62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Matt 27:62-66 (ESV)
A Sealed Fate
Holy Saturday. The day of quiet. The day of silence. The day of grief. Finally, this Jesus is quiet. Finally, his followers have been hushed.
But maybe, just maybe, this "imposter" might rise again. (Matt 27:63) Concern grows among the chief priests and Pharisees. They remember. Jesus said He would rise again after three days. (Matt 27:63) He had warned some of them (some of the Pharisees) that like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days so He would be in the heart of the earth for three days. (Matt 12:40) And they had all been at His trial. They had all heard at the testimony given by others that He claimed He would destroy the temple in three days and raise it (Matt 26:61) Maybe, just maybe, He meant the temple of His own body. (John 2:19-20) Even as He hung on the cross many had mocked Him about such a claim. (Matt 27:40) It was a crazy claim, a blasphemous claim. But maybe, just maybe...
Maybe, His disciples might try to make it look like He did rise, (Matt 27:64) so the tomb must be secured. Seal it. Guard it. (Matt 27:66) Yes. This would insure that Jesus' deception was put to an end so that His heresy of misleading the people that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, (Matt 26:63) would finally die with Him. And so Pilate agrees. (Matt 27:65)
And so they did. The tomb was sealed. Oh the irony! They thought they were sealing the tomb to prove that Jesus was an imposter. In reality, God was using them to seal the tomb to show there was no other explanation for His rising again, to show the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
It's Saturday. It's silent. The tomb is sealed. And now they wait. Now they wait to see what would come for tomorrow is Sunday!
But maybe, just maybe, this "imposter" might rise again. (Matt 27:63) Concern grows among the chief priests and Pharisees. They remember. Jesus said He would rise again after three days. (Matt 27:63) He had warned some of them (some of the Pharisees) that like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days so He would be in the heart of the earth for three days. (Matt 12:40) And they had all been at His trial. They had all heard at the testimony given by others that He claimed He would destroy the temple in three days and raise it (Matt 26:61) Maybe, just maybe, He meant the temple of His own body. (John 2:19-20) Even as He hung on the cross many had mocked Him about such a claim. (Matt 27:40) It was a crazy claim, a blasphemous claim. But maybe, just maybe...
Maybe, His disciples might try to make it look like He did rise, (Matt 27:64) so the tomb must be secured. Seal it. Guard it. (Matt 27:66) Yes. This would insure that Jesus' deception was put to an end so that His heresy of misleading the people that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, (Matt 26:63) would finally die with Him. And so Pilate agrees. (Matt 27:65)
And so they did. The tomb was sealed. Oh the irony! They thought they were sealing the tomb to prove that Jesus was an imposter. In reality, God was using them to seal the tomb to show there was no other explanation for His rising again, to show the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
It's Saturday. It's silent. The tomb is sealed. And now they wait. Now they wait to see what would come for tomorrow is Sunday!