Bible Study series: Matthew 28:11-15. The guard had to make up reasons why he had not risen.
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 28:11-15
11 As the women were going, look! Some of the guard went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that happened. 12 And after they gathered together with the elders and hatched a plan, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers 13 saying, “Say: ‘His disciples, coming at night, stole him while we were sleeping.’ 14 And if this is heard by the governor, we will persuade him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 When they got the money, they did as they were instructed. And this account was spread among the Jews until this day. (Matt. 28:11-15)
Comments:
11-15:
It seems that Matthew included this pericope because of the report that the disciples stole the body, a report that was spread around to that day. This is Matthew’s attempt at stifling the false rumor, his attempt at a little apologetics (defense or explanation of the faith).
This episode or scene piles improbability on top of humor. How can the guards report accurately what happened while they were sleeping? How would they know what happened? They could look at the broken seal, but how much noise would it make when the disciples stripped off or melted the wax? How much noise would they make in rolling away the stone?
Could they say they were intoxicated, so they didn’t hear the noise? Not likely.
On the other hand, if the chief priests had told the guard to say that the disciples overpowered the guards, how ineffective would they be? The guards had swords. They could have fought the disciples and raised the hue and cry. Surely other guards would have come running and track down the disciples if they had successfully stolen the body.
In short, the guards and chief priests and elders were in a losing position. A bribe to “persuade” or “satisfy” Pilate was their only solution.
One other thing: eventually the disciples all died for their faith. It is difficult to keep a lie together among eleven disciples, not to mention the “many” women who followed Jesus from Galilee, and a long list of other disciples. It is likely that under pressure of persecution someone would have told the authorities where the body was and confessed that they threw it to the bottom of the Lake of Galilee. But no one broke the large “conspiracy” under pressure and produced a body. They all remained true because they actually believed Jesus was resurrected and were willing to die for their belief. It is difficult, psychologically, to die for a known lie.
Therefore, it is not irrational to believe that Jesus really was resurrected from the dead. Miracles can happen, and many of us have seen them, particularly in the developing nations. Western nations need to take a back seat here and learn from more open-minded people who radically depend on God.
GrowApp for Matt. 28:11-15
1. The guards and their bosses hatched a false plan to explain away the miraculous resurrection. Have you ever discussed your born-again experience—a kind of resurrection—and been doubted and insulted for it? How did you respond?
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
