The Sabbath School

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 27, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 21.

The Sabbath School

International Series.

LESSON XI.—SABBATH, JUNE 12, 1897.

BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS.

Lesson Scripture, John 19:38 to 20:10, R. V.

38 "And after these things Joseph of Arimathæa, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took away his body. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. So they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb wherein 42 was never man yet laid. There then because of the Jews' Preparation (for the tomb was nigh at hand) they laid Jesus."

"Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone 2 taken away from the tomb. She runneth therefore, 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 tomb, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they 4 went toward the tomb. And they ran both together; and the 5 other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb; and 6 stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not in. Simon Peter therefore also cometh, following 7 him, and entered into the tomb; and he beholdeth the linen 8 cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying 9 with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, which came first 10 to the tomb, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again unto their own home."

QUESTIONS.

After the death of Jesus, what request was made of Pilate?
What is said of him who made the request?
Who else came forward to assist? What help did he render?
What did they do to the body of Jesus?
What was there in Golgotha? What was in the garden? Had it ever been used?
What use was now made of it? What made this a natural thing to do?
Who first visited the sepulcher? What day was it? What time of the day? What did she see?
To whom did she go? What did she say to them?
On hearing this what did they do?
What showed their haste? Who reached the sepulcher first?
What did he then do?
Who came next? What did he do? What did he see? What apparently minor detail is fully described?
Who now entered the sepulcher? What effect did seeing have upon him?
What teaching was not yet understood by them?
Where did they now go?

NOTES.

1. "John was at a loss to know what measures he should take in regard to the body of his beloved Master. . . . But Joseph and Nicodemus came to the front in this emergency. Both of these men were members of the Sanhedrin, and acquainted with Pilate. Both were men of wealth and influence." "Neither of these men had openly attached himself to the Saviour while he was living, altho both believed on him. They knew that if they declared their faith they would be excluded from the Sanhedrin council, on account of the prejudice of the priests and elders toward Jesus. This would have cut them off from all power to aid or protect him by using their influence in the council. Several times they had shown the fallacy of the grounds of his condemnation, and protested against his arrest, and the council had broken up without accomplishing that for which it had been called together; for it was impossible to procure the condemnation of Jesus without the unanimous consent of the Sanhedrin. The object of the priests had finally been obtained by calling a secret counsel, to which Joseph and Nicodemus were not summoned. "The two councilors now came boldly forth to the aid of the disciples. The help of these rich and honored men was greatly needed at that time. They could do for the slain Saviour what it was impossible for the poorer disciples to do; and their influential positions protected them in a great measure from censure and remonstrance."—Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, pp. 173, 175.

2. EMBALMING among the Jews consisted mainly in wrapping the body in many folds of linen with a profusion of aromatic spices—myrrh, aloes, etc.