Mat 28:11-15 | MHM | STEP | The Resurrection. This section describes what happened after Jesus rose from the dead. The soldiers who guarded the tomb became witnesses to the resurrection, even though they were enemies of Jesus. Their report to the chief priests gave strong evidence that Jesus truly rose, because they saw the events themselves. However, instead of believing, the religious leaders tried to hide the truth. This passage shows both the power of Jesus’ resurrection and the stubbornness of those who refused to accept it. v. 11 : While the women were on their way to tell the disciples about Jesus’ resurrection, some of the soldiers went into the city to report to the chief priests everything that had happened. They told them about the earthquake, the angel coming down, the stone being rolled away, and Jesus coming out of the tomb alive. The soldiers’ testimony was clear and strong, because they were eye-witnesses and not friends of Jesus. This should have convinced the priests to believe in Jesus, but instead, they were ashamed and refused to accept the truth (Nehemiah 6:16 ). v. 11–15 : Meanwhile, some of the guards went into the city and reported everything to the chief priests. The religious leaders gave the soldiers money to spread a false story that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body while they were asleep (Matthew 28:11-15 ). This shows that Jesus’ enemies tried to cover up the resurrection, but the truth could not be hidden. Despite the lies, the reality of the empty tomb and the risen Christ would become known throughout the world.

‏ Matthew 28:11-15

The Resurrection.

This section describes what happened after Jesus rose from the dead. The soldiers who guarded the tomb became witnesses to the resurrection, even though they were enemies of Jesus. Their report to the chief priests gave strong evidence that Jesus truly rose, because they saw the events themselves. However, instead of believing, the religious leaders tried to hide the truth. This passage shows both the power of Jesus’ resurrection and the stubbornness of those who refused to accept it.

v. 11: While the women were on their way to tell the disciples about Jesus’ resurrection, some of the soldiers went into the city to report to the chief priests everything that had happened. They told them about the earthquake, the angel coming down, the stone being rolled away, and Jesus coming out of the tomb alive. The soldiers’ testimony was clear and strong, because they were eye-witnesses and not friends of Jesus. This should have convinced the priests to believe in Jesus, but instead, they were ashamed and refused to accept the truth (Nehemiah 6:16 ^a).

v. 11–15: Meanwhile, some of the guards went into the city and reported everything to the chief priests. The religious leaders gave the soldiers money to spread a false story that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body while they were asleep (Matthew 28:11-15 ^b). This shows that Jesus’ enemies tried to cover up the resurrection, but the truth could not be hidden. Despite the lies, the reality of the empty tomb and the risen Christ would become known throughout the world.

v. 12: The chief priests called a meeting with the elders to decide what to do. They did not want to believe that Jesus had risen, and they wanted to stop others from believing it too. They realized that if people believed in the resurrection, it would prove they were wrong to put Jesus to death. So, they planned to cover up the truth, even if it meant committing more sins (Psalm 69:27 ^c).

v. 13: The leaders gave the soldiers a large amount of money and told them to say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept” (Matthew 28:13 ^d). This was a weak and foolish lie. If the soldiers were asleep, they could not know who took the body. If any of them were awake, they would have stopped it. The story did not make sense, but the priests were desperate to hide the truth. It is wrong to pay people to lie, especially about something so important as Jesus’ resurrection. This was a serious sin, because it tried to deny the work of the Holy Spirit.

v. 14: The priests promised the soldiers that if the governor heard about them sleeping on duty, they would protect them and keep them out of trouble (Acts 12:19 ^e). This showed that the priests did not really believe the soldiers’ story, because if it were true, they would have wanted the soldiers punished. They cared more about hiding the truth than about justice or honesty.

v. 15: The soldiers took the money and did as they were told. They spread the false story among the Jews, and it became widely believed. Many people were willing to accept the lie, and it was repeated for a long time. Even though the soldiers had seen proof of Jesus’ resurrection, they chose money over truth. This shows that even the strongest evidence cannot change people’s hearts unless God’s Spirit works in them. Lies can spread quickly and do much harm, but the truth about Jesus’ resurrection remains for those who are willing to believe.