Matthew 27:62Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see how, against their own intentions, they end up advocating the truth? Reflect on how the disciples also uphold the truth, openly sharing everything said by their opponents, even if it casts them in a negative light. They accuse Him of deception, yet the disciples do not hide this fact. This reveals both the malice of the enemies, who continued their fury even after His death, and the sincerity and honesty of the disciples.

We should also analyze where He said, "After three days I will rise." You will find no clearer mention of this than in the case of Jonah. The wicked Jews knew this and understood His words, yet willfully acted wrongly. Do you see how they struggle against their own intentions to reveal the truth? They approached, they requested, they sealed the tomb with a guard, thereby becoming their own accusators and reproachers. Indeed, when could the disciples have stolen His body? On the Sabbath? And how could they have possibly done so? They were prohibited from venturing out on that day. If they had broken the law, how could these fearful men have dared to step outside? How could they have persuaded the people? What could they say or do? What jealousy motivated them to defend a dead man? What reward or honor did they seek? When He was alive and apprehended, they scattered; after His death, do you think they would have risked standing up for Him if He had not truly risen?

It’s clear they were not seeking to fabricate an extraordinary resurrection. Time and again He spoke of it, continually declaring, as His enemies noted, "I will rise after three days." Therefore, if He had not risen, it is evident that they, deceived and persecuted, having lost their homes and communities, would have abandoned Him. They would not have sought to propagate His name if they believed they were deceived by Him, especially as they endured immense trials because of Him. Moreover, they could not have concocted the narrative of resurrection if it hadn’t genuinely occurred. What could they expect? Did they hold power in their words? Yet they were uneducated men. Did they possess riches? They had neither staff nor shoes. What about noble birth? They came from humble beginnings. And were they numerous? Fewer than twelve, scattered in disarray. Could they rely on the promises of the Master? But what promises would they trust if He had not risen, rendering the others untrustworthy? How could they quell the uproar of the crowds? The leaders among them couldn’t withstand even the words of a servant, and as they witnessed His binding, they fled—how could they then venture to the ends of the earth, proclaiming a fictitious resurrection? If one of them was swayed by a minor threat, and others faltered under visible restraints, how could they confront rulers, princes, or nations, facing death in its myriad forms, if not buoyed by the power and assistance of the Risen One?

Significant miracles were performed, and yet the Jews remained unashamed, crucifying Him who had created them. Would mere words from the disciples have swayed anyone regarding the resurrection? Absolutely not! It was through the power of the Risen One that all of this unfolded. Witness how ludicrous their plots are! They assert, "I will rise again after three days," yet deride Him as a flatterer for this claim. But if He was a deceiver proclaiming falsehoods, why are they scared and in turmoil? Their fear is rooted in concern that the disciples would steal Him and mislead the crowds. Yet, it has been demonstrated that this could not happen. Still, their malice persists shamelessly, attempting even the most absurd actions. They commanded guards to watch the tomb for three days, as if to bolster their doctrine and suggest He was a deceiver, even in the grave.

This is precisely why He rose early, to prevent the claim that He had been a liar whose body was stolen. It would have been impossible to accuse Him of rising quickly; delaying would have raised suspicion. If He had risen when they were not guarding the tomb, they might have fabricated something against it. Thus, the resurrection needed to occur while they sat there watching. It had to happen within three days, because if it were after that, when the guards had left, it may have cast doubt. Therefore, the Lord permitted the tomb to be sealed as they wished and allowed soldiers to remain with it. They disregarded the labor they incurred on the Sabbath, focusing solely on how to excel in their wickedness. This was the peak of their madness and fear! Those who had seized Him alive now trembled before Him in death. Had He been merely human, they would have remained unperturbed. Yet, to demonstrate that He willingly endured all He faced, consider the seal, the stone, and the guards—none of which could restrain a lifeless body! Their actions only ensured that the burial was well known and further strengthened the credibility of His resurrection, as both guards remained vigilantly at the tomb and the Jews kept watch.

One might inquire about Jesus Christ’s declaration, "After three days I will rise." While He frequently informed His disciples about rising on the third day, He never explicitly stated that He would rise after three days. The Jews drew this understanding from the account of Jonah. They label Jesus Christ's resurrection as the ultimate deception, with the initial deception being His claim to be the Son of God. How misguided they are! Reflect on why the disciples would have had a motive to take His body. If Jesus Christ had not truly risen on the third day as He asserted, it stands to reason that if they were misled by Him and had become enemies of their nation, disillusioned and destitute on His account, they would have turned against Him and rejected Him as a fraud. Thus, they would certainly not have sought to steal His body.

Moreover, they would have struggled to convince others that Jesus had been raised from the dead. On what foundation could they base their claims? Would it be their eloquence? But they were unlearned men. Their wealth? Yet they were among the poorest. The prestige of their lineage? They were regarded as the least of their people. Their numbers? They could barely muster a dozen. And for the honor of their homeland? They hailed from obscure regions. As for the promises of their Master, which ones could they claim if He had not risen? Would they have trusted in His assurances if He remained in the grave? Hence, it becomes evident that it is futile to assume that the disciples could have absconded with Him; the arguments against this notion are substantial.

You may argue, "This was not the Sanhedrin's original desire when it dispatched troops to the grave of Jesus." Indeed, it did not intend what ultimately transpired, yet it brought about the very event it sought to prevent. How much it achieved contrary to its own expectations! The Sanhedrin acted on an unexpected impulse, working against its own interests and for the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps, deep within their corrupt hearts, they sensed that Christ would indeed rise; yet they resisted acknowledging this, attempting to quash their inner dread by convincing themselves that resurrection was unfeasible and that the matter concerning Jesus was settled. Instead, they feared the prospect of deceit arising from the disciples of Christ. “Accustomed to impure actions, spurred by their own desires and gains,” as Innocent, the Archbishop of Kherson notes, Caiaphas and his associates feared that the disciples, in retaliation for their Master’s death, might seize His body from the tomb and proclaim that He had risen, stirring unrest among the Sanhedrin. Consequently, a quick decision was made at Caiaphas's secret council to secure the tomb of Jesus with guards for three days—Roman guards, known for their reliability, would be placed there rather than Jewish sentinels. Upon reaching the Praetorium, the chief priests and scribes fashioned themselves as vigilant protectors of public order and the interests of the Roman authorities, addressing Pilate with these words: “Sir, we have recalled that the deceiver—whom we choose not to name—while still living said, ‘I shall be raised from the dead after three days.’” Being observant of all that Jesus Christ said and did, His adversaries could have learned of this prediction through Judas, the traitor, or by the gossip circulating among the apostles.

They justified their appeal by reminding him that Christ had predicted His resurrection on the third day during His earthly ministry. Indeed, the Lord had consistently made this prophecy known to His disciples, albeit privately (John 2:19; Matthew 12:39-40, etc.). Yet, it is plausible that what Christ disclosed to His twelve disciples was sometimes shared more widely; the apostles potentially relayed this message to a broader community of believers, who in turn shared it with friends and family. Consequently, the chief priests and Pharisees could have become aware of the Lord’s clear prophecies regarding His resurrection and interpreted those messages they had not directly received. It is particularly probable that Judas informed them. Pilate acknowledged their request and noted that they had guards available (assigned for the festival to maintain order amid the large crowds), hence he permitted them to secure the tomb as they deemed appropriate. They proceeded to place a guard at the burial site and affix a seal to the stone.

Yet they felt compelled to act without delay since the end of the Sabbath would usher in the third day, on which this Man, as He had prophesied, must rise again. The Pharisees were sly and likely concocted a makeshift interpretation of the law to rationalize their intended actions.

They referred to Jesus as 'that deceiver,' accusing Him of misleading the people by claiming to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews. In their eyes, this deception was evident through His death, as they believed a true Messiah would not perish (John 12ff.). Jesus had frequently communicated to His disciples His resurrection after three days with clarity, yet He spoke of it to the Jews in a more indirect manner (as seen in John 2:19, 21 and Matthew 9:15, Matthew 12:39-40), and while they seemed to grasp His subtle hints, they, of course, did not place any faith in them. They considered 'the last deception'—the disciples claiming that their Master was raised from the dead—as ‘worse than the first,’ referring to His own assertion of being the Messiah. They categorized both claims as deceptions, as they believed neither. They regarded the latter claim as more perilous than the former since the news of the resurrection had a greater potential to sway the audience than His self-identification as the Messiah.

The profound impact of the crucified Savior’s death on the populace (Luke 23:48), the compassion exhibited by the devoted women (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:27), and His interment by two honorable members of the Sanhedrin in a new tomb located in a garden just outside the city stirred suspicion among those with darkened hearts, leaving them restless even during the celebration of the feast. The Lord frequently foretold His resurrection to His disciples in unmistakable terms (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19) and also hinted at it to the Jews (Matthew 12:39-40; John 2:19, 21). Remembering these prophecies, the enemies of Christ, driven by their vehement animosity, resolved—with the help of the Roman governor—to take all necessary precautions. They approached Pilate and declared, “Sir, we remember that while He was still alive, He said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore, we ask that the tomb be secured until the third day, lest His disciples come and steal Him away by night and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ for that last deception would be worse than the first.” They perceived the prospect of a resurrection as infinitely more perilous than the claims made by Jesus about Himself, which they believed could no longer hold weight in light of recent events.