DID THE DISCIPLES EXPECT CHRIST TO ARISE FROM THE DEAD?
By William Covert
THE accepted belief of the Jews in the days when Christ was upon the earth, was that the Messiah would build up a mighty kingdom, and rule over the nations. Of course they expected to be greatly favored under his reign. The disciples whom Jesus called to be with him during his ministry shared in the common belief of their people. They followed at his call, believing him to be the Messiah. With their understanding of what their Master's mission was, they would naturally expect that those whom he had chosen to be with him would be favored above all others, with offices of trust and honor in his kingdom. The mighty truths of salvation from sin through the sacrifice of Christ had no place in their minds at the time they were called. It was not until after he had taught much and performed many miracles in their presence that Christ undertook to give his disciples direct instruction concerning the nature of his kingdom, and the sacrifice of himself in order to secure for them a place in it. When he gave them their first lesson regarding his death and resurrection, "Peter took him, and began to rebuke him," and it became necessary that he should be rebuked in the presence of the other disciples. Mark 8: 31-33. Peter seems to have boastfully declared that he would by force prevent such an occurrence as the putting to death of his Master and King. Soon after the above-mentioned interview the Saviour called the people together with his disciples, and showed them the great value of eternal life over the wealth of the world; but the disciples did not comprehend the force of the lesson, because it cut across their worldly notion about the kingdom of Israel. The transfiguration brought the truth pertaining to the kingdom most clearly before them; and, that they might be enabled to understand the means to be provided by which they could have a part in that kingdom, there appeared in glory, at the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah, and talked with him about the decease that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. And yet they did not comprehend it, for on the way down from the mount the Saviour told them not to tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man be risen from the dead. But they questioned "one with another what the rising from the dead should mean." It is seen, therefore, that the transfiguration, with all the accompanying instruction, did not at the time accomplish a change in their minds as to the nature of the kingdom, nor enable them to understand about the death and resurrection of Christ, nor to see the nature of the atonement. A little while after this Jesus told his disciples that he should be delivered into the hands of men, and they should kill him, and after that he should rise the third day. "But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him." Mark 9: 31, 32. Receiving instruction from the above scripture, we know that they did not yet know about the resurrection of Christ, neither did they believe that such things as he had been telling them about himself would ever take place. Besides all this, their wills were so set against having their Master die by the violence of his enemies, and, as they then thought, blast all their hopes by such an occurrence, that they did not then desire to be taught on that subject. Notwithstanding their dullness in the matter, the Saviour proceeded to repeat the instruction as he was in the way to Jerusalem just before his crucifixion. He said to them: "The Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles; and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him; and the third day he shall rise again." Mark 10: 33, 34. Luke testifies to their continued blindness regarding the death and the resurrection of Christ even after listening to this plain teaching. He says, "They understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." Luke 18: 34. This was the last lesson delivered to them on the subject before the final entry into Jerusalem, and this one was also rejected; and their minds were so dark in regard to these things that it seems that, almost immediately after it was given, James and John, through their mother, besought him to bestow upon them the first offices in the kingdom which they thought he would soon establish in Jerusalem. See Mark 10: 35; Matt. 20: 20, 21. This selfish request shows how illy prepared they were to withstand the trying ordeal that would come upon them when at last the chief temptation, arrest, trial, and death of the Saviour should come. When the evening of the great event came, Christ knew his disciples were not prepared for the conflict upon which they were entering, because they had not received his teaching touching his humiliation and death; he therefore told them that they all should be offended because of him that night, and that they would forsake him. But they all declared with great emphasis that they would do nothing of that kind. Peter was especially emphatic as to his constancy for the Saviour. Even if all others should forsake him, he said he never should do such a fickle thing as to forsake his Lord. He was quite positive that he would go with him, if it need be so, even to prison or to death. But the sad sequel shows how worthless are all the resolutions of the unyielded heart. Not one of all who had been so confident in their professed attachment, acknowledged the Lord while he was in the hands of his enemies, and the one who had been most confident of all, thrice denied that he knew him, before the dawn of the coming morning. Had the disciples understood, and believed, what they had been taught in regard to the death and the resurrection of the Son of God, their conduct would have been very different from what it was. And to them all their hopes perished when Christ was crucified, and they were left of all men the most wretched and forlorn. They felt that they were left to endure a life of shame and disgrace, while the One on whom all their hopes had centered must molder in the tomb. As none were expecting his return to life again, the women who had been privileged to be with him in his ministry proceeded to prepare spices and ointments, that they might fitly prepare his body for resting in the grave. Mark 16: 1; Luke 23: 56; 24: 1.