Scripture

“So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first. “

Observation

Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus, asks Pilate for Jesus’ body. He takes it to his own new tomb and seal the entrance with a great stone.

The next day, the Sabbath, some of the leading priests and Pharisees go to Pilate. They are worried that the disciples will fake a resurrection, so they asked Pilate to seal the tomb. They fear that reports of Jesus being raised from the dead would undermine their positions.

Pilate orders some guards to seal the tomb and guard it.

Application

The Jewish leaders were terrified at the possibility that Jesus could be raised from the dead. They knew that He had often said that He would die, but on the third day He would rise again.

These leaders did not believe that Jesus would really come back to life, but they did believe that the disciples could steal the body and declare that he was risen.

It is tragic to be so locked into fear and unbelief that you have to take precautions to prevent God from intruding on your fear.

In reality, as these people would find out, you can’t keep God out of the world. If the Lord has determined to do something, no person can prevent it, no matter how powerful they seem.

God the Father was determined to set the human race free from sin. No man could have prevented Jesus’ death on the cross on the cross, and no man could prevent could prevent Jesus’ resurrection on the third day.

So we rejoice that Jesus that Jesus has purchased our eternal salvation.

Prayer

Lord God, Heavenly Father, I praise you for your gift of eternal salvation bought for me at the cross. Amen