“So they
made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting a guard.” (Matthew 27:66)
The death
of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. It is recorded in all the gospels that
His body was given to Joseph of Arimathea by Pilate the very evening of His
death. Joseph then wrapped the body of Jesus in clean linen cloth, and laid it
in his new tomb, which he had hewn of a rock, and a large stone was rolled
against the door of the tomb.
On the next
day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate asking that a guard be set
at the tomb of Jesus to secure it against His disciples coming by night to
steal the body away and say to the people, “He has risen from the dead”
(Matthew 27:64). Pilate responded, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as
secure as you know how” (Matthew 27:65) “So they made
the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting a guard.”
These are
the facts and they are undisputable. They include real people in history, real
places, and real events. Jesus lived, He died by Roman Crucifixion, He was
placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, His body was sealed inside the tomb,
and a large stone was rolled against the door and a guard was set day and night
for three days.
Then after
the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary came to the tomb. It had now been three days and His true identity
was about to be revealed.
The Truth: Then Jesus
said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
(John 2:19)
