An order came down to the guard
Stand vigil at the grave
Of one that had been crucified
An ordinary nave

How strange I thought to guard the dead
As I dressed with sword and shield
I turned and asked the captain
If to him they had revealed

The reason for this mindless act
Who comes to steal the dead
The captain looked into my eyes
And this is what he said;

Yesterday I nailed this man
Securely to a tree
Stripped and raised Him high
For all the world to see

He looked at me with eyes of love
Though I pierced His members through
And later cried, forgive them
For they know not what they do

The wind blew cold and the sky grew dark
As He hung His head and died
Some spit and cruelly mocked Him
Others stood silently and cried

The mockers now stand in fear
Shaken frightened men
Afraid His promise will come true
And He will rise again

Now they’ve brought Him here to rest
And we must seal the door
And fix the stone that locks Him in
So it will move no more

So large the stone that held Him in
That we could plainly see
No friend or robber on this night
Could set death’s captive free

No disciple in our watch
Could steal Him in our sight
For we would stand guard o’er that tomb
And watch throughout the night

The light of day began to fade
With shadows creeping near
The stars of heaven on night three
Started to appear

Hour by hour the long night passed
In darkness black and deep
The cold and fear of consequence
Kept each of us from sleep

Throughout the night we camped there
Until the light of day
Revealed the stone that sealed the tomb
Had now been rolled away

In fear we trembled for our lives
We dared not enter in
For He had broken all the bonds
Of death, the grave and sin

He had gone we know not where
We searched to no avail
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
Could not be held in jail

Then two angels of the Lord
Appeared before our face
We shook in fear and fainted
Then fled that awful place

No tomb could ever hold
What death could not subdue
He kept His promise to His church
What else could Jesus do?