Matthew 27:66 

New International Version (NIV)

So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

For Meditation

Vain! Vain! Vain! Nothing, but vain conceit! To think that a human can stop the sun from rising in the morning and setting at dusk is pure folly and vain conceit. But, that’s what we do every day by thinking we can stop or put on hold, the natural sequence of things as God has determined them.

Consider, for example, the amount of money the rich spend in efforts to stop them from aging. They pay huge sums of money to these celebrity doctors to subject them to some cruel treatment to firm and tone the body to look fresh and young. They may succeed in covering some wrinkles, but it’s all a charade – a camouflage to deceive and make them feel good about themselves. Expensive makeup artists take their turn to polish and put the shine on them to finish the Grand coverup. Like the ostrich, the rich client buries their head in the sand while the entire body announces their folly.

Their aging continues. The body continues to deteriorate. Organs begin to fail and shut down in their appointed times, and the grave opens its greedy mouth to placate its insatiable appetite. It is only a matter of time, and the Almighty proves to every human, rich or poor, that He gives life and He calls it back and places it where He determines by His own standard. That was the folly of the Jewish leaders in sealing the tomb to prevent the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:66).

In their terrified and confused minds, they went to Pilate and made their appeal for help.
“Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So, we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”” (63-64 NLT).

“Take guards and secure it the best you can,” Pilate said.

Thereafter came the most pathetic statement one can find in the Bible:

“So they sealed the tomb and posted guard to protect it” (66).

But, the third day came, and the tomb was empty (28:5-6)!

My dear reader, do not play games with Jesus. Listen to every word He has said and, hang your life on them. For, He is God and you can do nothing to change that by your argument. Things will happen according to what and how He has determined them. The earlier you surrender to Him, the better your future in eternity. As the psalmist says,

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth … Kiss his son, or he will be angry, and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:10-12).

It is your choice.

Shalom