Three verses are all we have, Biblically speaking, of the account of this day—Holy Saturday. But these few simple verses make for the best resurrection sermon we could ever hope for! Jesus' work is finished. He rests peacefully. His enemies, however, cannot. Driven by fear of Christ's promised resurrection, they break their own Sabbath laws in a pride-fueled, futile attempt to make sure Jesus' body stays in the tomb.
Did the Pharisees really think Christ's disciples would try to steal His body? Judas had already hung himself. Peter fled in shame after his threefold denial of Jesus. Only one young disciple, Jesus' mother, and a few other women had the courage to accompany Him to the cross. The rest were in hiding, an act of disassociation from their murdered Messiah. They cowered in terror of meeting a similar fate. Surely these men were no threat, especially against a heavily armed, cold-blooded Roman guard.
And yet the entrance of the tomb is covered with a heavy stone, impossible to remove from the inside, and requiring a number of strong men to push into place. The tomb is sealed by placing a rope across the width of the stone, and securing it on either side with two globs of wax bearing the seal of Rome. To break a Roman seal was considered subversion of authority, and bore the penalty of death.
A guard is also placed at the entrance to the tomb. This unit of soldiers was outfitted with weapons and armor, and under strict orders. If a Roman soldier was caught sleeping or failed to guard his post, he and the entire company with him were beaten and executed. These trained killers were motivated for their very lives, and had nothing to fear from a group of backwoods fishermen.
Satan's tactics have not changed much. He still attempts to deny and cloud the truth of the resurrection. He rolls the stone of pride, materialism, and self-sufficiency in front of our hearts. He deters us with human-based authority—evolution, atheism, vain philosophies. He frightens us with men's strength through the threat of slander and persecution.
But for all the efforts of the world—the stone, the seal, and the strength of men—tomorrow the tomb will be found empty. The Pharisees' plot only served to prove the reality of the resurrection! And in the face of their utter failure the only recourse they had was to buy off the guards and the governor, and spread a hastily constructed and very implausible lie (Matt. 28:12–15).
Every obstacle falls away before the power of the resurrected Jesus! Material obstructions cannot stand before Him; human authority does not hinder Him; the strength of men does not dissuade Him! We must all confront the empty tomb and the wave of transformed lives in its wake.
The still silence of Saturday will be broken by the violent rumbling of the earth. The darkness of the tomb dispelled by the brilliance of the angels. The seal will be broken, the stone rolled away, and those glorious words spoken: "He is not here; He has risen!" (Lk. 24:6).