11Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13saying, "Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' 14And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." 15So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
This is one text that I really don’t remember hearing read very often. The guards were actually bribed to lie about what happened that glorious morning. The chief priests work of plotting seemed to never be done. They had at their disposal a lot of money. They bribed Judas, and they bribed these soldiers. Would Pilate be upset if he heard stories that guards fell asleep on the job? The chief priests felt confident that they would be able to appease him. They had confidence that they could make these guards secure.
In Matthew 27:42-43, these chief priests taunted Jesus on the cross, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, "I am the Son of God."' They claimed they would believe Him if He gave them proof. Well, they just got proof of His resurrection from the guards and they did not believe Him. There are many times they questioned Jesus, seeking a sign or proof, but they really didn’t want proof.
Back in Matthew 12:38-42, the scribes and Pharisees requested a sign from Jesus:
| 38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. |
Jesus said He would give them no sign other than the sign of the prophet Jonah -- three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The only sign would be Him being raised from the dead. Well, these chief priests were just given the one sign that Jesus said He would give them, and the sign was rejected.
It really makes me wonder about the community that these chief priests were leaders of. They manipulated events, they fabricated truths, they had power and money. I feel sorry for any community that has that kind of leadership. Followers under their guidance would not have a chance of knowing right from wrong.
And the interesting thing is that the lie they used was not a very good lie. If the disciples had stolen Him away while they slept, how would the guards know about it? Having the body stolen in the night was exactly the reason they had given for wanting a guard in the first place. For in Matthew 27:62-64, it says:
| 62On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, "After three days I will rise.' 64Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, "He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." |
But these chief priests were masters of deception themselves. In claiming Jesus as a deceiver, they were masters deceivers themselves. Through their influence, this lie was accepted and commonly reported among the Jews for a long time. They were going down the path of lying, where more lies were needed to cover up previous lies. And unfortunately, they were considered leaders in their community. People believed what they said.