tainly was. But the condition of our Lord's risen bodj was altogether different from that of His body before crucifixion. We cannot pretend to explain in the least where He was, and what He was doing in the intervals between His various ap- pearances, during the forty days before His ascension. We need not therefore hesitate to believe that He could assume Buch an appearance, that even a disciple like Mary did not re- cognize Him at first, or that He could cause her eyes to be un- able to distinguish Him, even when close to her.
After all, what a striking emblem this little incident supplies of the spiritual experience of hundreds of Christ's believing people even at this very day. How many are ever mourning and sorrowing, and have no comfort in their religion, while Christ is close to them. But they do not know it, and, like Mary, go on weeping.
15. — [Jesus saith... Why iceepest thou...seekest thou.] The first ques- tion that Jesus asked of Mary was precisely the same that the angels had asked. " Woman, why art thou weeping ? Art thou quite sure that thou art right to weep over this empty grave, and oughtest not rather to rejoice? " — The second ques- tion was even more searching than the first. " Whom seekest t^^ou ? Who is this person that thou art seeking among the dead ? Hast thou not forgotten that He whom thou seekest is one who has power to take life again, and who predicted that He would rise ? " — I must think that in both these questions there was a gentle latent reproof intended for this holy woman. Faithful and loving as she was, she had too much forgotten her Master's teaching about His death and resurrection. These questions were meant to rouse her to a recollection of things often said in her hearing. Of course our Lord knew perfectly well why she was weeping, and whom she was seeking. He needed not to ask her. He asked for her benefit rather than His own information. But excessive grief has an absorbing and stupefying etfect on the mind and memory. Mary could think of nothing but that her Lord's body was gone, and this swallowed up all her thoughts.
[She supposing Him, etc.] Here we see what Mary's first thought was, when she heard a strange voice, and saw a strange figure. She catches at the idea that this person may be the keeper of the garden in which Joseph's sepulchre was, and that, having probably been keeping watch over the garden all night, he may know what had become of her Master's body, or may even have removed it himself. " Sir," she says, " If thou art the person who has taken away my Lord out of the tomb, only tell me where thou hast carried His body, and I will take Him away." — Once more we see that this holy woman could only think of her Master as one dead, and that her one absorb- ing idea was how she could recover His corpse and do it honor. As for His resurrection and victory over death, she seems utter- ly unable to get hold of it at present. Wonderful is it to see