04/04/2026
Lenten Devotion 4/4/26
Scott Oliver
Matthew 27:62-66
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Some of you are like me and old enough to remember the days before Netflix and streaming when everyone sat down to watch the same TV shows on the same night at the same time. At the end of a season, you would get ‘sweeps’ week where all of the best shows came to some dramatic conclusion that wrapped up the story arc of the season. Except some would trick you and leave it on a cliffhanger. The drama would peak, but before the conflict was resolved the show would end with “To be continued…” and you would have to wait until next season to see what happened.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, the story of Christ is built around the conflict of two kingdoms: what Matthew calls the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus takes as his mission to proclaim and acquaint his followers with, and the kingdoms of the world, for which his followers are already quite familiar. Keep in mind that the kingdoms of this world are led not by criminals and bandits who hang right alongside the King of Heaven, but by revered religious leaders, powerful rulers, strong armies, and ultimately by the devil, who is portrayed in Matthew as the one who can fulfill all of our greatest temptations.
In Matthew’s telling, today recalls the preparations for the climactic showdown. The true king has been eliminated, now faith in him must be quashed as well. On Saturday, the Jewish sabbath and day of rest, the religious leaders take all precautions to make sure there are no shenanigans by Jesus’ followers in the upcoming week. Pilate – who has previously seemed sympathetic towards Jesus, turning over his body for burial – is convinced to go along with this. The tomb is thus ordered to be sealed, guarded, and thoroughly protected against any possible deceptions that this ‘impostor’ king has risen again. TO BE CONTINUED…
That is where Lent leaves us and that is where the world leaves us. But stay tuned. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait all the way until next season. Just tune in tomorrow morning and decide for yourself which kingdom you will put your faith in.