That’s all the chief priests thought Jesus was – an imposter, a fraud. It didn’t matter how profound His teaching may have been. It didn’t matter how many miracles He had done. Because He didn’t agree with their interpretations of the Scripture and because He didn’t fulfill all their expectations of the Messiah, they refused to believe in Him.

And that’s still where a lot of people stand today – they claim that Jesus was nothing but a fraud. Oh, some are willing to admit that He had a lot of good things to say, but refuse to follow Him because one or another of His teachings doesn’t fit in with their desires. Others refuse to believe in Jesus because they can’t believe that any sorts of miracles can take place. Still others reject Him because of the disappointments in their lives – they refuse to trust in a God Who has allowed tragedy to strike them or their loved ones.

But the chief priests and the Pharisees were all too aware of the one piece of evidence that would form the foundation of faith for all who trust in Jesus – an empty tomb. Oh, to be sure, they couldn’t imagine that He really could rise from the dead. They just wanted to keep His disciples from stealing the body and pretending that He was alive again. And some people continue to believe that the resurrection was all a lie.

But such skeptics can’t explain how, even though the chief priests and Roman soldiers sealed and guarded the tomb, it was nevertheless empty on the third day. Moreover, the skeptics can’t explain why, if Jesus’ resurrection was just an elaborate hoax, all His disciples were willing to be beaten and even killed because they refused to deny that He is alive. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.

And so, in spite of so many skeptics’ efforts to the contrary, the empty tomb stands as the greatest proof that Jesus is Who He says He is – the Son of God. Will we believe in Him? Will we worship and serve Him today?

Matthew 27:62-66 (ESV)

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.