From Matthew 27:62-66 / Trying to do the Impossible

There are two passages in the Gospels that I find truly humorous. The first, is John 12:10 “So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well.” It it weren’t so seriously tragic on the part of the priests, one would have to laugh hysterically. Like Lazarus could in any way possible be intimidated by the threat of death after having been raised after 4 days dead. The very thought of it is so ludicrous as to defy one’s imagination. “Ooooh” I can hear him saying when he heard it – “they’re going to kill me. I’m SO scared!” Pretty tough to worry a guy who spent 4 days in the grave, only to be resurrected by the mere word of his Savior.

The 2nd humorous passage, again for how utterly ludicrous it is – is this one before us.

Jesus is dead and buried. Ostensibly, the fear on the part of the chief priests (Sadduccees) and the Pharisees was that Jesus’ disciples would come and take His body out of the grave and then claim He had risen from the dead. Little did they know He would soon appear to more than 500 (1 Cor. 15:6) – and that, all at one time.

What made their fear and attempt to secure the tomb so foolish? The promises of Ps. 16:8-11, expounded by Peter on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:23-24 has Peter saying: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

Did you catch that last sentence? It was not POSSIBLE for Jesus to remain bound by death. It was not possible. And why can Peter make that claim? “For” vs. 25 begins – because, David has prophesied of Jesus hundreds of years earlier that The Father would not suffer the Son to “see corruption;” to succumb to the inevitable decay which attaches itself to every lifeless corpse. No, as David would say: “I saw the Lord always before me.”

So it is Peter in his Pentecost sermon unpacks the following elements of this astounding and prophetic Psalm.

Why was it impossible for the grave to hold Jesus?

a. Because Jesus was God. “I saw the Lord” (Ps. 16:8) “before me.” The incarnate body of Jesus could die, but He could not utterly die – He was and is – The Lord!

b. Because He must fulfill the prophecy. vss. 26-28 of the Psalm declare that the Father would NOT abandon Him in the grave, and would not let His body rot.

c. Because He was sinless. Though he could be killed, He could not die. Death has no final claim over one who is perfectly righteous. So vs. 27 declares that Jesus is “Your Holy One”.

Lastly, d. Because God had promised. So Peter would say in Acts 2:30 – that David, speaking as a prophet, and knowing that God had “sworn with an oath” that one of his descendents would sit on Israel’s throne, “foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ.”

Now because of all this, can I cite one more impossibility? It is simply this – I will not elaborate but leave it with you to sink in – especially if you are one who has somehow imagined your sin to be so great as though Christ’s blood is not sufficient for you: Rom. 5:20 “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

No one. No matter what they have done. And no matter how long they have done it, can make their sin greater than His grace.

If you would have salvation, come to Him today. He is the God of the impossible. As Jesus told the disciples upon their incredulity over the difficulty of a rich man inheriting heaven – “And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

And so it is for you too.