What does it mean that Jesus rose "again"?

The "rising again" is not of those who had fallen. It would suffice to say: "The fall and rising of."

There are two possible interpretations of the words, "For as yet they knew not the scriptures, that He must rise again from the dead." It might be taken as giving a reason for the faith of "that other disciple" in the resurrection of Jesus, when he saw that the sepulchre was empty, that until now they had not known the scripture which foretold it. But we do not ourselves accept this view of the case; and for two reasons. First, it is expressly stated that this disciple saw and believed — that is, he believed when he saw — believed on the testimony, afforded by the empty tomb; and then it is added, as an explanation, that as yet they did not know the scripture on the subject. Secondly, it will be noticed that the statement in verse 8 is confined to that disciple — it is "he saw and believed," whereas in verse 9 it is "they knew not the scripture," showing that the affirmation is of the common ignorance of the disciples. This confirms the interpretation preferred. True the Lord had taught them again and again of the necessity of His death, and that on the third day He would rise again; but as Mark 9:10, 31, 32, as well as many other scriptures indicate, they did not comprehend the meaning of His words. The Spirit of God had not yet come; and, as many of us know from experience, until He unfolds to us the divine Word, we may hear and read it frequently without the slightest understanding of its real significance and application. It should moreover be borne in mind that "rising from among the dead," as it should be rendered in Mark 9:10, was a totally new thing, a new revelation to the disciples, and something therefore for which they were wholly unprepared, to say nothing of all the harrowing circumstances (which would be still occupying their minds) they had so recently passed through in connection with the death of their beloved Lord.

And now John goes in. "Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed" (John 20:8). Believed what? I do not think exactly that he believed in Christ's resurrection. He believed surely that the Lord was gone. The tale that Mary had brought of the Lord being gone he believed. "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead" (John 20:9). Up to that moment the great and glorious truth that He must rise from the dead, which He had pressed on them again and again during His life — ministry, never seemed to have got into their souls. There is nothing we are slower to reach than resurrection ground. When He came down from the mount of transfiguration, He said to them, "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead" (Matt. 17:9). But spite of that, the great blessed truth, which is the backbone of the gospel, resurrection, they had not at that moment reached.

In John 20 is the resurrection, and this in a remarkable light. No such outward circumstance is here as in Matthew, no soldiers trembling, no walk with disciples, but as ever the person of God's Son, though disciples prove how little they entered into the truth. Peter "saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the Scriptures, that He must rise again from the dead." (Verses 8, 9) It was evidence; and there is no moral value in accepting on evidence. Believing the word of God has moral value, because it gives God credit for truth. A man gives up himself to confide in God. Believing the Scriptures, therefore, has another character altogether from a judgment formed on a matter of fact. Mary Magdalene, with as little understanding of the Scriptures as they, stood without at the sepulchre weeping, when they went to their own homes. Jesus meets her in her sorrow, dries her tears, and sends her to the disciples with a message of His resurrection. But He does not permit her to touch Him. In Matthew the other women even retain Him by the feet. Why? The reason appears to be that in the earlier gospel it is the pledge of a bodily presence for the Jews in the latter day; for whatever be the consequences of Jewish unbelief now, God is faithful. The gospel of John has here no purpose of showing God's promises for the circumcision; but, on the contrary, sedulously detaches the disciples from Jewish thoughts. Mary Magdalene is a sample or type of this. The heart must be taken off His bodily presence. "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." The Christian owns Christ in heaven. As the apostle says, even if we had known Christ after the flesh, "henceforth know we him no more." The cross, as we know it, closes all connection with even Him in this world. It is the same Christ manifested in life here upon earth. John shows us, in Mary Magdalene contrasted with the woman of Galilee, the difference between the Christian and the Jew. It is not outward corporeal presence on earth, but a greater nearness, though He is ascended to heaven, because of the power of the Holy Ghost. "But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (Verse 17) Never had He put Himself and His disciples so together before.

But the disciples do not as yet know their Lord in resurrection. They know Him only "after the flesh;" and therefore Mary Magdalene is seen early at the sepulchre, seeking His body; and, in the same mind Peter and his companion run to the sepulchre shortly after her, their bodily strength merely, and not the intelligence of faith, carrying them there. And there they behold, not their Object, but the trophies of His victory over the power of death. There they see the gates of brass and the bars of iron cut in sunder. The linen clothes and the napkin which had been wrapped about the Lord's head as though He were death's prisoner were there seen like the spoils of the vanquished, as under the hand of death's conqueror. The very armour of the strong man was made a show of in his own house; this telling loudly that He Who is the plague of death, and hell's destruction, had been lately in that place, doing His glorious work. But, in spite of all this, the disciples understand not; they as yet know not the scripture, that He must rise from the dead; and they go away again to their own home.

The resurrection of the saints is like Christ's resurrection - out from amongst the dead. When the Lord told the disciples not to speak of what they had seen until He was risen from among the dead, they began discussing what that meant. Martha, too, says, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." But "from among" was a new thing to them.

The resurrection of Christ was plainly foretold by David in Psalm 16, which was quoted both by Peter on the day of Pentecost, and by Paul at Antioch, to prove the fulfilment of Scripture in His rising again from the dead. They argued that David did not then speak of himself , for, though a prophet, he was buried and saw corruption; but that He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. In death His soul was not left in hades, the place of departed spirits, neither did His body see corruption; but He entered upon resurrection, the path of life, and ascended to the right hand of God. The words are, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Ps. 16:10-11.) Thus the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was plainly foretold, and the instruction is clear that Messiah would not only rise again from among the dead, but be exalted to the "right hand of the Majesty on high."

Here, however, it is not only a general doctrine that the dead are raised. Christ, in rising, came up from among the dead. It is the favour and the power of God come in, to bring back from among the dead the One who had in His grace gone down into death to accomplish and to display the deliverance of man in Christ from the power of Satan and of death; and to put a public seal on the work of redemption, to exhibit openly in man the victory over all the power of the enemy. Thus Christ arose from among all the other dead (for death could not hold Him), and established the glorious principle of this divine and complete deliverance, and He became the first-fruits of them that slept, who, having His life, await the exercise of His power, which will awaken them by virtue of the Spirit that dwells in them.

But God would give the amplest evidence. So it is added to Christ's death (ver. 4), "and that he was buried." Only here is made no mention of the scriptures. This is reserved for the immense fact of the resurrection: "and that he was raised the third day according to the scriptures," which is followed by the repeated appearances, of course without any such attestation. It is not merely an accessory fact or corroboration of Christ's death. His resurrection is the grand pivot of the chapter, the display of God's glory as regards man, the fullest answer to all unbelief, and the knell of Satan's power. This was the truth which the enemy sought to undermine among some at Corinth; but the result, under the grace of God, is the complete demonstration of its certainty, and of its all-importance.

"And, behold, there was a great earthquake," etc. This was an after-occurrence; how long after is not said. We have simply a narrative of events one after another, in these early verses, without defining the intervals of time. We must not confound the visit of the women here (in verse 1) with their visit on the morning of the first day mentioned by Mark and in our verse 5, etc. The Lord was not on this last occasion in the sepulchre, and the angel, descending and rolling away the stone, had nothing directly to do with the Lord's rising. No such interposition was in any way necessary to Him. God raised Him, and He Himself rose — taking up His life as He had laid it down. Such is the scriptural doctrine of the resurrection. This angelic action was, I suppose, to call the attention of men to the Divine act in the resurrection of Jesus, and the more fully to set aside the deceits or the reasonings of enemies.* So the angel's word is, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay."