It was early morning on the first day of the week after the crucifixion when the women bringing spices found the stone rolled away and the body gone, and two bright angels told them Jesus had risen and charged them to tell His disciples He would go before them into Galilee; the frightened women carried what they saw and heard to the mourning disciples, but the disciples could not believe He had risen, and though with the women they ran to the tomb and found truly He was not there, only His linen clothes, and returned home marveling at what they saw and at the women's report, they remained unbelieving, while Mary lingered at the tomb distressed and weeping, fearing she had been deceived and that new trials awaited her. The words remembered were what Jesus had said in Galilee, that He would be handed over, crucified, and rise on the third day, for His words had foretold His death and resurrection. The women remembered His words about what would happen to Him, and that remembering was important for recognizing the meaning of His resurrection, while the disciples, overwhelmed by sorrow over His death, could not recall His predictions that these events would take place. On the day He rose the disciples struggled to believe the women's report that He was alive, because their hopes had died with Him and the news was unlike what they expected, and their faith in the resurrection was weakened by Sadducean teaching and so-called scientific theories, leaving them unsure what resurrection from the dead meant.
Heavenly messengers work upon the human minds given to their charge by bringing precious remembrances fresh before the mind, as they did for the women at the tomb in causing them to recall Christ's words, cooperating with human agencies for conversion and sanctification in condescension to human weakness. When the disciples heard the women's report, they recalled Jesus' words foretelling His resurrection, which should have prepared them to rejoice, yet their faith was weakened by the disappointment of His death, so they struggled to accept that He had risen. They had forgotten His words that He would rise from the dead on the third day, and so had lost the comfort His promise should have given them. Though they had everything to fill their hearts with rejoicing, to some it was a day of uncertainty, confusion, and perplexity; the women brought tidings that a vision of angels had appeared and positively affirmed that Christ had risen and that they themselves had seen Jesus alive in the garden, while the disciples' apparent unbelief in that testimony shows how low their faith had sunk.
The morning news about the removal of Christ's body and the women's report of seeing angels and meeting Jesus had already reached the two earnest believing disciples who had come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover before they set out late in the afternoon for Emmaus eight miles away, yet as they walked and talked over the trial and crucifixion they remained greatly perplexed, sad, hopeless, and faithless. The account of the resurrection morning, when the disciples remembered Jesus' words, was confirmed by later appearances of the risen Christ; their testimony that they found the tomb empty, saw the burial shroud, and then saw and spoke with Jesus established that He had risen and that His body had not seen corruption. The chapter shows God's love in giving His Son to save sinners; salvation is offered to all who repent and are converted, made possible because Christ suffered the penalty of death, and those who come to the Father through faith in Christ, rely on Him, and follow His example receive assurance of forgiveness, while His suffering makes sanctification through belief in the truth possible. The chapter shows the work Christ gave His followers and calls God's people to understand and carry out that work by bearing witness and taking the gospel to others.
It was early morning on the first day of the week after the crucifixion when the women bringing spices found the stone rolled away and the body gone, and two bright angels told them Jesus had risen and charged them to tell His disciples He would go before them into Galilee; the frightened women carried what they saw and heard to the mourning disciples, but the disciples could not believe He had risen, and though with the women they ran to the tomb and found truly He was not there, only His linen clothes, and returned home marveling at what they saw and at the women's report, they remained unbelieving, while Mary lingered at the tomb distressed and weeping, fearing she had been deceived and that new trials awaited her. The words remembered were what Jesus had said in Galilee, that He would be handed over, crucified, and rise on the third day, for His words had foretold His death and resurrection. The women remembered His words about what would happen to Him, and that remembering was important for recognizing the meaning of His resurrection, while the disciples, overwhelmed by sorrow over His death, could not recall His predictions that these events would take place. On the day He rose the disciples struggled to believe the women's report that He was alive, because their hopes had died with Him and the news was unlike what they expected, and their faith in the resurrection was weakened by Sadducean teaching and so-called scientific theories, leaving them unsure what resurrection from the dead meant.
Heavenly messengers work upon the human minds given to their charge by bringing precious remembrances fresh before the mind, as they did for the women at the tomb in causing them to recall Christ's words, cooperating with human agencies for conversion and sanctification in condescension to human weakness. When the disciples heard the women's report, they recalled Jesus' words foretelling His resurrection, which should have prepared them to rejoice, yet their faith was weakened by the disappointment of His death, so they struggled to accept that He had risen. They had forgotten His words that He would rise from the dead on the third day, and so had lost the comfort His promise should have given them. Though they had everything to fill their hearts with rejoicing, to some it was a day of uncertainty, confusion, and perplexity; the women brought tidings that a vision of angels had appeared and positively affirmed that Christ had risen and that they themselves had seen Jesus alive in the garden, while the disciples' apparent unbelief in that testimony shows how low their faith had sunk.
The morning news about the removal of Christ's body and the women's report of seeing angels and meeting Jesus had already reached the two earnest believing disciples who had come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover before they set out late in the afternoon for Emmaus eight miles away, yet as they walked and talked over the trial and crucifixion they remained greatly perplexed, sad, hopeless, and faithless. The account of the resurrection morning, when the disciples remembered Jesus' words, was confirmed by later appearances of the risen Christ; their testimony that they found the tomb empty, saw the burial shroud, and then saw and spoke with Jesus established that He had risen and that His body had not seen corruption. The chapter shows God's love in giving His Son to save sinners; salvation is offered to all who repent and are converted, made possible because Christ suffered the penalty of death, and those who come to the Father through faith in Christ, rely on Him, and follow His example receive assurance of forgiveness, while His suffering makes sanctification through belief in the truth possible. The chapter shows the work Christ gave His followers and calls God's people to understand and carry out that work by bearing witness and taking the gospel to others.