Saturday
April 3, 2021
Matthew 27:65–66 (CSB)
65 “You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.
The priests were scared. Though they didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah they feared him even after he was dead. They were so consumed with their lust for power that all they could think of was how to maintain the power they had.
Jesus had said that he would rise again on the third day, so their goal was to make sure that a dead man stayed dead. The only way this could happen was if someone stole the body and claimed that he had risen. So, they asked Pilate to secure the grave with a guard.
Pilate’s words are both striking and convicting. “Go and make it (the tomb) as secure as you know how.” Man has always tried to do things in and of his own ability. Adam and Eve were drawn to the forbidden fruit by the serpent’s statement, “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.”
The Priests were fighting a battle they could not win. They mustered the best guard they could and secured the tomb. But God had other plans. Their guard would stop any effort mustered together by the disciples, but it was powerless against one angel of God.
Whenever we set out to do something the best, “we know how.” We limit ourselves to only what man can accomplish. How much better will we do when we embrace the will of God and join with Him in His work in the Power of His Spirit. Dear God, we thank you that man is powerless to stand against you. Grant us the wisdom to stand with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.