What a Scoop!

“And they departed quickly from the tomb in fear and great joy...” 

Matthew 28:8

In Matthew 27:65, Pilate gave strict instructions that the tomb would be sealed and guards posted to protect and secure it. The leading priests and Pharisees had informed him that Jesus claimed that He will be raised from the dead after three days. “So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day so the disciples can’t steal His body and claim He came back to life!” What this shows was that the Pharisees were really listening to Jesus. They had their ears open and their minds working, but it was with the goal of protecting themselves and their positions. It was like they had blinders on so they could only see their “truth”. What a missed opportunity!!!

The Greek word sphragidzo is used by the Chief Priests to ensure that after inspection of the tomb, a legal seal would be placed. 

 Early Sunday morning, when the women went to anoint Jesus’ body with burial spices, the unimaginable happened. An angel rolled away the stone, seal and all. The guards shook with fear and fainted. The angel told the women , “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has been raised from the dead. Now go and give this message to His disciples, including Peter.”

The women departed quickly trembling in fear, bewilderment, but also with great joy. What a story they had to tell! What a message they had to deliver! I know we women get excited when we have a wonderful experience. We can’t wait to tell our family and friends about it. It’s like we have a scoop. Do we feel this way about Jesus? That we have a revelation, an exciting bit of news? 

How sad is it if we only get excited to tell stories about a celebrity, someone getting married, a new kind of lipstick, or where to buy a bargain! The biggest scoop is really that God loves us so much, He did everything, even up to giving His life for us in the most excruciating way. New life can begin for us the minute we accept Jesus, turn away from our sins, and claim Him as our Lord and Savior.