy within them is paralyzed. But lo! far away on the dim horizon a sail appears, and in a moment the hope that seemed ready to expire is quickened into activity, First they raise a faint but thankful cheer; then they uplift any sort of a flag they can extemporize as a signal of distress; then they take to the oars and summon up the remnant of their strength, if by any means they may near the vessels course, and attract the attention of those who man her. What a difference one short hour has made in those worn and haggard men! A little while ago they were ready to perish, but now they are all activity, for the sight of that far-off sail has begotten them to a living hope. So Christs resurrection brings living hope to the sinners heart. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)

Come see the place where the Lord lay

I. And be assured that He is risen from the dead.

II. And behold the completion of human redemption.

III. And view it with penitential grief.

IV. Ye who love Him, learn to view without fear your own final resting-place, and rejoice in the assurance that His resurrection is the pledge and type of your own. Adore Him for the love which led him to sleep in the sepulchre that you might rise and partake of His glory for ever. (J. Johnson, M. A.)

The empty sepulchre

Come and see the place where the Lord lay.

1. It is a garden.

2. It is a garden with a grave in it. The world has no unmingled cup of sweet to offer. Because that tomb is empty and Christ is risen there need be no blight without a blessing, no sorrow without a joy, etc.

3. It is a new tomb where never man was laid.

4. You can see by its size, its position, its adornments, that it belongs to a family possessed of wealth-it is a grave of the rich. Fulfilment of prophecy- Isa_53:9.

5. The heavy stone, which brawny arms had rolled against its entrance, making it fast, and setting a seal on it, is rolled away. The finger of God touches the mighty incubus and it moves.

6. And find the sepulchre empty. Christ is risen!

(1) The seal of truth is put upon all He said and did. God would have never raised a pretender.

(2) The offering of Jesus for the sins of men is hereby accepted.

(3) He has Divine life in Himself, and the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from death and the dark can raise up dead souls. This is the true power of His resurrection. Are we risen with Christ?

(4) A pledge of His power and purpose to raise again from the dominion of the grave the bodies of the race He hath redeemed. Comfort for the bereaved.

(5) Then He hath also ascended up into glory, He hath taken possession of His inheritance, and is the forerunner of the saints. Opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Think of departed loved ones emerged from the ruins of the tomb, etc.

(6) Then He lives to-day to be our Friend and Guide and Helper. How much we need Him, etc. Christian, gird up your loins afresh! Yours is a living faith in a living Saviour. Sinner! He is risen. What then? Then He is that man whom God hath ordained to judge the world. (J. J. Wray.)

A new tomb where never man was yet laid

Why? For this reason: The fact of Christs resurrection is at the basis of Christianity. Our whole religion must stand or fall with the coming to life again of the Man Jesus. If Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. God hath therefore hedged it round with special tokens, evidences which may well hush the doubter and strike the sceptic dumb. In the Old Testament we read that contact with the sacred dust of the Prophet Elisha did once raise a man to life; and a Jewish superstition invested the bones of their holier heroes with a similar power. Had this been an old and much-used grave, the enemies of Jesus would have been quick to suggest that as the cause of the resurrection. So Providence provides a new tomb, where never man was laid. Again, old tombs and ancient sepulchres often had secret passages, subterranean avenues, and connections with each other and the outer world. How ready would the unbelievers have been to suggest that by such secret means the body had been carried off by His disciples and interred elsewhere I Hence it is a new tomb, cut in the face of the solid rock, one only means of entrance and of exit, watched and tended by the Roman guard. (J. J. Wray.)

The place where the Lord lay is

I. A place of instruction.

1. The fact of His resurrection.

2. What is the significance of the fact? It means that the atonement is complete.

II. A place of life. Christs life assures us of life for the body and soul of man.

III. A place of comfort-Fear not ye.

IV. A place of hope. (D. Merson, B. D.)

Jesus has lighted up the grave

It is said that the Romans had a practice of lighting up their tombs. In Essex a tomb was once opened, when a lamp was found in the corner, and a chair near it indicating the rank of the tomb-tenant; and it is recorded that fifteen hundred years after the death of Tullia, Ciceros daughter, her tomb, which was accidentally opened, was found illuminated with a lamp. It was but a glimmering light, the rays of which were confined to the catacomb walls. But the light Christ sheds upon the grave falls upon the vista of eternity. You can now stoop, look in, and see immortality beyond. (Blackets Young Mens Class. )

Death and resurrection of Christ

Lend me your imaginations for a minute, while I endeavour to picture a scene. Christ had paid the price-the full price: that price was presented before the Fathers judgment-seat. He looked at it, and was content. But as it was a solemn matter, it was not hurried over. Three days were taken, that the ransom-price might be counted out; and its value fully estimated. The angels looked, and admired. The spirits of the just came and examined it, and wondered, and were delighted. The very devils in hell could only express their satisfaction by biting their iron bonds, and sullenly keeping silence, because they had not a word to speak against the sacrifice of Christ. The three days passed away, and the atonement was fully accepted. Then the angel came from heaven-swift as the lightning flash-he descended from the spheres of the blessed, into this lower earth, and he came into the prison-house, in which the Saviours body slept; for, mark, His body had been kept in the prison till God ratified His atonement and accepted it-He was lying there a hostage for His people. The angel came, and spake to the keeper of the prison, one called Grim Death, and said to him, Let that captive go free. Death was sitting on his throne of skulls, with a huge iron key at his girdle of iron: and he laughed, and said, Aha! thousands and thousands of the race of Adam have passed the portals of this prison-house; but none of them have ever been delivered. That key has been once turned in its wards by destiny; and no mortal power can ever turn it back again, and draw the bolts from their resting.places. Then the angel showed to him Heavens own warrant, and Death turned pale. The angel grasped the key-unlocked the prison door, and stepped in. There slept the Royal Captive-the Divine hostage. And the angel cried, Arise, Thou Sleeper! Put off Thy garments of death. Shake Thyself from the dust, and put on Thy beautiful garments. The Master arose. He unwound the napkin, and laid it by itself. He took off His graveclothes and laid them by themselves, to show He was in no hurry, that all was done legally, and therefore orderly. He did not dash His prison.walls aside to come out; but came out by legal process, just as He had entered in. He seemed to express Himself as Paul did, No, verily, let them come themselves, and fetch Me out. So was the Master set at liberty-by heavens own officer, who came from heaven to give Him just liberty-Gods proof that He had done all that was necessary. Thou Lamb of God! I see Thee rising from Thy tomb in splendour ineffable, dazzling the eyes of the guards and making them flee away in terror. And when I see Thee risen from the dead, I see myself accepted, and all Thy dying redeemed people fully delivered. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 28:6. Οὐκ ἔστιν, κ.τ.λ., He is not, etc.) This verse contains short clauses which are exceedingly appropriate to the subject matter.—ὁ Κύριος, the Lord) A designation of honour.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 28:6 . οὐκ ἔστιν , etc.: with what sublime simplicity and brevity is the amazing story told! “Versus hic incisa habet perquam apta” (Beng.). The last clause is better without the epithet ὁ κύριος , more in keeping with the rest. Bengel calls it gloriosa appellatio , but, as Meyer remarks, just on that account it was more liable to be added than omitted.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He is not here; for he is risen, as he said--See on Luk 24:5-7.

Come--as in Mat 11:28.

see the place where the Lord lay--Charming invitation! "Come, see the spot where the Lord of glory lay: now it is an empty grave: He lies not here, but He lay there. Come, feast your eyes on it!" But see on Joh 20:12.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. Come, see the place] The tomb in which our Lord was laid was no doubt like the rest of the Jewish burying places, a receptacle for the several dead of a whole family, divided into separate niches, where each had his place. Come and see the place - was tantamount to, Come and see the niche in which he was laid - it is now empty; nor was there any other body in the place, for the tomb was a new one, in which no man had ever been laid, Joh 19:41; so there could be no deception in the case.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) He is not here.—It is not given to us to fix the precise moment when the grave was opened and the risen Lord came forth from it, but the indications point to the time at or about sunrise. There was an obvious fitness in the symbolism of the Resurrection of the Son of Righteousness coinciding with the natural “day-spring.” (Comp. Luk_1:78.)

Come, see the place.—Comp. the description in Joh_20:5-6, the “linen clothes,” or bandages, that had swathed the limbs, the napkin, or sudarium, that had veiled the face.

The report in St. Mark (Mar_16:6-7) nearly coincides with this. St. Luke is somewhat fuller (Luk_24:5-7), introducing the question, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” and a more detailed reference to our Lord’s prophecies of His resurrection.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. he is risen] As in ch. Mat_27:64, He rose. So also in next verse.

see the place where the Lord lay] In order that they might be convinced of the fact.

It is hardly possible for us even to conceive the overwhelming joy that the conviction of this truth must have brought to these holy women, whose recollection of the divine words and looks and love-inspiring sweetness of character would be quickened by the painful watching and the passionate sorrow for their seeming loss.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He is not here,.... In the grave, where he was laid, and these women saw him laid: he was dead, but is now alive; he was laid in the grave, but God would not leave him there, nor suffer him to see corruption:

for he is risen, as he said; not stolen away, as the chief priests hired the soldiers to say he was; nor removed to another place, as Mary Magdalene first thought, when she found him gone; but he was risen from the dead, by the power of his Father, and by his own power, as he had before said he should. In one of Beza's exemplars it is added, "to you"; for the words that Christ said in Galilee, that he should be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and rise again, the third day, were said in the presence and hearing of these women, and to them, as well as to the disciples; see . This clause is left out in the Persic version: it follows,

come see the place where the Lord lay; the Lord both of angels and men: the Syriac and Persic versions read, "our Lord". The Arabic and Ethiopic versions leave out the word "Lord", and only read "he". Christ, as the Son of God, lay in the bosom of his Father, and in the arms of his love, from all eternity; as mediator, he lay in the womb of God's purposes and decrees, being his elect, in whom his soul delighted; as man, he lay in the womb of the virgin; and, as an example to his people, he lay, when baptized, in the waters of Jordan; and as the language of the ordinance of the Lord's supper is, "come see my hands, and my feet"; that of baptism is, "come see the place where the Lord lay": but here it regards the grave, in which the body of Christ had been laid; and the women are invited by the angel to go along with him, into the sepulchre, to see the place where he had lain; to assure them the more of the truth of his resurrection, that they might, with their own eyes, see that he was gone, who before had beheld where, and how he was laid; as also to affect them with the condescending grace of Christ, in making his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; as well as to strengthen their faith in their discharge from sin and condemnation by Christ, who was risen for their justification; as also to let them see that the grave was perfumed and sanctified by him; and he was risen as the first fruits and pledge of them that slept.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Ver. 6. He is not here] q.d. You are much mistaken, and deserve to be chided for your not crediting, or at least your not remembering, that he foretold you of his resurrection. All which notwithstanding, come see the place, &c., q.d. believe your own eyes at least. Hilaris est haec et plena gaudio invitatio, saith an interpreter. What marvel then though they departed with fear for their faithlessness, and joy for the good news the angels had told, and showed them?

For he is risen] Consentaneum est Phoenicem ante postremum annum Neronis, significasse resurrectionem Christi et omnium credentium ex morte recepta divinitus vita. The Phoenix is a fit emblem of the resurrection. (Dio in Nerone.)

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He has risen, as he said - Jesus had often predicted that he would rise, but the disciples did not understand it, and consequently did not expect it, Mat 16:21; Mat 20:19.

The place where the Lord lay - The place where a body was deposited in a sepulchre was commonly a niche cut in the wall of the sepulchre. The sepulchre was usually large; that of David was mere than 100 feet in length, cut out of solid rock under ground, and separated into various apartments. All round the sides of those apartments were niches for the dead; or they were ranged around the sides, in places cut in the solid rock just large enough to contain the body. In such a place, probably, our Lord lay.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He is risen, as he said. This is to put them in mind of what they ought to have remembered, and believed. --- St. Luke is more particular; and tells us the angel said: remember how he spoke to you, when he was yet in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. (Witham) --- By this the angel give them to understand, that if they would not believe him upon his own testimony, they should at least on the testimony of their Redeemer’s promises, who had frequently assured them that on the third day he should rise again. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. xc.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

6. Come, see the place where the Lord lay — Pointing doubtless to the particular cell in the wall of the tomb. This implies, in accordance with Mark, that the angel was in the tomb. The place was doubtless a cell or niche, usually cut horizontally in the perpendicular wall, so as to insert the corpse, with the head entering first and feet toward the court. Sometimes a shelf or bench was cut along the wall so as to allow the corpse to lie parallel to the wall and entirely visible. As Mary Magdalene saw two angels, “one at the head and the other at the feet” of Jesus, (Joh_20:12,) this must have been the method in which Jesus lay.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He is not here. He is not in this tomb; his bodily presence is removed from this his whilom resting place. St. Matthew"s account is greatly condensed, and omits many details which harmonists try to fit into our text. The attempt is not to be commended, for it really involves greater confusion, and, after all, is forced and only conjectural. For he is risen, as he said. If they had believed Christ"s often-repeated announcement, they would not have come seeking the living among the dead. (For Christ"s predictions concerning his resurrection, see Mat_12:40 Mat_16:21 Mat_17:23 Mat_20:19) On this simple, but pregnant sentence, "He is risen," depends the phenomenon of Christianity, in its origin, existence, continuance, extension, and moral power. "Death began with woman; and to women the first announcement is made of resurrection" (Hilary, quoted by Wordsworth, in loc.). Come, see the place where the Lord lay. The angel invites them to satisfy themselves that Christ"s body was no longer in its resting place. That Jesus was designated as "the Lord," o Kuriov , by the disciples is obvious, (see Joh_20:18 Joh_21:7, etc.) but it is doubtful whether the words are genuine here, though they are found in many good manuscripts and in the Vulgate. They are omitted by a, B, 33, etc., and by Tischendorf and Westcott and Hort in their editions. Regarding them as genuine, Bengel calls them "gloriosa appellatio," which indeed it is, for it is equivalent to "Jehovah." Harmonists suppose that the angel was at first not seen by the women; that Mary Magdalene, observing the stone removed, at once hurried to the city to tell Peter and John; that, the rest of the women remaining, the angel made himself visible to them and bade them enter the sepulchre; and that, doing so, they beheld another angel sitting on the right side of the recess. Thus, it is conjectured, the accounts in Mark and John may be harmonized with that in our text. (See also Westcott on John 20., where is given a provisional arrangement of the facts of the first Easter Day.)

HOMILIES BY W.F. ADENEY Ver. 6. The vacant tomb.

Jesus did not only appear after his death, as ghosts are said to have appeared, startling nervous people in haunted places. His tomb was left vacant. His body had disappeared. This is an important fact in regard to the Resurrection.

I THERE IS A NEGATIVE AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION. The positive evidence is in the appearance of Christ to his disciples; the negative evidence is in the empty tomb. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, men could have pointed to his sealed tomb, could even have torn it open and shown the corpse within. Why did none of the enemies of Jesus do this? No effort appears to have been made to take this simple means of confuting the preaching of the apostles. Yet it was manifestly in the interest of the Sadducean rulers of the Jews to have followed this course. But if the body of our Lord was not to be found, what had become of it? His enemies could have had no interest in hiding it quite the contrary. M. Renan has suggested that Mary Magdalene carried the body away and hid it. Even if we can think the daring deed practically possible, psychologically it is impossible. Such an ugly fraud would certainly have been found out; for still the body would need to be disposed of. But in their despair none of the disciples were in the mood to invent a fiction of a resurrection. Their sudden transformation from despair to joy and confidence cannot be accounted for on the hypothesis of a fraud. The very lameness of this extraordinary theory, considered as the best that a great imaginative critic can devise, is a proof of the reality of the event he would fain find some means of explaining away.

II CHRIST HAS RISEN IN THE FULNESS OF HIS POWER AND LIFE. It may seem to us of little moment that he should have brought his body out of the tomb. If he himself still lived, if his soul was still alive, could we not dispense with his body? Here we reason about a region of which we have no knowledge. We do not know how a disembodied spirit can act; we do not know what necessity there may be for some bodily instrument to enable it to communicate with other beings. It is enough to know the fact that Christ"s full resurrection life was corporeal as well as spiritual. For us the important truth is that it was and is now a perfect, wakeful, and energetic life. Jesus is no dim shade flitting through the abodes of the dead; he is no sleeping soul like those of our blessed dead who, as some think, sleep in him awaiting their resurrection. He has risen into his perfect life. He is with us now, more truly living than during his earthly ministry.

III CHRIST"S RESURRECTION IS A TYPE OF THE CHRISTIAN"S RESURRECTION. The physical circumstances must be different in the ease of other people whose bodies have long since mouldered to dust, perished by fire, melted away in the sea, or been devoured by wild beasts and cannibals. But the fact of a full and perfect life is what is alone important. Jesus, the firstfruits from the dead, is the promise of this life for his people. They who sleep in him will awake in his likeness. W.F.A.

Christ"s resurrection the acknowledgment of man"s soul victory.

Our Redeemer"s work lacks completeness until his soul triumph of trust and submission has manifestly, in some open way, gained the acknowledgment and acceptance of God. And this is precisely what we have in the Resurrection. In Gethsemane a soul triumph of obedience and trust was won. That soul triumph was tested by the physical woes of Calvary. That soul triumph was seen to have gained Divine acceptance on the morning of the Resurrection. And the acceptance of the perfect Son involves the acceptance of that humanity of which he was the Head and Representative. Our Lord"s humanity was headship. By natural generation all men are in Adam; by spiritual regeneration all men are in Christ, or may be in Christ. Examine this relation carefully.

I THINK OF GETHSEMANE. There is the conflict between flesh and spirit, between the shrinking from duty which involved suffering, and the obedience and trust of the Son. Just the kind of struggle carried on in our souls many a time since then. We may say, "That conflict was undertaken for me. It was a necessary part of the working out of salvation for me which the Lord Jesus undertook." But we may also say, "That conflict was mine. " The fight between flesh and spirit was always ending in the mastery of the flesh, while I managed it myself. But I watch that great soul fight of Gethsemane with the holiest and intensest feeling, because it is mine. In Christ its Champion, humanity won liberty from the bondage of self, won the trust and the obedience of the Son.

II THINK OF CALVARY. There the conflict was renewed. The first victory, which had been altogether one of the soul, of feeling, must be yet again proved in a conflict whose main clement should be bodily, physical suffering. Shame, weariness, pain, death agony, all tested the reality of the triumph that had been gained in Gethsemane. And here too we can see the representative character of our Redeemer"s work. We have often thought that we had won a right state of mind and feeling; but we have gone forth to actual life and relations, and found that our soul victory failed to stand the actual testings of life. We may say, "Jesus died on Calvary for me; a Sacrifice and Propitiation for my sins." We may also say, "That death on Calvary was mine. I could not make my soul victory stand the test of the worries and pains and trials of life. Jesus took up the matter for me, and on Calvary I see myself in him; my burden on him; my fight fought by him; and his victory is victory for me, it is my victory.

III THINK OF THE RESURRECTION. It may be said, "But Jesus died." It may seem as if his conflict ended in defeat. At Calvary we have no decided sign of victory. The disciples went away in hopelessness and tears. Can a word be spoken that shall relieve the darkness? We may find it in our text. Look at the burial place, and hear the angel say, "He is not here: for he is risen." And we may say, "That resurrection was mine. It is the seal of my triumph. I stand now in all the joy and strength of a victor. In Christ my foot is on self and sin and death. I can enter into the "power of his resurrection. Are we then to expect freedom from temptation, deliverance from all the outward ills of life? Nay, not so. If I had said so, you would have smiled, as you remembered what cares worried, burdens pressed, and sins still humbled you. It is this life, toil, suffering, look and are wholly different things when we realize Christ in us, we in Christ, and his victories involving ours in them. The resurrection of our Lord is the Divine acknowledgment of man"s soul victory over sin evil consequences; and over sin evil power. Those who are united by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ enter daily into his triumph; it is repeated in them again and again; and day by day they are "more than conquerors through him that loved them." We often dwell on salvation from penalty. We should often realize that victory over sin and over self which is won for us by Christ. Too often we are satisfied with saying that we may have strength from Christ to wrestle with evil if we ask for it. But we ought to go on to say that we have the victory in having the risen and living Christ. Every form of evil Christ has met for us and beaten; that is, I, in Christ, have met and beaten. Sickness is a beaten foe; pain, loss, disappointment, suffering, are beaten foes; death itself is a beaten foe. And God has openly acknowledged man"s soul victory in raising his Son Jesus Christ from the dead. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay - Probably in speaking he rose up, and going before the women into the sepulchre, said, Come, see the place. This clearly reconciles what St. John relates, John xx, 12, this being one of the two angels there mentioned.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

6. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. The women had not seen him rise and had to be informed. They therefore came to the sepulcher after the resurrection. Christ had risen “as he said.” For the prophecies of a resurrection see Matt. 16:21; 17:23; also read Luke 24:6. See the place where the Lord lay. The angel does not say “your,” but the Lord—the Lord of the angels as well as men.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

6. ἠγέρθη. As in ch. Mat 27:64, He rose. So also in next verse.

καθώς. Non-Attic for classical καθά. See Lob. Phryn. p. 426.

ἴδετε κ.τ.λ. In order that they might be convinced of the fact.

It is hardly possible for us even to conceive the overwhelming joy that the conviction of this truth must have brought to these holy women, whose recollection of the divine words and looks and love-inspiring sweetness of character would be quickened by the painful watching and the passionate sorrow for their seeming loss.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6.] καθὼς εἶπεν is further expanded in Luke, vv. 6, 7. See ch. 16:21; 17:23.

ὁ κύριος (see ref.) is emphatic;—‘gloriosa appellatio,’ Bengel.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. He is not here. for He is risen, even as He said: Come, see the place where He lay.] Mk. has: “He is risen; He is not here lo the place where they laid Him.”—καθὼς εἶπεν] Mt. anticipates this clause from Mk v. 7, where he has reason for substituting ἰδοὺ εἶπον ὑμῖν. See below.

6. ἔκειτο] Add ὸ κὺριος, A C D al Omit א B 33 S1 e.—ὸ κύριος] is not used in direct narrative of Christ in this Gospel, and is, no doubt, not genuine here.—εἶπεν] S1 adds “to you” (fem.), a manifest error of translation.

(M)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.