L

b Ps.69.21.

most severe and cruel mockery-tantalizing Him, as now, in vain, calling for Elias, who was prophesied of, as the Messiah's forerunner, and whom the Jews expected as first to appear. He had laboured to show that John the Baptist was he, but they rejected this with disdain. (See ch. 11. 14, 18.) They expected Elijah the prophet to appear in person, and hence they sneeringly adverted here to the want of this testimony to His being the true Messiah. Greenleaf notices this incidental allusion by Matthew and Mark to the popular opinion as additional evidence of their veracity.

48. Gave Him to drink. This was not from any misunderstanding of the outcry, as might seem from the connexion, and as some have supposed, but from another cry which John reports" that the Scripture might be fulfilled He saith, I thirst." John 19. 28. See Psalm 69. 21. This was the rich man's outery in torment (Luke 16. 24.) It expressed the severity of perdition. As the gospel benefits are represented by "the waters and by drink, so the bitterness of sin's curse and punishment is represented by THIRST. This vinegar, or sour wine, was the soldier's drink, of which a vessel full was there (John 19. 29). They put the sponge on a reed, or hyssop-branch (John), that thus they might reach it to His mouth as He hung upon the

cross.

49. Others expressed their rage and venom thus-repeating the taunt about Elias. There was all manner of scorn and reviling among the malignant crowd.

50. With a loud voice. This was another cry. His voice was loud in death. He was heard to say "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke), showing His relations to the

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50

Jesus, when he had cried

Father as undisturbed. Stephen the martyr died crying, "LORD JESUS receive my spirit" (Acts 7. 59), worshipping the risen Lamb. Christ also said. “It is finished" (John), which expressed what John had just before noticed (ch. 19. 28) – "Jesus KNOWING that ALL THINGS were NOW ACCOMPLISHED." The prophecies of His sacrificial death were fulfilled-the covenant with the Father was metthe cup given Him to drink was taken to the dregs-the types and shadows of the old dispensation were answered in Him, and now by His finished work satisfaction was made for believers.-T Yielded up the ghost-or in Greek, the spirit. He expired, as Mark has it literally (EEπvεvoe). He laid down His life to take it again. His soul was made an offering for sin.

OBSERVE, (1.) Christ's sufferings were more in soul than in body, and this mysterious, unknown anguish of spirit, was THE CUP--the STING of death

the CURSE for us. (2.) The ATONEMENT of Christ cannot be explained except we find here the punishment due to sin suffered by the innocent for the guilty. This accounts for all the history; and the last dying cry, "It is finished," brings peace to the troubled soul, from the finished work of Christ. The Lord provides a lamb for the burnt-offering, and the son of Abraham, though already bound and laid upon the altar, and now even under the knife, may go free (Gen. 22. 13), may even worship there. (3.) The crucifixion experience of Christ, as expressed from the cross, exhibits the whole truth. The FORSAKING and the THIRST Show the CURSE. The words of LOVE, and FORGIVENESS, and PROMISE to sinners, there also expressed, show the GRACE. "Behold thy mother." "Father, for

up the ghost.

Mark.

Luke.

John.

Matt. 27.51-56 15.38-4123.45,47-49 51. The vail of the temple. This was the interior vail in Herod's temple, which separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies (see Temple, ch. 21). Exodus 26. 33. Paul refers to this event, and to the important symbolical purport of it. See Heb. 9. 8. and 10. 20. It was rent in two parts, torn from top to bottom, exposing all the sacred mysteries of the Most Holy Place. Thus, "the way into the holiest of all was (now) made manifest," and laid open to all nations. The sacred ceremonies of the day of atonement, when the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place-viz., once a year were now to be dispensed with, as the great high priest had furnished His own blood and offices, and gone within the vail to show His blood in heaven; and thus, also, believers have boldness to enter into the holiest by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is to say, His flesh. The priest was probably burning incense in the holy place at this hour of the evening sacrifice.

The earth did quake- or shake. The ground that was cursed sympathizes. There are traces of this remarkable earthquake in Judea, and heathen writers speak of one which occurred in this reign of Tiberius,

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept, arose, 53 And came out of the graves

e Is.25.8; 26.19. Ho.13.14. Jno.5.25,28. f Da.12. 2. 1Th.4.14. g 1Cor.15.20.

that destroyed twelve Asiatic cities (see Macrobius). Tacitus' Ann. II. 47. Suetonius in Tib. 48. That it was great, would appear from the additional clause, "the rocks rent." This was entirely miraculous, in testimony to Christ's work: and so it impressed the centurion (54).

52. The graves were opened. This was another testimony to Christ's work. As the rending of the vail symbolically showed the mysteries of the ritual opened, and the way to heaven opened, and Christ's office opened as superseding that of the Levitical law-so this demonstrated that the power of death and the grave was vanquished, and an earnest was given of a general resurrection.¶ The saints-the pious dead. These were probably such as old Simeon, who was known in Jerusalem, and who had but recently died.- - Which slept. Believers are said to sleep in Jesus. Death is to them a calm and sweet repose, which the softest slumber of the pillow only typifies. They are said to sleep also, because for them there is a blest awaking when the resurrection day shall dawn. See 1 Thess. 4. 14. John 11. 11. 1 Cor. 15. 20.

53. Came out of the graves after His resurrection. Though the graves were shaken and torn open by the earthquake, it was not until after He arose (day after next), that their tenants came forth. This, therefore, showed that there was POWER in His DEATH TO OPEN THE GRAVES of believers-and POWER in His RESURRECTION TO BRING THEM FORTH. Christ was Himself

the first-fruits of them that slept." 1 Cor. 15. 20. Col. 1. 18. The holy city-Jerusalem. The burial grounds were around the city, in the

valleys, or along the slopes adjacent. For a remarkable prophetic delineation of Christ's sufferings on the cross, see the 22d Psalm. And for a sound and devotional exposition of the language, see Stevenson's work, entitled, "Christ on the Cross." Behold the Lamb of God, our Passover, sacrificed for us. Though the cross was of all punishments most ignominious, yet Christians find here their hope. This was the shame due to their sin. Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (1 Cor. 1. 24). They glory in the cross. For hereby Christ spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in His cross (Col. 2. 15). Behold! Jews and Gentiles (Sanhedrim and Pilate) condemned Christ-the Roman soldiers crucified Him-the mixed multitude, rapacious and malignant, called for His sentence and crucifixion, until they prevailed on Pilate-and all without a reason. No reason can be given for the death of Christ, except that thus it behooved Him to suffer the punishment due to sin, in order to the salvation of any.

54. The centurion. As the name imports, this officer had command of a hundred soldiers. He superintended the crucifixion. Watching. This was the Pretorian guard who attended to keep watch throughout. -T Truly, &c. He knew the alleged blasphemy for which Christ suffered; and these tokens from Jehovah were most convincing. All "those things that were done"-the miraculous darkness, and rending of the vail, and the opening graves,

of God.

55 And many women were there, (beholding afar off,) which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him; 56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the moth

i Lu.8.2,3.

had power as testimonies from the Most High. They were evident attestations of His claims, and proved Him to be the Son of God, by setting a seal to His work. Luke records another saying of the centurion "Truly this was a righteous man"as Pilate's wife had warned the governor before this very guard that just man." See Acts 3. 14; 7. 52; 22. 14.

55, 56. Many women. John speaks of Mary His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. Mark omits our Lord's mother, and adds Salome. These were afterward prominent in the resurrection scenes (Mark 16. 1). This last is she whom Matthew calls the mother of Zebedee's childrenJohn alone making mention of our Lord's mother, who was so specially entrusted to his care. These followed Him from Galilee, ministering to Him—that is, waiting upon Him and serving Him. Mary Magdalene was so called, because she was from the district of Magdala (see ch. 15. 39, note), near the sea of Tiberias, and not far from Capernaum, on the same side. These at first came near the cross, and Christ spoke to His mother, "Behold thy son," referring to John, whom He commended to her as protector and son (John 19. 26). Afterward, as the terrors of the dying moment came on, and the awful tokens from Heaven appeared, they retired from the horror of the scene. See Wall's Critical Notes, p. 116, and Watson's Reply to Gibbon, Let. 5, and Newcome.

OBSERVE, What follows upon the death of Christ. (1.) The temple

60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

61 And there was Mary Mag

day of preparation (see ch. 26. 19, note), and the bodies were not allowed to remain on the cross on the sabbath day, they asked to have the legs of all the bodies broken, and the corpses removed. And the manifest fact of Jesus' death (dead already), kept them from breaking His legs, and thus fulfilled the Scripture (Ps. 34. 20), and answered to the type, for the paschal lamb was to have no bone broken. Exod. 12. 46.

59. Clean linen cloth. This was a large square wrapper, in which the body was shrouded, and then bound by linen bandages, with spices. This was the Jewish mode of burying. John 19. 40. So also the Egyptians embalmed-and it seems of Egyptian origin. John tells us, in this connexion, of the Nicodemus-whose night visit to Christ he records also (chap. 3) that he came at this time, and "brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight," to embalm the Saviour.

60. In his own new tomb. John tells us more precisely, that this sepulchre was in a garden adjoining the place where Christ was crucified-i. e., in

62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

the near vicinity of Calvary, outside the city-where, in the rocky slopes, tombs were excavated (see ch. 23. 27, 29, note). Gethsemane was called "a garden." No other tenant occupied this tomb. Rolled a great stone. It was customary to close the mouths of tombs and caves thus, to preserve from wild beasts.

61. While this was doing, and after it was done, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, in their warm and undying affection, sat over against, or opposite the sepulchre, gazing at the sacred spot. Luke says, they "beheld the sepulchre and how the body was laid."

OBSERVE, (1.) These particulars are so fully given-viz., of Christ's ascertained death and of His being alone in the tomb, so that the rising could not have been another's-that we shall have the fullest evidence of His resurrection. (2.) We see the Scripture fulfilled in this case, to the last and least details, and we may look for all Scripture to be equally made good. (3.) Christ shall never be without some faithful followers. (4.) Timid faith is drawn out and emboldened by contact with the realities of Christ's death-e. g. Joseph and Nicodemus.

158. THE WATCH AT THE SEPULCHRE. -SEVENTH day of the week, or Jewish SABBATH. Jerusalem.