Lord, I believe thR.t thou A.rt the Christ, the Son of Gorl, which should come into tho world," (1) 'l'his was a prompt R.nd full acceptance of the revelation just made to her. (2) It marks likewise the foundation upon which that revchtion rested. (a) JesuA w11s Christ, the end of the theocratic prophecies and promises; (b) the Son of God, dwelling in mysterious relation with God, and therefore 11ble to A.et as Dayem11n between God and man, and restore the long-broken fellowship; (c) ma.king the world the theatre of his Divine power in resurrection and life. Her confession was the simple but profound ncknowledgment of Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. Vere. 28-37.-Jeaus and Mary, Our Lord deals with Mary according to her nature 11nd temperament. I. TBl'l SECRET MESSAGE TO MARY. "She went away, and ea.lied Mary her Bister secretly, saying, The Master is come, nnd calleth for thee." 1. Jesus, th<Yugh he would not fly from danger, does not seelt it. He did not ea.re to attract the notice of the Jews who were with Mary, Otherwise he would at once have gone to the house of mourning. 2. How promptly but silently MMy acts upon the invitation l The true Comforter is at hand. She may well shake off her depression. 3. H1rw blessed it i8 to meet Ohrist anywhere, but especially at his own invitation I II .. MARY'S DECLARATION TO BEB LORD, AND HEB Lono'e ANSWEB. .. Lord, if thou hadst been here, our l;,rother had not died." 1. The same thought occupied the minds of the two sisters, and perhaps that of Lazarus in his dying hour. But she adds not a. word more, either in the way of faith or hope-unlike Martha- but fa.Ila prostrate a.t his feet, the place where she delighted to lie. 2. Mark hO'W differently Jesus treats Mary. He does not minister to her faith by discourse like that which he addressed to Martha., but he shares silently in her grief. What a. Friend I What a. Brother is here I Yea, more than a. brother. 3. He i8 profoundly agitated in spirit, partly by his sympathy with the sorrowing sisters, partly by the check that he puts upon the manifestation by his emotions, nnd partly by the hypocrisy of the Jews. "He shuddered in bis spirit, and troubled himself, and said, Where have ye laid him?" 4. He at last gives way to his emotion. "Jesus wept." What tea.re are these which the spirit of inspiration bas crystallized and set like gems in the diadem of truth! Strange to find the Lord, who is just about to put forth Divine power, standing a weeper a.ta Jewish grave. (1) 1t sl:iowe that he was such a High Priest as became us, that " cannot but be touched with the feeling ofour infirmities" (Heh. iv. 15). (2) It touched even the Jewish spectators by the spectacle of his love for the sisters. 5. The hostile Jews found. in it cause for sneering irony. "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (1) The question might be interpreted as indicating a suspicion of the reality of Christ's friendship for Lazarus, (2) or a. doubt as to his possession of miraculous power at all.
Vers. 38--44:.-The miracle. There is a fresh struggle in the soul of Jesus, perhaps caused by the malicious observations of the Jews. J. JESUS COMMANDS THE STONE TO DE ROLLED AWAY FROM THE SEPULCHRE, "'l'nke ye nwny the stone." 1. This command suggests that where human power is sufficient, Divi·ne power will not be put forth. A word from Jesus could have taken away the stone as easily as a word raised Lazarus to life. The action of Jesus suggests the economy of miracle so observable in Scripture history. 2. The command was evidently given to convince the spectators that Lazarus was, indeed, a dead man. '!'he pent-up odours of putrefaction would in such a hot climate convince the spectators that there could be no imposture or collusion in the case. It was evidently the thought of this disagreeable circumstance that led Martha to say, "Lord, by this time he stinketh : he hath been there four days." 3. The incident suggests that there is a sphere /01· human agency in connection with the salvation of men. The miracle is symbolic, like all Christ's miracles. It is pos3ible for man to bring man within the knowledge of salvation. Jesus seems to say to the Ch1istian Church, "Roll away the stone of ignorance and superstition from the hapless heathen by imparting Bible knowledge." He says, even, to professing Christians, " Roll away the stone that lies as an obstacle in your own family to the salvation of your children." Many an obstacle m11y stand in Ohristian households in the way of youthful conversions. 104 THE GOSPEL AOOORDlNO 'l'O S'I'. JOitN. (on. x.1. 1-&'7.