It’s Friday evening, and Jesus has just died. Even though it was typical for the bodies of those who had been crucified to hang on the cross to decompose, a further act of humiliation and degradation, Jesus’ body was given to Joseph of Arimathea to bury. What a bold follower of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea was. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Matthew 27:58 says that Pilate ordered it be given to him. Joseph, a wealthy man, took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, carried the dead Jesus to his own tomb, giving up his own burial plot, and laid Jesus in it. A great stone was rolled across the entrance of the tomb. I want to pick up the story in Matthew 27:62 and read on from there:
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.
“Make it as secure as you can.” The chief priests and the Pharisees were still conspiring against Jesus even after His death. I would submit to you that they weren’t really afraid His disciples would come and steal His body and fabricate that He had risen from the dead. Oh, that’s what they said, but I believe they made that part up so that they could get a security squad to guard the tomb. Just speculation on my part, but track with me.
The disciples had presented NO evidence that they were a threat or that they had the boldness to pull off any theft and Resurrection hoax. First of all, they had almost all scattered. John is the only disciple mentioned to have been present at the crucifixion. If they didn’t have the courage to stick around and watch Jesus’ execution for fear of what might happen to them next, how would they have the bravery to regroup and strategize about how to rob His grave, a grave that was guarded by four soldiers? Even if they could have stolen Jesus’ body, how would they have convinced anyone that He was alive when He wasn’t? I mean, if the religious leaders thought that the disciples’ plan was to cart off a dead Jesus and then proclaim that He was alive, don’t you think people would want to see Jesus up and walking?
I seriously doubt the religious leaders thought the disciples had the capacity to pull off such a stunt. They just said that to rile Pilate up to create the necessity for armed guards at Jesus’ tomb. What I think is much more plausible, and is supported by the text, is that they, the religious leaders, were actually convinced that the Resurrection was a real threat. The text says that they quoted Jesus’ own words about what would happen after His execution. Jesus had said He would rise from the dead. No, they weren’t worried about what the disciples might be capable of. They were nervous because they knew what Jesus was capable of, and He had never failed to do what He had promised. The religious leaders made it about a possible grave robbery, when in reality it was simply about Jesus own promise to return to life.
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?
The religious leaders, enemies of Jesus, were right to be vigilant because of Jesus’ words because Jesus will always have the last word! He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last! It isn’t over until He says it’s over, and He made it clear before His crucifixion that He would die and would be raised to life again. The Resurrection was part of the plan before the events of the crucifixion ever unfolded.
So, what was done 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. Interestingly, when I looked up another word for “ensure,” the phrase, “to set the seal on” came up. The seal wasn’t a lid or covering like the seal of a plastic container you use for leftovers, but it was a governmental seal. It was a symbol of human authority. You see 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.
Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes! He arose a Victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose.
Why were the religious leaders so afraid of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Why did they want to do everything possible, humanly speaking, to prohibit the Resurrection? Jesus threatened their earthly kingdoms, their positions and power, their way of life, one based on oppression and control of others. Jesus had exposed the veneer of the religious leaders, revealing their hypocritical and self-righteous hearts. They resisted Jesus’ authority and His meddling with the religious status quo. They had fallen for Satan’s schemes and had twisted the Word of God to keep people in spiritual darkness.
The Bible tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, I John 3:8. Satan is the one who seeks to do everything he can to keep Jesus entombed, to keep Jesus shut out of people’s lives. At His death on the Cross, as the judgment for the sins of humanity was placed on Him, Jesus overcame the obstacle that sin creates between humanity and God. He made a way for our sin to be forever paid for, and for us, who should be condemned by God, to be free of the condemnation of sin. When He did, he defeated Satan and sealed his fate forever. Satan could no longer hold our sin against us, shaming or condemning us because for those who have placed their trust in Christ, our sin is under Christ’s blood, and we have been washed clean.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant the work of redemption was complete. What went sideways in the Garden of Eden with the first two people, Adam and Eve, who chose to take Satan’s advice and ignore God’s commands and govern themselves, and who sinned against God, bringing death and destruction on all of humanity…that was righted when Jesus took His last breath. The curse of sin was overturned for all who would place their trust in Jesus, the One who was made a curse in our place. So, the Cross became the place of redemption for all of humanity. It was the place where sin lost its ability to keep us from intimate fellowship with God. Our debt to God was cancelled as Jesus died in our place, paying our sin-debt on the Cross.
But for the Cross to make any difference in our lives, we have to apply what Jesus did on the Cross for us in a personal way. We have to receive salvation. We receive it by grace through faith, through our declaration that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, through the confession of our sin, by asking for forgiveness and by faith that His sacrificial death covers us, and by our dependance upon Christ for the forgiveness we need going forward. We have to open our heart to the work Jesus did on the Cross. We receive Jesus into our hearts and then, with His help, we begin to live in honor of the sacrifice He made for us. He died for us. We live for Him.
While the Cross speaks about the righteousness of Christ’s sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sin, the Resurrection, speaks about the freedom and new life in Christ that God wants us to enjoy. The Cross says I am forgiven. The Resurrection says I am free! Our sin was paid for on Calvary, but it is the Resurrection that becomes the application of that redemption. The Resurrection is proof that Christ’s sacrifice was acceptable to God, that He has secured eternal life for us, and it becomes the doorway through which each day can hold Resurrection Power for us.
We also, however, have to seek to apply the Resurrection in a personal way. God is for us. He not only died for us, but He rose for us. He wants us to live in the power of the Resurrection. He doesn’t want us shrouded in depression, discouragement, and despair. He doesn’t want us entombed by anger, addiction, anxiety and fear. He doesn’t want us at odds with ourselves and others. He doesn’t want us limited by our failure or by the pain caused to us by other people. Yes, God wants you to have eternal life by having your sins forgiven, but He also wants you to be able to have abundant life as you live free and victorious by His resurrection power. Every enemy in your life can be defeated by the Resurrection power of Christ.
Christ’s followers not only have Jesus as an example to follow, but we have Jesus alive on the inside of us, to lead, guide and empower us. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of His followers, Ephesians 1:18-20, but you have to want to experience it. You have to want resurrection power. You have to want newness of life with Jesus. You don’t get Resurrection power to do life your way. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve did their own thing apart from God. You get Resurrection power to do life God’s way. Romans 6:4 puts it well: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Resurrection life is filled with power to live a supernatural life with Christ. It is a life that will help us overcome Satan and all he tries to use to destroy us and to sabotage God’s best for us.
Like I said, you have to want a personal encounter with the power of God on the inside of your being. Paul said in Philippians 3:10 that he wanted to know God in the power of His resurrection. Paul not only believed in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but He believed that because of it, Divine power was available to him to live a life of victory no matter what.
Christ didn’t die just to get us to Heaven, but He died to give us victory in every circumstance. The Resurrection reminds us that no matter what we face, victory is ours in Christ. We need both the Cross and the Empty Tomb to be applied to our hearts in a personal way.
I have a couple of questions for you. Have your sins been forgiven? That’s the power of the Cross. Are you living with hope, peace, and joy? Do you have daily victory? That is the power of 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 has sent me to tell you 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.
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