Restraining Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

RESTRAINING JESUS

Matt 27:62-66

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

NIV

Like a seal is going to stop God! who did these Jews think they were? Did they really believe that putting a seal on the stone, and having a couple of guards at the tomb is going to keep God from doing that which He is going to do? However, what makes the matter even worse is they refer to Jesus as the deceiver, when all the while, they are the ones who are deceiving the people of Israel with their hypocrisy. They live within their self-built façade appearing righteous and religious while living as dead men within, which Jesus called them out as white-washed tombs. Their lack of faith or need for self-preservation as the spiritual leaders of Israel was their motivation to attempt to keep the body of Jesus in the tomb. It is a shame men cannot accept Jesus for who he is, or perhaps they knew who Jesus really was and they not only refuse to accept him but felt they had more power than the God they professed to believe in. We think times have not changed much in the minds of men. There are plenty of people today who think they have more power than God, and they may or may not profess that He exists. They believe they can control the environment as those Jews felt they could control the tomb. However, those would be what we call the world or the non-believer, and what we wonder is do we in some way try to restrain Jesus. Do we look too much or depend too heavily on self-reliance? Do we think we can do better than Jesus can? That is do we really trust him to direct the path of our lives? That is to say, are we wanting to make most or even all the choices, or decisions as to how we live, where we work, which church we attend, our plans for the future, or any other things we feel we want to do? Do we do what we think looks good as being a Christian, or are we waiting for the Spirit to lead us into all truth? Are we listening for that small still voice directing our path, or our footsteps? Then when we hear, and we will if we are listening, do we follow His directions? We must conclude attempting to restrain Jesus is an exercise in futility, as the Jews found out on the third day. No matter how hard men try, we are but men who have been created by God. We pray, “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”, and yet do we still try to do our will instead? Let us not attempt those thoughts, it would be futile, let us not ever try to restrain Jesus.