“Seal the tomb” Pilate ordered,
Make it as secure as you can,
So none can enter and take away
The corpse of that crucified man.”
So sealed it they did, by soldiers,
And then a centurion standing by,
Posted guards around the clock
Said sternly: “Keep a watchful eye!”
The rulers all slept well that night.
Two more nights went quietly by.
None could enter the guarded tomb,
What fool would even try?
Those standing by who witnessed
Their Lord’s burial had no doubt
That this tight sealing of the tomb,
Had left no way in or out.
Unless — as Jesus himself had said,
That three days after being crucified
He would rise again from the dead.
Had those words passed overhead?
Two thousand years have passed,
Since Jesus left that burial scene,
Many of them believed; many not,
Others drift somewhere in between.
Told that Jesus was not in the tomb,
Pontius Pilate was shocked and said:
“We killed the man – of that I’m sure,
Now you’re telling me he’s not dead?”
The hopes that many still hold dear,
Of life beyond death and the grave,
Not one sitting on floating clouds
But real, immortal, safe and saved.
The stone that had sealed the tomb
To ensure beyond any possible doubt,
Was later found simply rolled aside
(to allow entry: Jesus was already out).
Are you “as sure as sure can be”
That the Lord Jesus did not rise?
If you’re just as sure as Pilate was,
Then you’re in for a big surprise!
I wouldn’t wait, if I were you,
For more proof than Pilate had.
The future’s certain for believers,
But for those who’re not, it’s bad.