62The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Mt. 27)
Thoughts: Many feel they can do what these guards failed to do- make sure no one believes Jesus came back to life. Many want to guard the tomb by their arguments and rationalizing this resurrection away because resurrection is the most highly unusual event. But Jesus was the most- uniquely highly unusual person. He was fully human but also fully God. No human guard, however good, can keep a god at bay.
Some have wondered if these were Roman or Temple guards. But the text has Pilate offering a guard and 28:20 mentions they were soldiers- not just Temple guards. Roman soldiers could be executed for falling asleep on their post- as was claimed by the priests. A seal- probably of wax was placed around the stone to indicate whether the stone had been moved or not. A broken Roman seal meant that the law was broken too. That was the easiest part of Jesus' rising- no government wax seal would make the risen Christ afraid to rise. The stone was heavy- so heavy the women worried about moving it to put the spices on Jesus. The disciples were locked in an upper room when Jesus appeared (John 20), and were too scared to face a Roman guard. But the one who moved the stone, according to Matthew, was an angel. But Jesus was not contained by the stone or the seal or the guard. The stone was rolled away so that everyone could see (the angel said, "come and see" Mt 28:6).
You can't keep a good man down. You can't guard the unguardable. Not even death or hell could squish His life or His message. The Easter message and the Easter person of Christ are both too powerful to contain. We too, should quit trying to squish down the faith that keeps trying to pop out. We need, as Jesus said to Thomas, to "quit doubting and believe."
Some have wondered if these were Roman or Temple guards. But the text has Pilate offering a guard and 28:20 mentions they were soldiers- not just Temple guards. Roman soldiers could be executed for falling asleep on their post- as was claimed by the priests. A seal- probably of wax was placed around the stone to indicate whether the stone had been moved or not. A broken Roman seal meant that the law was broken too. That was the easiest part of Jesus' rising- no government wax seal would make the risen Christ afraid to rise. The stone was heavy- so heavy the women worried about moving it to put the spices on Jesus. The disciples were locked in an upper room when Jesus appeared (John 20), and were too scared to face a Roman guard. But the one who moved the stone, according to Matthew, was an angel. But Jesus was not contained by the stone or the seal or the guard. The stone was rolled away so that everyone could see (the angel said, "come and see" Mt 28:6).
You can't keep a good man down. You can't guard the unguardable. Not even death or hell could squish His life or His message. The Easter message and the Easter person of Christ are both too powerful to contain. We too, should quit trying to squish down the faith that keeps trying to pop out. We need, as Jesus said to Thomas, to "quit doubting and believe."
Prayer: Lord, keep me from elevating my power over yours. Instead, enable me to see my inability to keep you from rising up in my life and in the world.
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