Matthew 27:62ff 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Pilate’s words are chilling to me. “Make the tomb as secure as you can.” Do whatever you can to ensure Jesus won’t be a factor going forward. Do whatever you can to guarantee that Jesus won’t have an impact anymore. Do what you can so we can bury Jesus in the past. Do what you can to make sure that Jesus will be finished.”
How many of you know you can’t finish the Finisher?
So, what was done to try to make sure Jesus would be finished forever? Well, there was a large stone in front of the tomb. It was the kind of stone that was so heavy, that its weight helped to seal off the tomb’s entrance. It was set in a channel and rolled “downhill,” making it very difficult to move once it was in place. It certainly couldn’t be moved from the inside, and it would take many people working together to move it on the outside after gravity had done its work.
In addition to the stone which provided a layer of protection against a Resurrection, there was a seal placed on the outside of the tomb, a governmental seal. It was a symbol of human authority. There was a rope that overlapped the width of the stone. On each side of the tomb’s opening, there was a glob of wax, a seal of Rome’s authority. You couldn’t move the boulder without breaking the seal. Anyone who messed with the seal, the stamp of wax, messed with the powers of Rome. They had never been shy about exerting their authority and did so in violent ways.
The third level of protection against the possibility of Resurrection was a squad of soldiers. Pilate approved a “guard of soldiers,” at the tomb. A guard of soldiers included four, armed men. Two guards would keep watch while two rested. These were the bravest, best and strongest soldiers.
“Make it as secure as you can.” On Sunday morning, as the earth shook, as the angel of the Lord rolled the stone away and as the frightened guards shook and became as dead men it became clear that no physical barrier (the stone), no human authority (the seal of Rome), and no human strength (the soldiers standing guard) could thwart God’s plan for the Resurrection.
Like the religious leaders who asked Pilate for extra security at the tomb of Jesus, are you doing everything you can to keep Jesus and His resurrection power from being real in your heart and life? Are you stiff-arming Jesus? Are you putting up walls to keep Him from infiltrating your soul? Are you making your heart as secure as you can, forfeiting the power of the Cross and the power of the Resurrection?
Maybe it hasn’t been intentional. Maybe Satan has used the heartache and challenges you have faced to try to cover Jesus’ intentions towards you. Maybe anger and anxiety have you convinced that the emptiness and sadness you feel will always shroud your life. Maybe the rejection and betrayal of friends has you in a self-protection mode. Perhaps you have decided you won’t let your guard down, and you are doing everything you can to ensure you won’t be hurt again. Maybe people have done you dirty, robbed you of a position, some advancement or even stolen precious resources from you, and you have determined you won’t ever trust anyone again. Maybe you are just living overwhelmed because of things you haven’t ever been able to get over, things you haven’t been able to move past. Maybe you have turned to vices, to addictions, to earthly lusts to numb the pain, to soothe your soul, but all they have done is enslaved you and kept you empty. Maybe all of those things and more have become tools in the hand of Satan who keeps whispering, “Do everything you know to do to keep the tomb closed. Don’t open the door to the possibility that the God who died for you, to prove His love for you, to pay the price for you, don’t believe He can empower you to live any differently than you are living, to feel any different than you are feeling.” Satan is a liar!
I’ll tell you what God’s intentions are toward you. They are for salvation and resurrection, liberation, peace, hope and newness of life, even from the worst of circumstances. Because of the Cross you never have to fear God, and because of the Resurrection you never have to be alone. Jesus promises to be with us in power! Satan doesn’t want you to experience the power of the Resurrection. He wants you beaten down and disconnected from the presence and power of God at work in your life. I’ll say again that Satan is a liar. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, is the One who has been faithful to His Word!
God wants you to know that because Jesus got up, you can get up. Life is worth living because He lives. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or what you did last night. It doesn’t matter how difficult life has been. It doesn’t matter how insignificant you feel. It doesn’t matter how hopeless things look. Because Jesus got up, you can get up, and you can walk out of whatever tomb you have been allowing yourself to sit in. You can live a resurrected life with Jesus, one that is filled with joy and purpose.
As I have established, no physical barrier could stop the Resurrection. No seal from an earthly authority could stop the power of the Resurrection, and no strength exerted by anyone can stand in the way of God’s Resurrection power. The only thing that can cause you to miss the power of the Resurrection is you. Jesus broke out of the tomb, but He won’t break into your heart. You have to open the door. You can reach for Jesus in faith or keep doing life without Him. He won’t force Himself on you, but I’ll tell you with great certainty that one reason you are here today is because the Christ who left the tomb is reaching for you today.
If you won’t open the door to your heart, you are the one who is relegated to tomb life. Maybe it is a tomb of regret. Perhaps it is a tomb of bitterness and unforgiveness. It might be a tomb of anger or hopelessness. Maybe it is a tomb of sin that keeps you in a broken cycle. The only way to break out of your tomb is to accept that Jesus broke out of His, and to receive His forgiveness and power to do life differently.
Receive the Christ of the Cross, the Christ of the empty tomb. Receive forgiveness salvation. Receive resurrection and new life in Jesus today.
