ing.

One day a terrible thing happened. Jesus was crucified. In their
fright and panic all his friends at first forsook him, some of them,
however, gathering back, with broken hearts, and standing about his
cross. But never was there a more hopeless company of men in this
world than the disciples of Jesus that Good Friday, when their Master
hung upon the cross. They did not understand the meaning of the cross
as we do to-day,--they thought it meant defeat for all the hopes they
had cherished. They stood round the cross in the despair of hopeless
grief.

They were also powerless to do anything to show their love, or to honor
the body of their Friend. They were poor and unknown men, without
influence. None of them had a grave in which the body could be laid.
Nor had they power to get leave to take the body away; it required a
name of influence to get this permission. Their love was equal to
anything, but they were helpless. In the dishonor of that day all the
friends of Jesus shared.

What could be done? Soon the three bodies on the crosses would be
taken down by rude hands of heartless men, and cast into the Potter's
Field in an indistinguishable heap.

No; there is a friend at Pilate's door. He is a man of rank among the
Jews--a rich man too. He makes a strange request,--he asks leave to
take the body of Jesus away for burial. Doubtless Pilate was surprised
that a member of the court which had condemned Jesus should now desire
to honor his body, but he granted the request; perhaps he was glad thus
to end a case which had cost him so much trouble. Joseph took charge
of the burial of the body of Jesus.

Then came another rich man and joined Joseph. "There came also
Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture
of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. So they took the
body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the
custom of the Jews is to bury." It certainly is remarkable that the
two men who thus met in honoring the body of Jesus had both been his
secret disciples, hidden friends, who until now had not had courage to
avow their friendship and discipleship.

No doubt there were many other secret friends of Jesus who during his
life did not publicly confess him. The great harvest of the day of
Pentecost brought out many of these for the first time. No doubt there
always are many who love Christ, believe on him, and are following him
in secre