Secure The Tomb

Matthew 27:62-65 (NLT)

⁶²The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. ⁶³They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ ⁶⁴So 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.”

A Step Further: The Disciples, A Seemingly Silent Saturday, and Hope

If you’re waiting on God, today can be a symbol of hope. Typically when we’re waiting, we grow impatient and discouraged. We wonder if God is truly hearing us, if He cares, and if He’ll answer.

Can you imagine what it was like to be one of Jesus’ disciples on Saturday?

They were scattered, hiding, afraid they would be arrested and hung on a cross like Jesus.

Their leader and friend was gone.

Grief, fear, and self-preservation were intermingled.

Ironically, while the disciples seemingly lost faith in Jesus’ promise, the Pharisees didn’t and made sure Jesus’ tomb was shut so nobody could come and go (Matthew 27:62-65).

Jesus was true to His promise – He rose from the dead on the third day. We confidently say today, “Sunday’s coming!” because we have the luxury of knowledge. But for the disciples, it didn’t seem like a reality on Saturday.

Even after Jesus sent Mary and the other women to tell the disciples He was alive, they still didn’t believe. Jesus rebuked them for hardening their heart and not believing (Mark 16:14).

Saturday sounded silent, but it wasn’t.

While the disciples were in their own world, all of Heaven was working.

Maybe right now for you, you don’t have the knowledge of “Sunday” yet, so you’re sitting in the middle of “Saturday.” You ride a wave of hopeful expectation, then crash into grief, despair, disbelief, and fear God won’t come through.

Maybe God’s sent some friends to encourage you and remind you He’s present with you, but you’ve rejected their word like the disciples rejected the word of the women.

Psalm 27:14 reminds us to “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” In waiting, we are to be courageous, eyes ahead, trusting, and fully confident in the Lord.

The waiting is *our* Saturday. It’s our time to know what our faith is made of.

Is it made of only the things we can see?

Is it made of hopeful expectation?

Is it made of patience, belief, and trust that God is working?

Or is it made of disillusionment, self-preservation, and impatience?

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1

Sunday is coming!

BONUS: Some thought questions…

Why would God bring the thing you’re hoping for if you don’t believe He’ll bring it?
Do you want God? Or do you want what you’re hoping He’ll bring you?
Can you say, “Your will be done, not mine” in regards to this area?

⁶⁵Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.”

← Revisit the last moment

Meet The Tour Guides

John Lawhon

There’s no pretense with John. He’s the real deal: a “girl dad,” pickleball champ, and he loves making the Bible easy and accessible. Listen to John weekdays on BRIGHT-FM Mornings with John & Tiffanie.

BRIGHT-FM Mornings

Meet The Tour Guides

Pat Linnell

It’s Pat’s 20+ years in pastoral ministry that sparked Grace Bomb: a movement of no-strings-attached acts of love inspired by Jesus (it’s as fun as it sounds!). As a pastor and author, he’s passionate about putting that kind of love into action.

Learn about Grace Bomb

^{A Step Further written by Erin Branham. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.}

Secure The Tomb

BONUS: Some thought questions…

In partnership with