Matthew 27:62-66

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. NKJV

The futility of human mind never ceases to amaze me, here is a group of who was who in Israel sitting together to conspire against somebody they had already condemned and actually killed. What kind of a malicious mind did these people have? Wasn’t killing Him enough for them? What brings up that kind of hatred?

It is only Satan who could have this kind of a dark, evil, malevolent heart. They were not contented with what they had already done but wanted to go an extra mile to ensure that nothing was ever said about Jesus Christ. I am sure that if it were in their power they could erase His memory from people’s minds. Well that was wishful thinking because as truthful as the Word of God is; every dot of the Word must come to pass.

Jealousy can drive a person to the extreme of humanity, there is no limit to the evil that a jealous heart can plot and execute. The chief priest priests and Pharisees were people with authority in the whole land of Israel yet they were not satisfied with what they had, they wanted more. Jesus was enabled by the Father to do everything He did, for He personally testified without power from the Father He could do nothing by himself and for this they hated Him.

This power was the cause of all the jealousy, envy and hatred that they had on Him to a point of ensuring that once buried He remained buried. They were trying (though unsuccessfully) to cover up their misdeeds by so that nothing left the tomb. They got their guard alright and there were sentries around the tomb around the clock.

They actually did everything in their power and according to their knowledge, well, everything was working according to their plans they had even manipulated the governor into their ploy, I know they should have felt contented with themselves. They had ensured that nobody and nothing in future could challenge their authority as Jesus had. However there were some details they had left about, they could alter anything because these were predicted events. They had to happen just the way they did without variation.

Actually their connivance was a waste of time because Jesus was to overcome the world and its systems so that true salvation could be possible to those who accepted Him. Meticulous planning of the chief priests and Pharisees not withstanding; Jesus had to rise in victory after having conquered death and by extension Satan. He had to overcome the power of the Hades and by so doing show us the way to live without fear of death. The Pharisees had heard Him say that He should and rise on the third day, so they thought that posting of guards could prevent that from happening.

After accomplishing their first deceit by moving the masses to reject Jesus and chose Barabbas, a vile murderer, seasoned criminal, they weren’t ready to rest on their laurels yet. They went ahead and bent the governor’s ear to waste his resources in guarding a tomb that would be opened when the time was right. No prompting was required it was just to happen.

By all standards they should have patted each other on the shoulder and congratulated one another after their first victory. But they were not contented with that so they planned ahead, they could not leave anything to chance, they had to be very thorough and meticulous in the every detail of their plans.

Their strategy was such that nothing remains about Jesus, they were good I grant them that but not as good as the Lord because He was on a mission that no principality could subvert. They tried to jump the gun by ensuring that nothing was left to chance, that His disciples could come and steal His body. Quite proactive I would say.

According to them they were dealing with a normal human being, an ordinary carpenter by profession nothing extraordinary about Him. Jesus knew about all this and He let them continue in their futile quest to suppress His work on earth, but on the contrary their actions were like they fanning a wild bush fire for the deeds of Jesus spread even further.

Those three days were the most important days to many for different reasons. To His disciples they were a culmination of the long awaited prophesy of salvation so they  waited with bated breath to see His words come true but some had their doubts and reservations about the whole thing, most probably because they had deserted Him at the time of need. Their guilt conscience was beginning to bite them.

To the Pharisees and chief priests it was an apprehensive moment, a fearful time perhaps because they didn’t know for sure who was right, them or Him. So in an effort to prevent a public spectacle of their actions they made tamperproof plans to safeguard their positions, very clever don’t you think? We know what He said before, that He will be raised from the dead; you know this is a worse crime than the first one.

The governor having been warned by his wife and knowing that they had done this out of jealousy, hatred and self preservation granted them every petition they presented to him but absolving himself from their actions. “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” These words coming from a person of authority means that he didn’t want anything to do with them

The governor knew very well that Jesus committed no crime per say but in an effort to accommodate them he became party to a conspiracy. Many political leaders behave like this also. In an effort to please and maintain status quo in exercising their authority so that they can continue to rule, they placate their subject to a point and Pontius Pilate was no exception.

He gave them a guard to do their bidding while again distancing himself from their actions, very clever of him too. The statement ‘make it secure as you know how’ leaves a lot of queries, he shows a carefree attitude. It could mean just do your things but don’t involve me; or it is up to you; it is none of my business or even worse I don’t want to know. Whatever he meant was not important, the Pharisees and the chief priests had their agenda and it was right on track, so nobody was interested in what the governor thought or did as long as he was on their side.

1 Corinthians 1:18- 20

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”  Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (NKJV)

Human scheming and planning is a vain exercise because God knows all there is to know about the way human hearts operate even before they know it. Nobody can fool Him whatsoever; the message that Jesus brought to the world seemed to be foolishness to them that are perishing, like the Pharisees. They depended on their own interpretation of the law which they exercised partially. Jesus spoke about it and hence the source of hatred and contention, He is on record calling them hypocrites.

It God’s intention to bring down all human arguments, reasoning and cleverness and  that’s why all the reasoning and the conniving of the Pharisees and chief priests was meant to fail no matter how cleverly they planned. They were doomed to failure from the word go but little did they know that all their planning was in vain.

Human wisdom is nothing before God, all the best laid plans by human standards is complete folly before God, despite their planning Jesus rose from the dead as prophesied. So then all human plans are a total waste of effort and time. The best way to live is to believe in the name of Jesus Christ so that you can live a Godly laid plans.

The Pharisees and the chief priests wanted to make their positions secure by covering up murder under the influence of Satan. They further wanted to suppress the truth by employing the use of armed guards. That is the same way Satan operates today in our lives, He shows you and me that you can do this or that and get away with it, nobody needs to know. In fact he supplies waterproof alibis for you, very handy and very convincing.

Devilish plans don’t go far, though one may get a break once or twice, he/she can be sure that one day, one time truth will catch up with them no matter how far they can run. The Pharisees did everything they could to ensure that the legacy of Jesus Christ never left the tomb but they miserably failed. Their own plan backfired on their faces leaving them with shame and disgrace.

The death of Jesus was a culmination of a process that was instituted by God Himself, so their back stabbing acts were an attempt in futility from the beginning. But because they were very sure of themselves they failed, God proved them foolish and incompetent from the beginning because were they doing their work properly they would have known that God was in control of the whole process.

When human beings are spiritually insensitive they struggle with many things and don’t let God guide their hearts even today. Such Christians undertake errands that are doomed to failure even before they are started. It is unfortunate that they don’t learn from the incidents in the Bible. Sometimes we plunge deep into futile acts without first pondering why God allowed some incidents to be recorded in the Bible. They are recorded for our sake so that we don’t allow ourselves to fall into such traps in future.

Planning, plotting, conspiring and conniving to thwart the will of God in itself are very dangerous things to attempt; no man can stop God’s plan from coming to pass. It is an exercise in total futility because God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts; His ways are higher than our ways. No number of guards could stop Jesus from being raised, this was a fact that the chief priests and Pharisees knew but overlooked because of their unbelief.

Prayer: Lord thank you for Your everlasting grace this day. You have given me the ability to know that no matter how much I plan, without Your approval everything is useless; it is an attempt in futility. Kindly help us all to include You in every plan in our lives that Your will be done and not ours. At all times God give a hearts that appreciates Your help in every area of our lives. Teach us to acknowledge Your mighty presence in all our undertakings. Thank you and May Your name be exalted above all names; it is in Your Holy name I pray and believe, Amen.

This devotional was written by Bishop Joseph Koburu Mukiira of Maximum Victory and Joy Worship Centre Nairobi, Kenya and brought to you courtesy of Journey 2 Joy International Ministries Inc. USA

©All rights reserved by Bishop Joseph Mukiira