Jesus was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The guarantee of his death was the brutality of the Romans, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and the chief leaders. Pilate did it: and Pilate was good at crucifixion, something he often chose to put his hand to.
Jesus was dead and his own religious group, the Pharisees, were still worried about Him. They feared the legend would be greater than the sinless man. They need not have worried but they did.
The historical record says:
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that imposter said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore, command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
The religious hypocrites were worried about the disciples, but not murder. So it goes. Grifters and frauds always attribute their own motives and the evil deeds they would have done to the opposition. Jesus’ students were hidden, fearful, and ashamed. They were not about to execute any plans, graft, or tricks. The one student of Jesus who might have done so had already killed himself in a field bought with the money he received for betraying Jesus.
A brave Jewish leader came to bury Him and His mother held his corpse and knew pain as fierce as if a sword pierced her heart.
Jesus was dead and His tomb was sealed and guarded by men who feared the dead man more than Rome. This fear is absurd. Why fear a dead man?
And then I realize that once committed to hate, fear comes right behind. Haters are fearful and tyrants, as Plato demonstrates in Republic IX, are the most fearful of all men. Hate knows that love cannot be stopped. Love will find a way and so hate tries to close up all the holes that love might use. This never works because love moves the entire cosmos. Siding with hate is siding against the proper order of things and so haters cannot plug all the gaps.
Love can make their very plots and plans turn against them. Love takes a crucifixion and turns it into a sacred and loving moment. Jesus forgives His enemies from the Cross. Jesus thinks of the care of His mother from the Cross. Jesus loves His own from the Cross. Love kept finding a way until all was finished. Hate was finished, but hate did not yet know this truth. Hate hoped to find a way to keep Jesus dead.
Lord God, I do this when I hate, when I refuse to forgive those who have harmed me, when I sit muttering about the unfairness of love. Love finds a way into my heart and the hate there fears love because hate and love cannot coexist. If I embrace, even for a moment, forgiveness and mercy, then forgiveness, the mightiest sword, will kill the hate. Hate knows this is true. Hate tries to keep love out of the tomb where hate has placed me. Hate counts on the fact that the spiritually dead will stay dead and guards the stronghold of darkness with all the might of tyrants.
Jesus was dead: to begin with, but the beginning would not be the end.
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