They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while He was still alive: 'After three days I will rise from the dead.' So, we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent His disciples from coming and stealing His body and then telling everyone He was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first." Matthew 27:63-64
Did you know that the darkest day of the year is December 21? It is known as Winter Solstice. Each fall, the days become gradually and gradually darker, all leading up to December 21, which is when darkness reaches its climax. The day that Jesus died on the cross, which was a Friday, and the following day, a Saturday, must have felt a little bit like winter solstice, but not because it was physically very dark outside. You see, Jesus, the Light of the world, the King of Kings, and the Hope for humanity had been killed. Indeed, these were dark days.
Matthew 27 recounts the events unfolding just after Jesus' death and burial. After Jesus' body was placed in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, leading religious leaders of Jesus' day went to Pilate, the governor at the time. They came to him, requesting that the stone covering the entrance of Jesus' tomb be sealed. You see, they knew that Jesus claimed that He would rise again on the third day after His death, and they did not want any of His followers to sneak in the tomb and steal His body, claiming that He had risen from the dead. Pilate granted their request and told them to appoint guards to guard the tomb to be sure no one snuck in. With Pilate's approval, the religious leaders jumped into action. The tomb was guarded and sealed.
Soon after Jesus was buried, Saturday began. Saturdays were considered holy days to Jewish people, where they did no physical work. They took time to rest and be with God and their loved ones. Because of this, it is likely that no one was at Jesus' tomb on that Saturday. It was as if time stood still, and heaven held its breath. This day, I believe, was the darkest day in history. Jesus had been buried. All hope seemed lost.
Maybe today seems dark to you and all hope seemed lost. Maybe the news seems to have more and more bad news. Maybe things today seem as dark as they could possibly be. My friend, I have hope for you. Light is coming. Even in our darkest days, there is hope. Immediately following the Saturday after Jesus' death was what we now call Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the grave, the brightest and most hopeful day in the entire world. There is hope, my friend. Even on your darkest day, light is on its way.
Often, in our darkness, there are a few streaks of light we can find if we simply look for them. For example, on the day that Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea was given permission by Pilate to take Jesus' body and bury it. What dark situation are you facing today? Take a few moments and make a list of the streaks of light you see, even in the bleak darkness.
Read Matthew 27:57-65 (NLT)
As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.”
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