Asleep on the Job?

The Roman soldiers wanted the week to be over. Crowds had poured into Jerusalem to celebrate their Passover and it had been a mess.

The Jewish leaders were upset with one of their own called Jesus of Nazareth. They had even gone so far as to approach Pilate to put the man to death. After several tries, they finally convinced Pilate to crucify the man. Jesus had been one of the Jews they had crucified on Friday. Now maybe things would settle down in Jerusalem.

But now the Jewish leaders were complaining again. They insisted that Pilate place guards around the tomb of the dead man. Pilate agreed. The soldiers were ordered to secure the tomb.

When they arrived at the location of the tomb, the soldiers saw the massive stone that covered the entrance. They melted wax between the wall of the tomb and the stone and pressed Pilate’s seal into it to leave an impression. This unbroken seal would prove than no one had opened the tomb to steal the man’s body.

The Romans kept watch . . .  guarding a dead man.

On the morning of the first day of the week, the light of dawn streaked the sky. The soldiers heard someone approach. They tensed and prepared to fight, but relaxed when they saw some Jewish women approach the tomb.

 Then they heard the low rumble of an earthquake.

The next thing they knew, a figure descended from heaven. They knew it was an angel. The angel’s face was like lightening. His clothes were as white as snow. The angel touched the massive round stone covering the door of the tomb and rolled the huge stone away. Then the angel sat upon the stone.

Fear shot through the soldiers.

They couldn’t understand and stood there as if frozen.

Then they heard the angel speak. Not to them, but to the women.  

The angel said,

“Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:5-6

The soldiers knew they had been guarding the tomb and no one had opened the tomb. That is until the angel opened it.

And the tomb was empty. The dead body of Jesus was gone.

But they knew no one had stolen the body. Jesus had risen from the dead.

They were called in to explain what had happened. They told the Jewish leaders that Jesus had risen from the dead. But the leaders would not accept it.

They gave the soldiers money and told them to claim that while they slept, Jesus’s disciples stole His body.

Everyone knew that no Roman soldier would sleep on the job or they would be killed. But the Jewish leaders promised they would protect them. Then began to circulate the lie around Jerusalem that the body of Jesus was stolen.

But the soldiers knew the truth. Jesus had risen from the dead. They had seen the proof with their own eyes. And heard the truth from the mouth of an angel.

They didn’t understand it, but they knew the truth.

Carla Killough McClafferty