Probably one of the most amazing concepts presented in any of the gospels is what we can learn from this unassuming, five verse passage that is only found in Matthew. In this event, the guards who had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection were bribed by the religious leaders to spread a rumor regarding Jesus’ missing body.
The incredibly amazing part of this event is not found in a key word or phrase in the passage itself, but when looking at the culture of that time.
Firstly, it would be crazy to actually believe a group of eleven or so regular guys with no combat training to overthrow a group of soldiers. The details of what would need to happen for the disciples to sneak in, roll the large stone away without making any noise, and escape with the body while the guards slept is almost more unbelievable. Any slipup, and there is almost no way for them to overpower the group of soldiers if they woke them up.
The rumor includes pretty much a zero chance of error, and from what we know of the disciples, being error free wasn’t their strong point.
But even more amazing is that the ones to prompt the disciples to what had happened were women, whose thoughts and ideas were widely discounted by the men in that time period. However, some of the disciples believed the women enough to go check out the tomb and see for themselves. This is a profound idea, but when we place it alongside the testimony that the guards actually give to the chief priests and religious leaders who had hired them, there is almost no comparison in that time period.
The religious leaders and elders received some of the most credible eye-witness accounts about what happened on resurrection morning, and they chose to try and hide it. This simple act reveals how far they had closed their minds to Jesus as the Messiah. This also shows how human nature and prejudice can blind people who are not open to accepting the truth.
The disciples believed and spread a wildly unbelievable progression of events, where women were the first to know among their group. But in Matthew, we learn that the guards present at the tomb were the only true eyewitnesses to what happened, and there was no reason for the religious leaders to invalidate the guards testimony except for their own prejudice against Jesus.
This emphasizes the idea even the strongest evidence possible will not open a firmly closed mind. If the religious leaders ignored the guards, they really were rejecting the greatest sign God could give to validate Jesus as His Chosen One – the Messiah that they were hoping and waiting for.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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