April 19
“On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, ‘Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, “After three days I will rise.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, “He has risen from the dead.” So the last deception will be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.’ So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard,” Matthew 27:62-66. “The women . . . returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment,” Luke 23:55-56.
What happened on the Saturday after the crucifixion? We know very little about what the remaining eleven disciples did. Those men who were so bold on Thursday and who bragged how faithful they would be to their Lord were somewhere in seclusion and hiding! In contrast, the women who had followed Jesus had prepared spices and fragrant oils that they wanted to use early on Sunday morning to complete Jesus’ burial; then they were resting on the Sabbath, according to the commandment of God.
There was another group, the religious leaders, who should have been observing the Sabbath law, but who were not resting on the Sabbath Day! They had guilty consciences, and they were filled with fear. They made an appointment with Pontius Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’” Pilate responded to their concern, and said, “‘You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.’ So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”
The religious leaders were determined that they had to take measures to save face, just in case! They went to the tomb and sealed it with Pilate’s seal, which made it illegal for anyone to tamper with the tomb.
Oh, the foolish things people will do when they do not trust in God and His Word! For all of us, it should be a word of warning and a reminder to heed the word of Jesus. “He that is of God hears God’s words,” John 8:47. If you belong to God, if you are a child of God, then you will hear His Word. On another occasion, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me,” John 5:39. Search the Scriptures to find Christ! He is the center of all of the teachings in Scripture!
What blessings there are for all who believe and trust in God’s Word! It is the means through which the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. Through the Word of the Gospel, He calls and invites us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, who lived, died, and rose again to redeem us. May that faith and hope be strengthened in our hearts.
Lord, open Thou my heart to hear, And through Thy Word to me draw near;
Let me Thy Word e’er pure retain, Let me Thy child and heir remain.
Thy Word doth deeply move the heart, Thy Word doth perfect health impart,
Thy Word my soul with joy doth bless, Thy Word brings peace and happiness. Amen.