Augustine suggests that one reason why the disciples did not understand our Lord's prediction of His own resurrection, was His custom of using parables in His teacliing. "Being accustomed to be spoken to in parables by Him, they supposed Him to be signifying some other thing," But the worthy Fa- ther rather seems to forget that although our Lord spoke para- bles to the multitude, " when He was alone He expounded all things to His disciples." Yet the suggestion is worth remem- bering. Dwellers in the cold prosaic north, can have little idea of the enormous quantity of figurative and flowery lan- guage used in oriental countries. An Englishman going for the first time among Orientals, finds it hard to know whether those around him are using flowery expressions which mean nothing, or speaking of facts.
Whether St. John referred to any particular text, in using this expression about " Scripture," is matter of doubt. To me it is far more likely that he had in view the general teaching of the whole Old Testament, both in types and typical events, as well as in direct texts. I suspect that he refers to such things as the receiving back of Isaac by Abraham on Moriah after he had offered him, the whale casting up Jonah on the dry land, the living bird being let go free in cleansing the lep. er, the scape-goat being let go alive on the day of atonement^ and other like things written for our learning.
The subject, I must honestly say, is a very deep one. It is vain to deny that the manner in which texts are quoted from the Old Testament in the New Testament, is sometimes very puzzling. The safest and most reverent line of thought is to believe that there is a fulness in Scripture which many of us have never realized ; and that scores of texts refer to Christ's life, death, and resurrection, though we know it not.
When it says here, " He must rise again," the meaning is lit- erally, " It is necessary, or it is becoming that He should rise." It was necessary for the accomplishment of man's redemption, and for the completion of the work wliich Jesus came to do as our Substitute and Representative. The second Adam must die and rise again, in order to win back what the first Adam lost.
The case of the Apostles is a striking example of the extent of spiritual ignorance there may be in a man, while his heart is right with God. Who would think of denying that Peter and John were true believers, and loved Christ, and were oa the way to heaven ? Yet here we are plainly told that up to this time they had not understood that Jesus must rise again on the third day, after dying for our sins on the cross. Surely we must take care that we do not hastily condemn men as her- etics, and set them down as graceless and godless, because they are deficient in head-knowledge. After all, how many Chris- tiana there arc in the present day, who talk about Christ's