The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Theme: "The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Text: Matthew 27:62-66

62. The next day, the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, 63. saying, "Lord, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64. Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by stealing him away and telling the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' This last deception would be worse than the first." 65. Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go and keep it as you see fit." 66. They went and sealed the tomb with the guard.

Let us remember:

At the moment when Jesus was in the process of overcoming death, while he had descended into the abyss to free those whom death had taken captive, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. They had a plan to keep Jesus in his tomb and prevent his resurrection. In fact, they wanted to prevent the disciples from stealing the body of their Lord and then claiming that he was not in the tomb. A sort of stratagem that would simulate the resurrection. The chief priests and the Pharisees were certain that Jesus was definitely dead. They told themselves that no one would speak of Him except in the past tense. They believed they had erased the Lord Jesus' passing from this world. However, in their own speech, they unwittingly announced his resurrection without realizing it. They put Pilate on the alert regarding the events previously announced by Jesus. Preparation Day is a specific Greco-Jewish term referring to the day before the Sabbath, the day on which the Sabbath meal was prepared. Thus, on the Sabbath, Jesus worked in the abode of the dead to save the captives from death. He was removing the sting of death. Living or dead, Jesus worked on the Sabbath. Pilate refused to give them a shift; he sent them away without satisfying them. This shows the bitter taste that remained with him the day before the crucifixion. Have a wonderful Saturday. Amen.

Alain Louz.-