Matthew 28:11-15
Intro Questions
Soldiers Bribed
by the Sanhedrin
Matthew 28:11–15
11As they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and
reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12After
the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13and
told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole Him while
we were sleeping.’ 14If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will
deal with him and keep you out of trouble.”
15So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.[1]
[1]
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (p. 248).
Holman Bible Publishers.
As the women were on the way into the city, some of the Temple police who had been guarding the tomb went to the chief priests and told them what had happened. A meeting of all the Jewish leaders was called, and it was decided to bribe the police to say they had all been asleep when Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body.
"If the governor hears about it," the Council promised, "we'll stand up for you and everything will be all right."
So the police accepted the bribe and said what they were told to. Their story spread widely among the Jews and is still believed by them to this very day.
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Amazing News
Jesus' resurrection was already causing a great stir in Jerusalem. A group of women was moving quickly through the streets, looking for the disciples to tell them the amazing news that Jesus was alive. At the same time, a group of religious leaders was plotting how to cover up the Resurrection. Today there is still a great stir over the Resurrection, and there are still only two choices—to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, or to be closed to the truth—denying it, ignoring it, or trying to explain it away. Which choice have you made?
The problem with the Council's story that the disciples stole the body is that these same disciples later suffered greatly; some were even martyred for their faith in the risen Christ. If they knew that they had stolen a dead body in order to keep up a hoax, it is highly doubtful that they would willingly die for that hoax.
Jesus’ Appearances After His Resurrection
After His resurrection, Jesus made several appearances to His 11 disciples as well as to other followers. According to the Book of Acts, these appearances occurred across a period of 40 days before His ascension to the Father (see Acts 1:3).
Through these appearances Jesus gave His followers “convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3) that He was alive. Here’s a list of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances recorded by the Gospel writers:
• To Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb in Jerusalem (Mark 16:9; John 20:11–18).
• To other women at the empty tomb (Matt. 28:1–10).
• To two followers on their way to Emmaus (Mark 16:12–13; Luke 24:13–32).
• To Peter, apparently in Jerusalem (Luke 24:33–35).
• To ten of His disciples in Jerusalem, Thomas absent (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–25).
• To the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, Thomas present (John 20:26–29).
• To His disciples at Lake Galilee (John 21:1–14).
• To His disciples at His ascension near Jerusalem (Mark 16:19–20; Luke 24:44–53).
The apostle Paul also mentioned three appearances of Jesus not recorded by the Gospel writers. These appearances were to five hundred believers, to James and all the apostles, and to Paul himself (1 Cor. 15:6–8). The Book of Acts also mentions the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus (Acts 1:3)
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