“Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,

saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.”   Matthew 27:62-63

For these men, Preparation Day was over. They had already missed their chance at salvation. They were still alive, but the door of grace for them had shut. They had gone through their religious ceremonies, and yet they were still not prepared. The Lord of heaven and earth has died at their desire, and all other desires have died in them. They want to ensure that no one else has the opportunity to enter into the kingdom of God.

The hearts of the Pharisees have become hard and these leaders of the people stand before the godless authority of Pilate with their evil thoughts. They are thinking strategically in a wicked way and instead of being shocked by their ideas, they go to Pilate for help.

When we refuse God, it has dire effects in our thought processes and behaviour. These men have not just forgotten God, they have plotted against the Son of God and killed Him. It’s easy to see them as the enemy, but we all stand guilty before God.

God calls us to repent and believe, and repeatedly we refuse. Every time we do so, we become a little bit harder. Then, one day, we step over the line. God stops speaking and we become one of those without hope. These deceivers see Jesus the Saviour in that role. Evil has become good to them and good, evil. They have more respect for Pilate than for Christ. They cannot even speak the name of Jesus.

And yet, the words of Jesus prevail… “I will rise again.” Nothing can stop Him. He is the all – conquering Lord. How blind we are when we turn away. How totally foolish to throw away our chances at heaven, and yet so many do. These high officials went through the ceremonies of the Preparation Day, and still their souls were as far away from God as ever. Their hearts were not prepared and could never be. They went through the motions, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. They used every plot to thwart the plan of God. How foolish. They lost everything because they were not prepared. They weren’t prepared because they didn’t want to be.

It’s interesting what these educated men remembered. They could recall what Jesus said about His resurrection. They didn’t seem to remember the many warnings Jesus spoke to them about their attitude towards Him. They were duped by their own selective hearing and the work of the enemy, Satan, who was controlling their lives. If we refuse God, then we automatically serve Satan.

“The deceiver” turns out to be their Lord and God, and the true deceivers are completely duped and loose their souls. They are truly deceived… they are unprepared. They loose their souls…