Introduction: Let’s face it. Jesus was born to die. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. Through His redeeming blood our sins are forgiven. As we have seen, the last week of our Lord was filled with specific prophetic events with Him being anointed, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and instituting the Last Supper, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane experience, and then the arrest and mock trial, His awful crucifixion, and now the burial according to the gospel of Mark.

1. The Soldiers (Matt 27:62-64)

“62Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

To be sure that the disciples could not come and steal the body of Jesus from the tomb the chief priests got permission from Pilate to place guards at the grave. These were trained soldiers who would guard it with their life.

2. The Seal & the Stone! (Matt 27:65,66)

“65Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

The seal was usually authoritative and authentic including a signature of a public leader; i.e. governor, king. Some scholars suggest it was either signified by clay or another material that only could be broken by its sealer. This seal would be fashioned on each side of the large stone with some sort of band stretching across the stone. Little did the authorities know that Jesus would rise from the grave like He said he would…. another fulfillment of Scripture.