Hey, soldiers…

Monday 5-11-15  (Esquel, Argentina)

Scripture reading:     2 Sam 19-20      Ps 55     Matt 28

S.  Matt 27:63-64  They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will be raised from the dead.'  So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day.  NLT

O.  The scriptures mention several times that the Lord Jesus explained to his disciples about His coming death and resurrection, but in each one of these times they seemed unwilling to accept these facts or so confused that they could not understand.  However, here are some of Jesus’ enemies that did understand what He had said about His resurrection on the third day and they were going to make sure that the disciples weren’t going to fake a resurrection.  So the tomb was officially sealed and guards are set up until after three days.

A.  I am a teenage kid riding my bike alongside the group of guards marching on their way to the tomb.  “Hey, boys, I hear you powerful, well trained soldiers are being ordered to guard the tomb of a dead man.  Do you think you can handle that?  Who knows?  That dead man might just jump up and get you.  Didn’t you and everybody else see Him die?  Didn’t you run a spear deep into His dead body to prove he was dead?  Hey folks!  Look what these powerful Roman troops are going to be doing the next three days.  They are carrying their best weapons to protect themselves from a dead man!”  

These guys had to be embarrassed to be ordered to do such a task.  And worse still, the third day they run… slinking back to their leaders, still shaking, with the story of a bright angel that left them trembling with fear.  “Let’s just tell everyone that we all went to sleep and his disciples broke in a stole his body.”

P.   Lord, they had You covered.  They had Your dead body trapped behind a big stone and sealed with the Roman seal.  The cave did not have a back door.  As far as Rome was concerned You were finished.  But rumors were going around that You were going to rise again the third day.  And when that shining angel appeared Rome trembled and the earth shook.  That did it!  The guards ran like scared mice.  I wonder what it will be like when You return to earth.  Today we have all kinds of props; lights, sound, laser… but we haven’t learned how to shake the earth yet.  You are certain to surprise us with a majestic return.  I can’t wait!  Amen.

Ralph