Skip to main content

323. The Report of the Guards

Matthew 28:11-15
Key Verse:  So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.  And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew 28:15

Wow!  Isn't it amazing what a person will do for money? The story, on the face of it, is preposterous! A Roman soldier is willing to admit that he was overpowered by an untrained fisherman who was brave enough to dare to break the roman seal, enter the grave and steal a dead body? When you consider the fact that later stories, in Acts, reveal that Roman soldiers would rather commit suicide than admit that they allowed a prisoner to escape, (Acts 16:27) it is hard to comprehend why the soldiers were willing to humiliate themselves in this way. Yet, sadly, for those who do not want to believe, this fabricated story still exists today.

If the Jews were willing to seal the grave when Jesus died, why weren't they willing to look for the dead body and bring the disciples to justice? Why weren't they interested in confronting those who had supposedly perpetrated such a fraud and put them on public display, as they had Jesus? After all, shouldn't Jesus' followers have suffered the same fate as He, since, by the story anyway, they were willing to continue to lie to the people by claiming He had risen?

Also, if those disciples were so bold and brave to take on the Roman guard, why did they run the night that Jesus was arrested and remain in hiding throughout the next few days?  We saw Peter's pathetic ability with a sword. We saw his cowardice in front of a servant girl, of all things. Where would such bravery have possibly come from to accomplish such an amazing feat as this?

As the writer to the Jews, it was Matthew who made sure that his version of the gospel included both the fact that the Jewish leaders coerced Pilate to assign a Roman guard to the tomb, (Matthew 27:62-66) and that this deception is also a part of the resurrection story.  In relating these details, he demonstrates how willing many are to believe a myth rather than the truth. The Jewish leadership had a lot to lose if the resurrection was true. Just as they were willing to pay Judas to try to have Jesus killed, now, they are willing to pay even more to spread a lie, breaking their own ninth commandment: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."  (Exodus 20:16)

In the beginning, God created a beautiful place for us to live. Satan sought to destroy it in whatever ways he could. Now, on this day, Satan's main tool, death itself, had been conquered. But along with that good news, the master of lies spread a lie that would stop many from believing that what Christ had accomplished was true. Again, from the beginning, the tares were sewn among the wheat.  (Matt. 13:25-30)

Every day we are forced to choose to believe the lies that satan shouts or the truths that just are because God is. Satan uses emotions and circumstances that are seen. God calls us to rely on His promises which He always keeps and never changes. Jesus promised that death would not be the end. He promised that He would never leave us. He promised us His peace. Satan uses any means he can to cause us to doubt. The choice is ours and will be until we reign with Him forever.


Hymn:  "He Lives"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

These Boots are Made for Walking

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-15 These Boots are Made for Walking. Of course, I picked that title because it has a reference to popular culture, and it connects with our text today about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” I was tempted to play the video of that song, but it’s really not amenable to worship. If you remember that old song, it was quite confrontational. The singer had a righteous complaint against a boyfriend or spouse who was cheating on her. She’s not going to put up with that, and the song goes on to say, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” And that “take a stand” bravado made her a hero! It was a #1 hit in 1966. I mention it because it has one interesting parallel and one major contrast with the message of grace and forgiveness. That parallel is this. God has a righteous complaint against the entire human race for cheating Him out of the loving relationship He desires with us. As the God who created us, he h...
Post a Comment
Read more

186. Ten Healed, Or One?

Luke 17:11-19 Key Verse: Then He said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:19 At last, Jesus has left the crowd behind and again is continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. His path takes Him and His disciples along the border of Judea and Samaria, between the pure Jews, and the hated half breeds of the day. On His way, Jesus encounters an interesting group of people. We only learn the nationality of one of them and, though we don't know the nationality of the others, because Jesus sends them to the priests in Jerusalem we can probably assume that at least some of them are Jews. Isn't it interesting that through leprosy, a disease that causes much suffering, the dividing wall of hatred has come down for the sake of companionship? We encountered one leper earlier on our Journey. Lepers were the dreaded untouchables of the day. Their disease cut them off from all they loved. It was a very lonely life. No wonder these people had ...
Post a Comment
Read more