The leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 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.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. Matthew 27:62-66 NLT
Why should anyone worry now? Satan, Rome, the soldiers, the religious leaders – everyone who wanted Jesus to go away had nothing to worry about now. They had seen Him breathe His last. Blood and water gushed from His pierced side, proving His bodily functions were finished. They took His limp and lifeless body from the cross and prepared it for burial. They completely wrapped His body from head to toe in burial cloths then placed it on a stone slab in a new cave tomb. Surely He had gone away forever, right? The hillsides were covered with similar caves and burial sites. No soldiers were anywhere. No graves were guarded. Graves had low, square openings so people could walk in for religious and traditional practices. The openings were not massive or extraordinarily sealed, just large enough to keep out predatory animals and light enough to be moved by humans. However, the tomb of Jesus was closed by a stone large enough that the women were concerned no one would be able to roll it away when they went to visit. It was sealed by the Roman governor so that no one would attempt an entry. Then they set armed Roman soldiers on guard day and night in front of the tomb.
Why? The religious leaders wanted Jesus to go away permanently, and the Roman authorities cooperated with them. They said the reason for all this was because He had a crazy base of followers who would probably steal His body to keep the hoax going that Jesus really was God.
But there was more. Satan knew who Jesus was. He was hoping against hope that this last- gasp effort worked. After all, Jesus’ followers who knew Him best had disappeared and fled. Maybe Jesus would see His mission could not be trusted to such as these weak people. Maybe He would just go away to His Father, return to heaven, and leave these weak, pitiful people to him. It was essential to his plans that it happen that way. Satan also knew that the religious leaders had a tiny secret fear that maybe Jesus was more than they had thought. That’s why they tried so hard. But surely, surely this was it. Surely Jesus had gone away. It was almost three days now without a sound. Just maybe.
- It’s a common mistake to underestimate the power of God. It’s a common mistake to underestimate the love of Jesus. It is a common and foolish mistake to equate God’s silence for inactivity. Is there anywhere you might be mistaken?