Resurrection! The most remarkable miracle in all history happened when Jesus, by His own power, was resurrected from the dead! On that first Sunday after His crucifixion, Jesus came out of the tomb in resurrection power. God, in human form, came back to life in order to provide redemption for all mankind. It all happened that first Easter morning. In Matthew 28, God’s Word records some of the things that happened at the tomb when the stone was rolled away by the angels. The Roman seal was broken, and the stone was rolled back, not so that Jesus could get out, but that the disciples could look in and see an empty grave.
It is interesting to note the role the Roman soldiers played in this resurrection story. According to Matthew 27:62-66, the Jewish religious leaders went to Pilate on the Sabbath Day and demanded that guards be placed at the burial spot of Jesus. They had heard rumors about some sort of resurrection. They knew what had happened with Lazarus. The soldiers were there to guard the tomb and make sure no one messed with the sepulcher. But when the angels appeared and the earthquake happened, the Roman soldiers were petrified. In fact, when they saw the supernatural angelic beings, Ch. 28:4 says, and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. It is interesting that the term earthquake (vs. 2), is the Greek word seismos from which we get the word seismograph. When it says in vs. 4, the keepers did shake, it’s the same Greek word seismos. In other words, the soldiers experienced their own mini earthquake. The Roman soldiers were actively involved in the plot to cover up the possibility of the resurrection.
While Jesus was on the cross, religious mockers taunted Him to come down off the cross and said that then they would believe Him. Yet, they had heard the rumors that the disciples had said that Jesus might rise from the dead. It is even possible that as Mary made her way to tell the disciples that she had seen the resurrected Lord, these soldiers were reporting their account of what happened at the tomb to the Jewish leaders. It is quite likely that after the disciples, the very people to hear about the resurrection were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Imagine their reaction to this remarkable news.
As you reflect on this passage, answer the following questions:
- What did the chief priests do upon hearing the soldier’s report?
- What was the concern of the Roman guards if the word was told that they had fallen asleep on their watch?
- How did the Jewish leaders ensure that the members of the watch would commit to telling the lie about Jesus’ resurrection?
- Why did the soldiers go along with this charade? (Ch. 28:11-15).
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