In The Tomb — Sealed And Secured

-March 30, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Holy Saturday,

“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 27:65-66).

After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, a disciple of Christ, went to Pilate requesting the body of Jesus and once Pilate determined from the Centurion that Jesus was dead, granted his request.

Joseph, along with Nicodemus, a believer and fellow council member, came, took down the body and laid Him in Joseph’s own garden tomb. This fulfilled Isaiah 53:9, “And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

As they finished their sad but needed task, they rolled a large heavy stone in front of the tomb. It was secure. The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus had said that He would rise again the third day. They besought Pilate to guard the tomb lest His disciples come and steal the body and say that He rose again. Pilate told them to take a guard and “make it as secure as you know how. No one could get through a Roman guard.

The disciples were so sad and fearful, they didn’t even try. They weren’t even thinking of His resurrection. No one accounted for the power of God and the angels that rolled away the boulder from the tomb. The miracle of the resurrection couldn’t be stopped by the feeble efforts of man.

There are three words that I would call your attention to in verse 66: secured, sealing, and setting. Each of them are locked down words. It reminds me of a prison door: the guard puts the prisoner in the cell, closes the door, locks it, and guards it diligently.

Let us thank God no stone could hold Him, no soldiers could prevent Him, no power on earth could thwart Him. There are times in our lives when we have no hope, see no way out, we are trapped. The Lord rescues and delivers us by His mighty resurrection power. He is the omnipotent One.

Let us remember His death, burial, and His glorious resurrection. Saturday is a day for quiet reflection, meditation, and contemplation. Have a blessed and holy day. Stay safe and healthy.

The most secure place on earth is in the arms of our risen Savior.

Dean