The Conspiracy of Powers

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb (Matthew 27:62-28:1 ESV).

In preparation for Easter I started thinking about this small story in Matthew 27. It's a small story with a big point. The previous day (Friday) the Pharisees have crucified Jesus. Joseph, a rich man and a disciple of Jesus, takes Jesus' dead body and buries it in his own tomb. The chief priests and Pharisees, however, cannot rest easy, despite the fact that the body is buried in Joseph's tomb. So, on the religious leaders-- those who claim to have the deepest respect for the law-- go out on the Sabbath and visit the Roman governor (an unclean gentile!). Clearly, the Pharisees are are still worried about the buried Jesus and his disciples. 

The Pharisees walk into the courtyard of Pilate and stand before him. Matthew writes that they addressed Pilate, "Sir" or "Lord". In Matthew's gospel, the title "Lord" is used mostly to refer to Jesus, who is called "Lord" (34 times the vocative "Lord" is used; seven are used in a generic sense, while the rest refer to Jesus or the Father). Here, the religious leaders further demonstrate their rejection of the their true "Lord" in favor of the Romans. It is a double act of treason-- an act of treason against God that is made more blatant by their betrayal of their own national identity. 

This story reveals the conspiracy of powers that is taking place. The gospel accounts are littered with stories that reveal the efforts of the Pharisees to silence Jesus. From the seashores of Galilee to the buzzing streets of Jerusalem, Jesus and the religious leaders exchanged blows. The Pharisees finally arranged for Jesus' death on a Roman cross. Yet, they were not satisfied that this had sealed their victory and so they approached Pilate, seeking a Roman guard to protect the tomb from any followers of Jesus who might attempt to make off with the crucified corpse. The Jewish leaders sought to silence the Jesus talk once and for all. 

The quest to thwart God's plan of redemption is depicted throughout the Gospels, "A major theme in both the infancy narratives and here (in Matthew 27-28) is the desire of God's enemies to thwart his will and the actions they undertake to stand against him" (Grant Osborne, Matthew: Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010], 1058).  In Matthew 2, earthly powers (namely, King Herod) sought to destroy Jesus, the King of the Jews; now, in Matthew 27, the Jewish leaders seek to kibosh the Jesus movement. They remembered Jesus' prophecy that he would die and rise in three days-- and while they did not believe it-- they sought to allow no grounds for anyone else to believe it either. 

Matthew's retelling of the story builds the tension. It is a showdown between the earthly powers, who all along had sought to silence Jesus, and the power of God to redeem humanity. Will anything happen on the third day? Will the disciples steal the body? Will the dead stay dead? Will nothing happen and Jesus, and all those who had followed him, be proven foolish? 

"All the earthly powers are working in concert to thwart the will of God," writes one commentator (Ibid., 1060), but surely all are put to shame. For Matthew provides us with the rest of the story: an angel descended, the earth quaked, the soldiers are trembled, the stone was rolled back, and the tomb was empty. Christ lives! He was risen! The power of death could not hold him and the powers of the earth could not silence him. God's power to save sinners-- to save us!--cannot be defeated, thwarted, or foiled. Hallelujah! The risen and victorious Christ Reigns!