for we have no strength, except that which is promised in the covenant. Covenant mercies, covenant grace, covenant promises, covenant blessings, covenant help, covenant everything — the Christian must receive if he would enter into heaven.
17. Now, Christian, the archers have bitterly grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you; but your bow remains in strength, and the arms of your hands are made strong. But do you know, oh believer, that you are like your Master in this?
18. IV. That is our fourth point — A GLORIOUS PARALLEL. “From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.” Jesus Christ was treated just the same; the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, passed through similar trials; he was shot at by the archers, he was grieved and wounded, but his bow remained in strength; his arms were made strong by the God of Jacob, and now every blessing rests “upon the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brethren.” I shall not detain you long, but I have a few things to tell you: first about Christ as the shepherd, and then about Christ the stone.
19. Christ came into the world as a shepherd. As soon as he made his appearance, the Scribes and Pharisees said, “Ah! we have been the shepherds until this hour: now we shall be driven from our honours, we shall lose all our dignity, and our authority.” Consequently they always shot at him. As for the people, they were a fickle herd; I believe that many of them respected and admired Christ, though, doubtless, the vast majority hated him, for wherever he went he was a popular preacher; the multitude always thronged him and crowded around him, crying, “Hosanna.” I think, if you had walked up to the top of that hill of Calvary, and asked one of those men who cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him,” “What do you say that for? Is he a bad man?” “No,” he would have said, “he went about doing good.” “Then why do you say crucify him?” “Because Rabbi Simeon gave me a shekel to help the clamour.” So the multitude were much won by the money and influence of the priests. But they were glad to hear Christ after all. It was the shepherds that hated him, because he took away their trade, because he turned the buyers and sellers out of the temple, diminished their dignity and ignored their pretensions; therefore, they could not endure him. But the Shepherd of Israel mounted higher and higher; he gathered his sheep, carried the lambs in his bosom; and he now stands acknowledged as the great Shepherd of the sheep, who shall gather them into one flock and lead them to heaven. Rowland Hill tells a curious tale, in his “Village Dialogues,” about a certain Mr. Tiplash, a very fine intellectual preacher, who, in one of his flights of oratory, said, “Oh virtue, you are so fair and lovely, if you were to come down upon earth, all men would love you”; along with a few more pretty, beautiful things. Mr. Blunt, an honest preacher, who was in the neighbourhood, was asked to preach in the afternoon, and he supplemented the worthy gentleman’s remarks, by saying, “Oh virtue, you did come on earth, in all your purity and loveliness, but, instead of being beloved and admired, the archers bitterly shot at you and grieved you; they took you, virtue, and hung your quivering limbs upon a cross; when you hung there dying they hissed at you, they mocked you, they scorned you; when you asked for water they gave you vinegar to drink, mingled with gall, indeed, when you died you had a tomb from charity, and that tomb, sealed by enmity and hatred.” The Shepherd of Israel was despised, incarnate virtue was hated and abhorred; therefore, do not fear Christians, take courage, for if your Master passed through it, surely you must.
20. To conclude: the text calls Christ the stone of Israel. I have heard a story — I cannot tell whether it is true or not — out of some of the Jewish rabbis; it is a tale, concerning the text, “The stone which the builders refused, the same is become the headstone of the corner.” It is said that when Solomon’s temple was being built, all the stones were brought from the quarry ready cut and fashioned, and there were marked on all the blocks the places where they were to be placed. Among the stones was a very curious one; it seemed of no describable shape, it appeared unfit for any portion of the building. They tried it at this wall, but it would not fit; they tried it in another, but it could not be accommodated; so, vexed and angry, they threw it away. The temple was so many years in being built, that this stone became covered with moss, and grass grew around it. Everyone passing by laughed at the stone; they said Solomon was wise, and doubtless all the other stones were right; but as for that block, they might as well send it back to the quarry, for they were quite sure it was good for nothing. Year after year rolled on, and the poor stone was still despised, the builders constantly refused it. The eventful day came when the temple was to be finished and opened, and the multitude was assembled to see the grand sight. The builders said, “Where is the top stone? Where is the pinnacle?” they little thought where the crowning marble was, until someone said, “Perhaps that stone which the builders refused is meant to be the top stone.” They then took it, and hoisted it to the top of the house; and as it reached the summit, they found it well adapted to the place. Loud hosannas made the heavens ring, as the stone which the builders refused thus became the headstone of the corner. So is it with Christ Jesus. The builders cast him away. He was a plebeian; he was of poor extraction; he was a man acquainted with sinners, who walked in poverty and humility; hence the worldly wise despised him. But when God shall gather together, in one, all things that are in heaven and that are on earth, then Christ shall be the glorious consummation of all things.
Christ reigns in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserve the praise.
He shall be exalted; he shall be honoured; his name shall endure as long as the sun, and all nations shall be blessed in him, indeed, all generations shall call him blessed.
The Tomb Of Jesus
No. 18-1:133. A Sermon Delivered On Easter Sunday Morning, April 8, 1855, By C. H. Spurgeon, At Exeter Hall, Strand.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay. {Matthew 28:6}
1. Every circumstance connected with the life of Christ is deeply interesting to the Christian mind. Wherever we behold our Saviour, he is well worthy of our notice,
His cross, his manger, and his crown,
Are full with glories yet unknown.
All his weary pilgrimage, from Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s cross, is in my eyes, paved with glory. Each spot upon which he trod, is to our souls consecrated at once, simply because there the foot of earth’s Saviour and our own Redeemer once was placed. When he comes to Calvary the interest heightens, then our best thoughts are centred on him in the agonies of crucifixion, nor does our deep affection permit us to leave him, even when, the struggle is over, he yields up the ghost. His body, when it is taken down from the tree, still is lovely in our eyes — we fondly linger around the motionless clay. By faith we discern Joseph of Arimathea, and the timid Nicodemus, assisted by those holy women, drawing out the nails and taking down the mangled body; we behold them wrapping him in clean white linen, hastily girding him around with belts of spices; then putting him in his tomb, and departing for the Sabbath rest. We shall on this occasion go where Mary went on the morning of the first day of the week, when waking from her couch before the dawn, she aroused herself to be early at the sepulchre of Jesus. We will try if it is possible, by the help of God’s Spirit, to go as she did — not in body, but in soul — we will stand at that tomb; we will examine it, and we trust we shall hear some truth speaking voice coming from its hollow bosom which will comfort and instruct us, so that we may say of the grave of Jesus when we go away, “It was none other than the gate of heaven,” — a sacred place, deeply solemn, and sanctified by the slain body of our precious Saviour.
2. I. AN INVITATION GIVEN. I shall commence my remarks this morning, by inviting all Christians to come with me to the tomb of Jesus. “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” We will labour to render the place attractive, we will gently take your hand to guide you to it, and may it please our Master to make our hearts burn within us, while we talk by the way.
3. Away, you profane — you souls whose life is laughter, folly, and mirth! Away, you sordid and carnal minds who have no taste for the spiritual, no delight in the celestial. We do not ask your company; we speak to God’s beloved, to the heirs of heaven, to the sanctified, the redeemed, the pure in heart — and we say to them “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”