March 24th
JESUS’ FINAL WEEK
Action: Here we see Satan’s attempt to hinder God’s purpose totally backfiring. It was highly unusual for Jewish religious leaders to meet with a pagan secular ruler, let alone on a Sabbath, and this was a high Sabbath. Pharisees and their opponents the Sadducees joined forces and violated their own Sabbath laws in their hatred for Christ, whose name they refused to utter.
They were not trying to keep Jesus' body in (they didn't believe he would come back to life), but they wanted to keep anyone else out so that no one could remove the body and claim the hoax that Jesus had risen. This was highly unlikely because the disciples had disbelieved Jesus' words about resurrection (Mark 9:10,32; John 20:9). His enemies would certainly not steal his body for that would give support to a resurrection.
A Roman guard was a sixteen-man unit, each soldier was responsible for six square feet of space. If one of them fell asleep, he was executed, along with the other 15 of his unit. On top of this, the tomb was made secure by stringing a cord across the entrance stone. The cord was sealed at each end with clay wax.
Application: The purpose of the Jewish leaders was to prevent a hoax. But the Lord’s overriding purpose was to use their strategy to prove the reality of Jesus' resurrection. They ensured the impossibility of robbing the tomb by human means to claim a resurrection, making supernatural intervention the only option.
JESUS’ FINAL WEEK
SATURDAY – Tomb Secured
SATURDAY – Tomb Secured
So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.
Matthew 27:64, New International Version
Matthew 27:64, New International Version
Action: Here we see Satan’s attempt to hinder God’s purpose totally backfiring. It was highly unusual for Jewish religious leaders to meet with a pagan secular ruler, let alone on a Sabbath, and this was a high Sabbath. Pharisees and their opponents the Sadducees joined forces and violated their own Sabbath laws in their hatred for Christ, whose name they refused to utter.
They were not trying to keep Jesus' body in (they didn't believe he would come back to life), but they wanted to keep anyone else out so that no one could remove the body and claim the hoax that Jesus had risen. This was highly unlikely because the disciples had disbelieved Jesus' words about resurrection (Mark 9:10,32; John 20:9). His enemies would certainly not steal his body for that would give support to a resurrection.
A Roman guard was a sixteen-man unit, each soldier was responsible for six square feet of space. If one of them fell asleep, he was executed, along with the other 15 of his unit. On top of this, the tomb was made secure by stringing a cord across the entrance stone. The cord was sealed at each end with clay wax.
Application: The purpose of the Jewish leaders was to prevent a hoax. But the Lord’s overriding purpose was to use their strategy to prove the reality of Jesus' resurrection. They ensured the impossibility of robbing the tomb by human means to claim a resurrection, making supernatural intervention the only option.
____________________________
Like His Father, Jesus worked, then rested on the Sabbath to rise on the eighth day.
Like His Father, Jesus worked, then rested on the Sabbath to rise on the eighth day.
