Matthew 28:11–15 (ESV) — 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
NOTE: The story, perpetuated by the Jews, authenticates a couple of facts, one, that the body truly was missing, and two, that the soldiers lied, since it would be fatal for a soldier to admit falling asleep on guard duty. Additionally, this passage seems to indicate that the soldiers were Roman soldiers temporarily assigned to the temple guard to bolster their numbers (since they had their normal guard assignments, and now an additional facility to guard for a few days). Otherwise, if they were not Roman soldiers they would have had no fear of the governor Pilate. Not only did some people believe this story, but some still do today. Others believe in a swoon theory, where Jesus never died. But none of those stories explain why eleven disciples would rather face death, torture, or life imprisonment than to deny the resurrection. And not only them, but many of the other 500 eyewitnesses of the resurrection. It is a peculiar faith that some deny the historical accounts of the resurrection.
PONDER:
- Do I truly believe in the resurrection, or am I only religious? And how does my life show my belief in the resurrection?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for my new life in Christ. He is alive and I will someday receive a new body as well, and will be free of this body of sin and pain.
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