MARK xvi. 3, 4.
“And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the
stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked,
they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very
great.”

THE empty sepulchre is to us a subject of contemplation,
and a teacher of great lessons. There are some sepulchres
from which we would not desire to roll the stone away.
But in this grave of Jesus there are some things very sweet,
holy, and precious. Let us listen to some of the lessons
of the stone that was rolled away.
I. Mark the importance of not dwelling on difficulties in
Christian work, and in the discharges of the duties which
life brings. In every great thing there are difficulties—
some known to us, others not. But there are also pro-
ceedings upon the part of God that we do not know,
and those proceedings are always helpful to those who
are going about doing their duty. It is not my work
to roll away the stone, but it is my duty to go to the
grave.
II. But we must not be visionary in the sense of forget-
ting that there are difficulties. Cheap things are worth-
less things, and easy virtues poor virtues. Jonah’s gourd
grew in a night, but died in a day; oaks have harder
growth and longer endurance. The highest and noblest
of our duties are achieved through the greatest and most
appalling difficulties.
III. In all our work, let us fall back on God’s co-opera-
tion. He always helps good work. He has profound and
unceasing interest in all human beings, in the simplest
things if they are done for Him.
C. F. Deems, D.D.