Read: Matthew 27:62-66 and Isaiah 53:8-12

Here in Matthew 27:62-66, we see an interesting exchange between the Pharisees, the chief priests, and Pontius Pilate. As Jesus is in the tomb, they are fearful His disciples will steal the body and “fake” His resurrection. They ask Pilate for “a guard” which was around sixteen Roman soldiers to seal the tomb and keep watch. I find this interesting and ironic all on its own, since the Pharisees actually believed in a bodily resurrection (Acts 23:8). As interesting as that may be, the main point that stands out has to be the contrast between how the Jews revered Pilate and degraded Jesus. They address Pilate as “Sir” whereas Jesus, the one who willingly laid down His life and suffered a horrible death to save undeserving sinners, they refer to as a fraudulent imposter. Here are some questions that immediately come to mind: how could the religious leaders of God’s people get things so wrong? -AND- how do we get it right? We will definitely revisit these questions, but let’s look at our second scripture reading before we do.

Isaiah 53:8-12 is a known prophecy about the Messiah that was written 700 years before Jesus walked the earth. In this passage, God makes it very clear that everything is happening as it was foretold - the Messiah had to die and make atonement for our sins. He even gives us specific details regarding the Messiah, so we don’t get it wrong. “They made His (Jesus) grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,” (53:9). Jesus was crucified between two thieves who were wicked, and yet He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent rich man of that day. In verses 10-12, we are told that it was the Lord’s will that Jesus would be an offering for the guilt of our sin and suffer the death of a transgressor - in place of us - so that we would be counted righteous before God. These details were recorded centuries before they took place, and are so specific that they cannot be written off as mere circumstance or conjecture.

In light of how God painted such a clear picture of the Messiah, how could the religious leaders get it wrong? -AND- of equal importance, how can we avoid that mistake? First, they ignored God’s Word, and we must NEVER ignore God’s Word. Since the religious leaders devoted their lives to the study of scripture, we cannot conclude that they were unfamiliar with it. The logical explanation is they ignored what it said, and in doing so tried to keep Jesus in His grave. As for those of us who are born again believers in Jesus Christ, we should always seek to study, understand, and apply God’s word. We can avoid the mistake of the religious leaders in our own lives by choosing to NOT ignore what God’s Word says. In other words, we must listen and be obedient to it.

Prayer: Pray and ask God to show you an area of your life where you may be “trying to keep Jesus in the tomb” and willfully ignoring God’s Word. Confess to the Lord where you are struggling, and ask for prayer from a friend.

Reflection Questions:

Is there anyone or anything in your life you are placing above Jesus?
What do you think led the religious rulers to a place where their priorities were so misaligned?