To head off the possibility that the disciples will steal Jesus’ body, the priests and Pharisees ask Pilate for a guard at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-65). If the disciples are successful, “the last deception will be worse than the first” (v. 64).
It’s a familiar phrase: Jesus Himself uses it to describe the state of the man who is delivered from demons and then reinfested (12:45). The two uses of the phrase stand in ironic contrast: In order to avoid the last being worse than the first, the Pharisees and chief priests make plans that will ensure that the end will be worse from the beginning.
It’s also worth noting that the Pharisees are banding together with the priests (mainly Sadducees) to prevent a report of resurrection from getting out. In the last analysis, the Pharisees are selected in their affirmation of resurrection. In the abstract, sure, resurrections can happen; but when we’re talking about the resurrection of Jesus , Pharisees turn Sadducee.
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