“Make It As Sure As You Can” (Ready to Worship S9E1)

January 18, 2019

Ready to Worship Season 9, Episode 1 for Friday, January 18, 2019

On this season of Ready to Worship we are examining the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is the single, greatest event in human history. Contemplating this event cannot help but improve our worship. Matthew records an interesting exchange that took place between the chief priests, the Pharisees, and Pilate. We read, “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Mt. 27:62-66).Concerned with Jesus’ disciples stealing His body and claiming that He had been raised, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate requesting his help in making the tomb sure. Pilate cooperated with them and told them to make the tomb as sure as they could. They then sealed the tomb and posted guards. They were confident that the body of Jesus wasn’t going anywhere. After three days, they could open the tomb and prove that Jesús was a deceiver simply by showing His body. Peter called them out on this on the day of Pentecost by pointing out that the tomb of Jesus was empty (Acts 2:24-32). The Jewish leaders couldn’t produce Jesus’ body! Their evidence that He was a deceiver had disappeared. God had given man, including the Jewish leaders, the sure mercies of David (Acts 13:24). Trying to deny Jesus’ resurrection, the Jewish leaders had actually confirmed it. Their actions in sealing and guarding the tomb made sure that it couldn’t have happened the way that they would later claimed that it did (Mt. 28:11-15). As we get ready to worship this week, we are not gathering to remember a corpse that was stolen; but rather, the Christ that was raised. Of this truth, we can be sure.