SECTION IX.

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST; OR, THE DECISIVE TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS. THE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF CHRIST, AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE REMAINS OF THE OLD DARKNESS IN THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT.

(John xx.)

The disciples of the Lord receive the first intimation of His resurrection from the dead in the fact that the stone is rolled away, and that the sepulchre is empty.

After all that had been done to prepare them for believing in the resurrection of Christ, this proof should have been sufficient to bring their faith to full maturity. For was it not a sign that the seal with which the servants of darkness had sealed the grave of Jesus was annihilated, and that Jesus no longer lay in the tomb? But we are made to see how very gradually, under the influence of this token, a true belief in the resurrection begins to awaken in their minds. The Easter morning has dawned, but the darkness of its early twilight still envelops them.

To these shadows of the night that still rest on the world of discipleship, the journey of the most select of their number to the grave of Jesus bears testimony.

On the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth that the stone is taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him.'

Mary did not go alone to the grave, but in company with others. Along with these she found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. On this discovery, they all of them together precipitately drew the conclusion that the body of Jesus must have been robbed, or at least carried away to some other place. A proof that they were still wanting in maturity of faith.

Mary, meanwhile, is the one most strongly agitated by this supposition. This is shown by the circumstance that she hastened away to the two disciples from whom she hoped soonest to get counsel and consolation.

Then went forth Peter and the other disciple, and proceeded to the sepulchre. Both of them began together to run; and the other disciple ran faster than Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And stooping down, he saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then came Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre. And he saw the linen clothes lying, and the napkin, that had been about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also the other disciple, who came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed.

The two disciples appear first in a state of expectant excitement. They begin to run, and they run as fast as possible. Their individual characteristics come thereby distinctly into view. John outruns Peter, but Peter first enters the sepulchre. The paces of the first were winged with youthfulness, depth of love, and purity of conscience; the steps of the latter down into the sepulchre announced his personal resolution and courage. The discovery which John had already made, that the linen clothes were lying there, could now be completed by Peter in the sepulchre itself. From the circumstance that not only the linen clothes had been laid down in an orderly manner, but that also the napkin for the head had been folded and deposited in a place by itself, both of them might conclude with certainty, that here no invasion of the [enemy by night, no^ violation of the tomb by marauders, had taken place. Nay, this thoughtful order with which the linen clothes had been arranged, bore testimony to a beautiful composure of spirit, a celebration of the sabbath of the soul in the tomb, such as was neither to be found among the enemies of Jesus, nor at that time among His disciples. When John now saw these things, faith in the resurrection began to dawn in his mind. The signs, namely, were subservient to this end; for, from the Scriptures, or in connection with divine revelation, neither of them had as yet recognized the necessity of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. From the circumstance that they now both returned home, two things may be concluded; first, that they had no apprehension of Jesus having been taken away by His enemies; and further, that they had as yet no certainty of His resurrection. In this last case they would have hastened away to the other disciples. Thus had the first rays of the morning fallen on the souls of these select disciples while contemplating the signs of the resurrection; but the perfect day was not yet.

They were soon, however, made assured of the resurrection, of Christ appearing unto them; and these announcements served not only the purpose of showing them His victory over the darkness, hut of dispelling the last remains of darkness in themselves.

John informs us of three chief manifestations of Christ which all possess this feature in common, and, in the relation in which they stand to each other, form a distinct whole in regular sequence.

The first appearance is vouchsafed to that female disciple, who, full of yearning, anticipates the Church in her desire to see the Lord; the second appearance to the assembled Church, which, in its fear, has locked itself off from the world; the third to the doubting apostle, who lags behind the Church itself.

The first appearance of Christ is a manifestation of the glory of His resurrection to the soul of a longing female disciple, who, in her desire to see the Lord, has outrun the Church.

Mary would not leave the sepulchre, like the two disciples. Her sorrow made her the keeper of the empty tomb of her Lord. She stood before its entrance and wept; and, as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre. And she seeth two angels in white raiment; the one sitting at the head, and the other at the feet (of the niche in the sepulchre),¹ where the body of Jesus had lain. — This angelic manifestation was thus very distinct. — And they said unto her, 'Woman, why weepest thou? 'She saith unto them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.' — This is her sorrow. She misses the body of the Lord, and she has no rest until she has found it again, till she can see and anoint Him. In this longing, a dark but powerful instinct of hope is at work, but faith in the Risen One is yet wanting. Her mind, however, is so deeply moved, that she is not terrified by the appearance of the angels, nay, she passes it slightly by. Two living shining angels are less in her eyes than the one dead body of her Lord. She therefore turned herself immediately round, after she had given answer to the angels. But when she had done so. she saw the Lord standing before her. And she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, * Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?' She supposed Him to be the gardener, and saith unto Him, 'Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus saith unto her, 'Mary.' She turned herself, and saith unto Him, 'Rabboni' (which is to say, Master), Jesus saith unto her, 'Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father, and to My God, and your God.' Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples that she hath seen the Lord, and that He hath spoken these things unto her.

She did not then recognize the Lord at once, when He stood before her. Her eyes were holden in several respects. She sought the dead, and He stood before her as the living; she sought in sorrow the form marred with anguish, and He stood before her as one who keeps holiday; she sought Him as distant, and He stood quite near to her; she sought the old well-known form, and He stood before her in the resurrection body. Still she looked on Him with an eye of rising hope, and therefore she thought with herself, He is the gardener. And with this hasty judgment there arise several others in quick, fleeting succession. She thinks. The gardener has carried Him away: he will show me the place where he has laid Him; I will run on before, and bring Him back again. That she was already on the point of hastening away to some certain place, is shown by the remark, that she had to turn round again when Jesus addressed her by her name, Mary! On hearing the sound of her name in His mouth, a sound she could never forget, she knew Him. And now she was able to utter only one word: My Master! From the answer of Jesus, we conclude that she was just about to embrace Him, falling down, perhaps, to clasp His feet, with a joy and depth of love, as if she could rest for ever in the blessedness of seeing Him once more, as if she were in heaven itself. She has lost out of sight, time, and place, the earth and the whole world. Therefore the Lord reminds her of time and place, of the earth, and of the brethren. She may not now hold Him fast, as if He were already transferred to heaven, and she with Him. She must return in her thoughts to the circle of the earthly life, and her duties.² He therefore makes her the first bearer of the glad tidings of His resurrection to the disciples. That, however, the morning of victory is come, is shown by the message. He salutes the disciples as His brethren. He lets them know that the time of His ascent — of His gradual transition to the Father — has appeared. And this ascent they should celebrate with Him, as an ascent which is also for their advantage.

Mary obediently follows the direction of the Lord, And in this the victory of light in her heart is accomplished. Her involuntary powerful longing for the manifestation of Christ's life, which had just shown itself in a burning desire to see again and adorn the dead, form of her Lord, and which finally had a series of subtle transient mistakes for its result, has been purified by the last awe-inspiring denial, which has had this last exercise of self-denial for its effect. This Mary, who goes forth from the presence of her risen Lord, without having embraced His feet, without having held fast the fleeting moment of her blessedness in a longer contemplation of the beloved rediscovered form, — who, with a soul full of gladness, fulfils the command of her Master, and goes hence to announce to His disciples the near-impending farewell, — and who, in thus going from His presence, can celebrate her Easter festival, in this form of announcing His new life can find her Easter joy; this is the evangelist ripened to the maturity of angelic obedience, who has won the blessedness of heaven by the very act of leaving the glorious manifestation of heaven, in order to tell the heavenly message to her still disconsolate companions on the earth.

The second appearance of Christ is vouchsafed to the assembled apostolic Church, and procures the victory of light over the remains of the old darkness within the same.

When the evening of that day, the first day of the week, was come, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, 'Peace be unto you! 'And while He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad that they saw the Lord. And Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be unto you! As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.' And while He thus spoke, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost! Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, unto them they are retained.'

That the full clay of Easter gladness has not yet shone on the Church of the apostles, although they have already received the Easter message from the Lord Himself, through Mary Magdalene, we learn from the circumstance, that they have locked all the doors of their place of meeting for fear of the Jews. But the closed doors cannot shut out their glorified Lord. Suddenly He stands in the midst of the disciples. In what way, and how He has come in, they know not.³ And now He fulfils to them the promise which He had given them in the night two days before; He brings to them the eternal greeting of reunion, which has unfolded itself from His parting salutation, Peace be unto you! He then convinces them of the reality of His bodily resurrection, by showing them the marks of the wounds in His hands and iu His side. And therefore, as the disciples are now in the right frame of Easter gladness, and the ear is fully regained for the joyful tidings. He salutes them a second time. His salutation of peace is now made to be a real gift of eternal peace. And from it their calling straightway develops itself (if only gradually), to become the apostles of His salvation. This promise He seals, by breathing upon them. He imparts to them His Holy Spirit as the completion of their peace, as the spirit of 'perfect joy,' of full life in the remembrance of Him, and in fellowship with Him. This blessedness, however, is also the soul of their apostolical calling. Henceforth they can — not merely in a typical and legal manner, but dynamically — preach, proclaim, and effect the forgiveness of sins, and in the same way also announce to the unbelieving that their sins are retained. In this manner, they can, and must, by the truth, by the spread of the communion of His salvation, build up His Church separate from the world.

This impartation of the Holy Ghost, on the part of the Lord, was not merely symbolical, as a promise of Pentecost, but was a symbolical real communication by which the festival of Pentecost was in like manner gradually prepared on their side, as on His side His first manifestations to the disciples prepared the way for His ascension into heaven. From this hour the fountain of the new life was opened for them, as a rippling brook, which, on the day of Pentecost, should become a river of life, rushing down from heaven. The Church of disciples was from this time a Church of disciples growing into apostles: the fear of the Jews had passed away, the remains of darkness had been overcome.

And so also were they finally vanquished in the doubting disciple, who, under the separatistic influence of an unbelieving melancholy, had isolated himself, and thus had lagged far behind the Church.

But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said unto them, 'Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side — the great wound in the side — I will not believe ' — that He has appeared again as one risen from the dead. And after eight days His disciples were again within — in their place of meeting — and Thomas was with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace be unto you! 'Then saith He to Thomas, 'Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side; and be not faithless, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said unto Him, 'My Lord, and my God! 'Jesus saith unto him, 'Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they who do not see, and yet believe.'

Thomas did not believe the report of the united company of disciples. In this he did them a grievous wrong. Had the world, to whom the apostolic Church later preached the Gospel, been disposed to act on his principle, that it must first see the risen Lord before being able to believe on Him, faith must have died a natural death. Thomas, indeed, as an apostle, was warranted to entertain special expectations: he should have to testify of Christ, and thus also of His resurrection, and must therefore be assured in the apostolic sense of that fact. But on this very account he had also to be specially watchful, and, with the company of the apostles, look for the appearance of the Lord. This he had not done; and now he demanded not only a special, new manifestation of Christ, but also a strict investigation, an examination by the senses, whether He that appeared was indeed the Crucified One Himself. One sees how remote the thought is from his mind, that Jesus has only been in appearance dead. That He was dead, of this he is quite certain; and he indicates the fact also by designating the wound in the side as large, as one into which he could thrust his hand. But it is to him entirely a matter of doubt, that He who was dead should have returned to life again. His faith is thus quite obscured, and especially also his trust. That, however, it is not entirely extinguished, that love still lives in him, and hope, unconsciously to himself, we perceive from the circumstance, that after eight days he has really taken his place in the assembly of the disciples. Now, therefore, the Lord discovers Himself a second time to the disciples, and more especially to him. With friendly reproof He acquiesces in his demand: He permits him to touch the marks of His wounds. But Thomas gladly relinquishes this last test: deeply ashamed, but also supremely happy, he makes an exclamation, which shows, that with the certainty of the resurrection of Christ, he is at the same time strongly affected with a sense of His divinity. This is the mark of the honest doubter. He comes with more difficulty to a belief in the miracle, because he carefully weighs the infinite consequences which flow from it. So soon, however, as he does believe in it, there discloses itself to his view, along with it, the manifestation of the fulness of the Godhead. The believer hard to convince gains thus the whole contents of faith at once; whereas the believer of easy faith must force his way through many phantasms of the imagination with little vital substance in them, before he attains to the full power of faith. Yet slowness of belief is just as dangerous as credulity. The noblest and most healthy form of faith lies in the middle, as the harmonious act of an inquiring^ trust, and of trustful inquiry. Jesus recognizes the faith of Thomas, and therefore also the blessedness of his faith; nevertheless He here declares those more blessed who do not see and yet believe, in accordance with the proper character of faith itself.

Thomas closes the procession in the apostolic Church. His position is instructive to the great Christian Church of all times — of the blessed ones who do not see, and yet believe. For it he became the straggler in the rear of the apostolic Church; for it he doubted, and atoned for his doubt; for it he saw the Lord, and refused to wail himself of the opportunity offered him to touch the print of the nails. And in this also he appears as its representative, that in him too the remains of the darkness, the unbelief of a melancholic despondency, were annihilated by the revelation of the glory of Christ.

How clear is the symbolic transparency, the ideality of this Easter history! In the first place, the sign of the stone rolled away from the door of the sepulchre, of the empty grave, of the linen clothes orderly arranged, and of the disciples deeply moved with joyful surmisings. Thus arises, thus unfolds itself, an Easter faith. Ever new signs of victory: stones rolled away, tombs burst open, grave-clothes laid aside, female disciples early awake, brethren outrunning each other, bold inquirers who descend into the sepulchres, prepare its way. And there are always found firstling souls, which, like Mary, anticipate the Church in the knowledge of the Risen One. They are freed from the many-coloured fanciful mistakes of the love, and the longing, not yet entirely calmed and sanctified by the self-renunciation of faith. And ever anew we find a company of disciples, who have assembled with shut doors for fear of the Jews, forming the central group, with respect to the knowledge of the Kisen One. And He Himself stands in the midst of them, no one knows how, and their fear has vanished. They hear the greeting of eternal peace — His Spirit breathes on them, and turns those who had shut themselves off from all the world into joyful messengers to all the world. And their message is real, and instinct with life. As Christ came in the name of the Father, they come in the name of Christ, and proclaim life to the world; and their testimony causes a separation between the life in the Church of believers, and the death in the world of unbelief Finally, there are to be found at all times stragglers in the army of the Church, who, by the spirit of doubt, of despondency, and of isolation, incur the guilt of attaining only after much delay to the full power of. faith. But as the love of the one who outstripped the rest, in its still imperfect state, gave birth to manifold errors, even so the honest doubter gives unconsciously many signs of the secret working of faith, especially by showing himself ready to examine the truth, by returning to the Church, and waiting in hope for the manifestation of Christ. And by this means the straggler in the rear of the Church becomes a special witness of the resurrection for those who, during this earthly life, do not see^ and yet are called to the enjoyment of the blessedness of faith,

Christ the Risen One overcomes in His people the passionate desire of immediate vision, the fear of the world, with its gloomy moodiness and harshness towards the world, and likewise their unbelief. In thus doing, He perfects in them the glorifying of His name. This is the close of the Gospel history: it points forwards to the post-historical manifestation of the glory of Christ, to the spiritual transformation of the world by His people.

The Evangelist now therefore concludes the Gospel history itself, with the words: —

Many other signs also⁴ — as proofs of His resurrection — did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing, ye might have life through His name.

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