Post by kencoolidge on Apr 4, 2010 11:24:09 GMT -5
Inspiration by E-Mail for the Week of April 4, 2010
AFRAID OF RESURRECTION LIFE
On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the
chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying,
"Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver
said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the
tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples
come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He
has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse
than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your
way, make it as secure as you know how." So they went and
made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the
guard. (Matthew 27:62-66)
Following the death of Jesus on the cross, religious leaders came
to Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor responsible for sending
Jesus to His death. When they came to Pilate, they carefully called
him "Sir." They gave Pilate a title of honor and respect. But the day
before these same religious leaders rejected the King of Kings.
They mocked and despised Him, putting Jesus to open shame, but
they honored Pilate.
Yet in a strange way, these religious leaders did something very
good. One could say that they remembered and believed the words
of Jesus more than the disciples did. They came to Pilate saying,
"We remember . . . how that deceiver said, 'After three days I
will rise'." Ironically, the enemies of Jesus remembered His
promise of resurrection better than His own disciples remembered.
Then the religious leaders said something curious. They said that
they were concerned "Lest His disciples come by night and
steal Him away." It seems very unlikely that they were afraid of the
disciples. They knew that the disciples were terrified and in hiding.
They knew they were almost all missing from the crucifixion scene.
Their intelligence sources and informants let them know the
disciples were terrified. It is much more reasonable to assume that
the religious leaders were actually afraid of the power of Jesus.
After all, look at their words. The claimed to be afraid that the
disciples would "Say to the people, 'He has risen from the
dead'." If that were to happen, the religious leaders had a very
effective response. All they needed to say to the disciples was,
"You say that Jesus is alive? So where is He? Where is your living
Jesus? Just shows us the supposedly living body of your risen
Lord!" They knew that it would prove nothing for the disciples to
steal the body of Jesus, because they could not present a dead
body and pretend it was alive. That would prove nothing. What they
were really afraid of was the resurrection power of Jesus.
It is sad that the religious leaders were afraid of the resurrection
power of Jesus. This is glorious power to change lives, both for now
and eternity. It's nothing to be afraid of; instead it is something to
embrace and receive. Strange to say, people today also find
reasons to be afraid of the resurrection power of Jesus. They fear it
will change their life in ways they don't want; they fear the loss of
some familiar things; they fear they will try it and it won't work. We
can learn from their mistake and believe that the resurrection power
of Jesus is nothing to be afraid of. We can receive it and embrace
it.
Yet we can say this about the religious leaders: at least they
believed the resurrection of Jesus was true. On Saturday morning,
the chief priests and the Pharisees preached a better resurrection
sermon than the disciples did. Now it's our turn to live and spread
the message of a resurrected Savior.
By David Guzik
For Bible Study resources by David Guzik, go to:
www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm
For David Guzik podcast, find the link at www.enduringword.com.
David's blog is found at inspbyemail.c.topica.com/maanUGHabXiGcaGi8R0b/
AFRAID OF RESURRECTION LIFE
On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the
chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying,
"Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver
said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the
tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples
come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He
has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse
than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your
way, make it as secure as you know how." So they went and
made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the
guard. (Matthew 27:62-66)
Following the death of Jesus on the cross, religious leaders came
to Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor responsible for sending
Jesus to His death. When they came to Pilate, they carefully called
him "Sir." They gave Pilate a title of honor and respect. But the day
before these same religious leaders rejected the King of Kings.
They mocked and despised Him, putting Jesus to open shame, but
they honored Pilate.
Yet in a strange way, these religious leaders did something very
good. One could say that they remembered and believed the words
of Jesus more than the disciples did. They came to Pilate saying,
"We remember . . . how that deceiver said, 'After three days I
will rise'." Ironically, the enemies of Jesus remembered His
promise of resurrection better than His own disciples remembered.
Then the religious leaders said something curious. They said that
they were concerned "Lest His disciples come by night and
steal Him away." It seems very unlikely that they were afraid of the
disciples. They knew that the disciples were terrified and in hiding.
They knew they were almost all missing from the crucifixion scene.
Their intelligence sources and informants let them know the
disciples were terrified. It is much more reasonable to assume that
the religious leaders were actually afraid of the power of Jesus.
After all, look at their words. The claimed to be afraid that the
disciples would "Say to the people, 'He has risen from the
dead'." If that were to happen, the religious leaders had a very
effective response. All they needed to say to the disciples was,
"You say that Jesus is alive? So where is He? Where is your living
Jesus? Just shows us the supposedly living body of your risen
Lord!" They knew that it would prove nothing for the disciples to
steal the body of Jesus, because they could not present a dead
body and pretend it was alive. That would prove nothing. What they
were really afraid of was the resurrection power of Jesus.
It is sad that the religious leaders were afraid of the resurrection
power of Jesus. This is glorious power to change lives, both for now
and eternity. It's nothing to be afraid of; instead it is something to
embrace and receive. Strange to say, people today also find
reasons to be afraid of the resurrection power of Jesus. They fear it
will change their life in ways they don't want; they fear the loss of
some familiar things; they fear they will try it and it won't work. We
can learn from their mistake and believe that the resurrection power
of Jesus is nothing to be afraid of. We can receive it and embrace
it.
Yet we can say this about the religious leaders: at least they
believed the resurrection of Jesus was true. On Saturday morning,
the chief priests and the Pharisees preached a better resurrection
sermon than the disciples did. Now it's our turn to live and spread
the message of a resurrected Savior.
By David Guzik
For Bible Study resources by David Guzik, go to:
www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm
For David Guzik podcast, find the link at www.enduringword.com.
David's blog is found at inspbyemail.c.topica.com/maanUGHabXiGcaGi8R0b/