Mat 27:65-66 | KingComments | STEP | The religious leaders continue to chase the Lord in their hatred, even now that He has died. In their folly, they also want to prevent His Name from continuing to live on. They want to wipe out any thought of Him. So they go to Pilate and ask for a guard at the grave. They also determine the duration of the guard: three days. They do so in response to what the Lord has said about His resurrection. They never listened to His word or accepted His works. Now they are afraid that what He said of His resurrection will be true. They remember this better than the women and His disciples. Unbelief does not trust itself. It distrusts everything because it fears that what it denies might be true. But their unabated unbelief and hatred are revealed in continuing to blaspheme Christ stubbornly and resolutely, calling Him “that deceiver”. The proposal that they make in the folly of their unbelief will become an additional proof for the resurrection of the Lord. Had there not been a guard, after His resurrection they could have spread the rumor that His disciples had stolen Him. Now that they have the grave secured, there will be witnesses that in any case His disciples did not come, but that a supernatural act, an act of God in power, has made Him come out of the grave. Their plans will be destroyed and God will use them to fulfil His plans. Pilate agreed to their request. He is a characterless man who satisfies everyone if he can prevent further harassment. Therefore, as with Joseph, he accepts the request here as well. The absurdity of their precautions will prove itself. Its effect will become an unequivocal testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Everything they do only makes them involuntary witnesses and gives us the certainty of the fulfilment of the fact they are so afraid of. They are a testimony against themselves and thus unintentionally bear witness to the truth of the resurrection. The precautions Pilate might not have taken, they push so far that any mistake about the fact of his resurrection is excluded.

‏ Matthew 27:65-66

The Guard at the Grave

The religious leaders continue to chase the Lord in their hatred, even now that He has died. In their folly, they also want to prevent His Name from continuing to live on. They want to wipe out any thought of Him. So they go to Pilate and ask for a guard at the grave. They also determine the duration of the guard: three days. They do so in response to what the Lord has said about His resurrection. They never listened to His word or accepted His works. Now they are afraid that what He said of His resurrection will be true. They remember this better than the women and His disciples. Unbelief does not trust itself. It distrusts everything because it fears that what it denies might be true. But their unabated unbelief and hatred are revealed in continuing to blaspheme Christ stubbornly and resolutely, calling Him “that deceiver”.

The proposal that they make in the folly of their unbelief will become an additional proof for the resurrection of the Lord. Had there not been a guard, after His resurrection they could have spread the rumor that His disciples had stolen Him. Now that they have the grave secured, there will be witnesses that in any case His disciples did not come, but that a supernatural act, an act of God in power, has made Him come out of the grave. Their plans will be destroyed and God will use them to fulfil His plans.

Pilate agreed to their request. He is a characterless man who satisfies everyone if he can prevent further harassment. Therefore, as with Joseph, he accepts the request here as well.

The absurdity of their precautions will prove itself. Its effect will become an unequivocal testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Everything they do only makes them involuntary witnesses and gives us the certainty of the fulfilment of the fact they are so afraid of. They are a testimony against themselves and thus unintentionally bear witness to the truth of the resurrection. The precautions Pilate might not have taken, they push so far that any mistake about the fact of his resurrection is excluded.