Matthew 27:62–64

Memory Verse

And on the next day, which was after the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together before Pilate, saying, “Lord, we remember that that one, the deceiver, said while yet alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ Therefore, command to make secure the tomb until the third day, lest His disciples should come and steal Him and say to the people, ‘He has risen out from the dead,’ and the last deception will be more than the first.” (Matthew 27:62–64)

As the seventh-day sabbath dawns, the guards whom the chief priests and Pharisees requested from Pilate still guard the tomb. We are entering the third day since Christ’s death on the cross. The spices for His body have been prepared, but before they can be applied, the seventh-day sabbath must be honored. Three night have passed and we are entering the third day since Christ died. One more day, and the body will begin to corrupt. However, Christ stated while He was alive, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days’ (John 2:19). At sunset, the third day will end.