Matthew 27:63Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If the tomb was sealed, there could be no deception; if there was no trickery and the tomb was found empty, it clearly indicates He has risen - this cannot be denied. Notice how, even against their intentions, they inadvertently support the truth. Observe how the disciples also uphold this truth, disclosing even the disparaging accusations of their enemies. They call Him a deceiver, yet the disciples do not conceal it. This illustrates both the malice of His foes, who harbored resentment even after His death, and the honesty and integrity of the disciples.

We must also reflect on His statement, “After three days I will rise.” There are no clearer expressions regarding this than in the account of Jonah. The depraved Jews understood His words and willfully chose to act malevolently. Are you not astonished at how they wrestled against their own desire for the truth? They approached Him, sought permission, and sealed the tomb themselves, thereby becoming their own accusers. Indeed, when could the disciples have orchestrated a theft? On the Sabbath? How could they have done so? They were prohibited from leaving their homes on that day. If they had broken the law, what courage would they have to venture forth? How could they rally others to their cause? What could they proclaim, what actions could they take? What envy could compel them to advocate for a deceased person? What reward did they anticipate? What honor? They had fled when He was seized alive; how could they possibly defend Him after His death if He had not truly risen?

The absurdity of their situation is evident. It is clear they could not and did not fabricate such an unprecedented resurrection. He had repeatedly spoken of His rising, declaring, as His enemies themselves noted, “I will rise after three days.” Thus, if He had not arisen, the disciples, having been wronged and persecuted by the masses, should have abandoned Him; they would not have spread a rumor of His resurrection since they were wronged by Him and suffered greatly because of Him. Moreover, it is unnecessary to explain that they could not have conceived of the resurrection if it indeed had not happened. What could they hope for? Was it through their eloquence? They were unschooled men. Would it be wealth? They had neither provisions nor proper footwear. Was it status? They were of humble origins. Did they have the prestige of their homeland? They hailed from lowly backgrounds. Were they many in number? No, there were scarcely more than eleven, and they were scattered. On what promises of the Master could they rely? If He had not risen, His other promises would have lost all credibility. How could they restrain the fervor of the people? If the foremost among them could not withstand the word of a mere servant and others scattered in fear upon seeing Him bound, how could they risk their lives in distant lands, propagating a false narrative of resurrection? If one among them could not resist the intimidation of his spouse and others fled at the sight of betrayal, how could they confront kings, rulers, and nations, facing instruments of torture and impending death, unless they were fortified by the strength and support of the Risen Lord?

Numerous miracles had already taken place, and yet the Jews were not ashamed; they crucified their Creator. Would mere words from the disciples have sufficed to convince them of the resurrection? Absolutely not! All of this was accomplished through the might of the Risen Christ. Observe how ludicrous their plans are! They say, “I will rise again after three days,” and claim, “He was a deceiver, saying, ‘I will rise again after three days.’” But if He was a fraud, a mere braggart, why do they tremble in fear and create such a commotion? They express concern, saying, “We fear lest the disciples steal Him away and mislead the people.” Yet it has already been demonstrated that this is impossible. Yet their malice endures, shamelessly attempting a foolish act. They instructed that the tomb be guarded until three days had passed, hoping to uphold their false claims and suggesting that He was deceitful even in death. This is why He rose swiftly and did not allow the opportunity for accusations of falsehood or theft of the body. Had He not risen while they were vigilant at the tomb but instead waited another three days until after they had left, they might have concocted a nonsensical case against it. Thus, the resurrection was mandated to occur precisely while they were present and observing; it had to transpire within three days; delay would have raised suspicion.

Therefore, the Lord allowed the tomb to be sealed as per their desire and permitted the guards to remain. They were unconcerned about breaking the Sabbath; their only intent was to succeed in their wickedness. This constitutes the peak of their insanity and dread! Those who had captured Him alive were now terrified of the One who had died. If He were merely a man, they would have been at ease. But to recognize that even during His life, He willingly endured all that He faced, behold the seal, the stone, and the guards—none of which could contain a dead man! They inadvertently confirmed both the burial and lent greater authenticity to His resurrection, for both the soldiers were unceasingly stationed at the tomb, and the Jews were awatching.

One might ask, when Jesus Christ proclaimed, “After three days I will rise”? While He frequently told His disciples that He would rise on the third day, He did not specify that He would rise after three days. The Jewish authorities drew their understanding from the example of Jonah. They term the resurrection of Jesus Christ the final deception, attributing to Him the initial deceit of claiming to be the Son of God. Oh, foolish ones! Consider the motives behind the disciples potentially stealing His body. If Jesus Christ had failed to rise on the third day as He assured, it is evident that, having been misled by Him and becoming enemies of their own nation, they would have turned away from Him in disdain and regarded Him as a deceiver, thus having no desire to take His body.

Moreover, how could they have convinced others that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead? On what basis would they have relied? On the efficacy of their words? Yet they were untrained men. On a wealth of riches? However, they were impoverished. On the esteemed status of their ancestry? Yet they hailed from obscurity. On their numbers? They were scarcely more than a handful. On the pride of their homeland? They were from little-known regions. As for the promises of the Master, which promises could they claim? If He had not risen, they would not have placed their faith in His assurances. Thus, it is evident that the suggestion they could have stolen Him is unfounded; such a notion lacks credibility for the reasons provided.

Consider the honor bestowed upon Jesus if the prophecies regarding the Messiah, which He alluded to and the Sanhedrin acknowledged, were fulfilled through Him. And what a remarkable glory that even His adversaries recognized His prophecies regarding Himself, which indeed came to pass!

Perhaps deep within their sinful hearts, they sensed a possibility of Christ's rising; they wished to deny it, to repress that fear, convincing themselves that it was unfeasible, that all was over with Jesus. Instead, they speculated on the potential for deception by His disciples. "Being accustomed to acting immorally, spurred by their passions and greed," notes Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson, "Caiaphas and his relatives feared that the disciples, seeking revenge for their Master's death, might take advantage of His prophecy—they might secretly remove His body from the tomb and proclaim that He had risen, thereby inciting a perilous situation for the Sanhedrin." As a result, it was quickly resolved in Caiaphas's clandestine council to station guards around Jesus' tomb for three days, opting for Roman soldiers, whose commitment to duty was far more reliable than their Jewish counterparts. When the chief priests and scribes arrived at the Praetorium, they feigned concern for public order and the interests of Roman governance, addressing Pilate: "Sir! We recall that the deceiver, whom we deem unworthy of mention, declared while he was alive, 'I will rise after three days.' Being attentive to all that Jesus Christ did and said, His adversaries could have learned of His prediction from Judas the traitor or from the reports circulating among the apostles."

Undoubtedly, His foes doubted the accuracy of His words, suspecting Him of deceit, and worried that His followers might exploit this to undermine their attempts to eliminate the prophet from Galilee. The Sanhedrin convened to consider how to counter this potential threat. Although the Sabbath restricted gatherings, it didn’t stop the most influential members from confidentially discussing an urgent matter. They resolved to request a guard to secure the tomb until the third day. While they had their own temple guard (Luke 22:52), they believed a request to the procurator would convey greater authority. They intended to explain their eagerness to dispose of Jesus and to caution against any actions from His disciples. Shortly after the Sabbath began, some chief priests approached Pilate with a request on behalf of the Sanhedrin: “We recall that this deceiver, who need not be named, claimed while alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ We can assure you that He will not rise. However, He has left behind a following that might take advantage of His teachings and steal His body to claim He has risen. This could lead to dangerous consequences as many might believe and unrest could ensue in the name of the resurrected Messiah.” Though Pilate was not fully persuaded by their concerns, he was more inclined to dismiss their persistent requests. He found it peculiar that the Sanhedrin would turn to him for assistance. The guards who witnessed Jesus' crucifixion had not yet been dismissed. He replied to the messengers, “You have guards; go and secure the tomb as you see fit.” Therefore, the guards were assigned to the tomb, where the stone blocking the entrance was secured with a rope and sealed. It was akin to Daniel in the lions' den during Darius' reign: an anticipation of a similar resolution. The outcome revealed that the soldiers stationed at Jesus' tomb were better described as the protectors of the sleeping King rather than mere sentinels over His sealed resting place.

Indeed, the Lord had frequently made this prophecy known to His disciples, although He shared it privately among them (John 2:19; Matthew 12:39-40, etc.). It is likely that what Christ disclosed to His twelve disciples was also shared beyond their circle, as the apostles communicated it to a broader audience of believers, who in turn relayed it to family and friends. Thus, the chief priests and Pharisees could have been aware of the Lord's clear declarations about His resurrection, possibly even drawing insights from Judas. Pilate, upon hearing their request, noted that they had guards (assigned to maintain order during the festivities and prevent unrest in the temple) and permitted them to secure the tomb as they saw fit. They proceeded to establish a guard at the tomb and affixed a seal to the stone.

The chief priests had access to a guard of Roman soldiers assigned for maintaining order in the temple during the feast; however, they could not repurpose this guard to secure the tomb without special authorization. To acquire this authorization, they approached Pilate. Unbeknownst to them, they became instruments of divine Providence: if they had not stationed a guard at Jesus' tomb, they could have later accused the disciples of stealing His body after the resurrection. Their slander could have highlighted the emptiness of the tomb, potentially misleading many to their viewpoint, particularly since the risen Christ appeared only to His followers. However, by arranging for soldiers to protect the tomb, they entirely eliminated any possibility of their accusations holding even a hint of credibility.

Some recalled that ‘that deceiver’ had prophesied about His resurrection on the third day, prompting them to consider it essential to take measures to prevent, ‘lest his disciples, coming by night, should steal him away and say to the people, ’He is risen from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first.'

The profound impact of the crucified One's death on the people (Luke 23:48), the compassion shown by faithful women (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:27), and His interment by honorable members of the Sanhedrin in a new tomb situated in a garden near the city all stirred suspicion within the troubled hearts of His enemies, preventing them from finding peace even during the festival. The Lord had frequently foretold His resurrection to His disciples in clear terms (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19) and hinted to the Jewish leaders (Matthew 12:39-40; John 2:19, 21). Now, recalling these prophecies, the foes of Christ, driven by their intense animosity, arranged to take the strictest precautions with the help of the Roman governor. They approached Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember that while he was still alive, he said, ‘After three days I will rise.' Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him by night, telling the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first." They perceived the news of the resurrection as far more perilous than the claims made by Jesus about Himself, which they believed could no longer be taken seriously in light of the events that had transpired.