Matthew 28: Risen! (4)
Pray Psalm 12.1, 2.
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
Sing Psalm 12.1, 2.
Hamburg: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Help, LORD! The godly cease to be; they who believe in You are few.
Falsely the wicked confidently flatter, deceive, and mock what is true.
Read Matthew 28.1-15; meditate on verses 11-15.
Does this excuse even make sense?
Prepare.
1. How did the chief priests respond to the guard’s report?
2. What did the guard do then?
Meditate.
The religious leaders’ attempt to silence Jesus had apparently failed. What to do now? Lie, of course.
We are not surprised by this reaction of the chief priests to the report of the guards—Roman soldiers assigned to the temple precinct. What did the guards report? An earthquake. A bright light. An angel. The stone rolled away and the tomb vacant. These men were eyewitnesses to the resurrection, and the chief priests—who would not believe Moses and the prophets when they wrote about Jesus—weren’t going to believe these guards, either (cf. Lk. 16.29-31).
But it wasn’t enough that the chief priests refused to believe; they didn’t want anyone else to believe either. So they scripted a lie, bribed the guards, and promised to cover their backs “if this comes to the governor’s ears”. If? It is a measure of their blindness, and of the power of the lie, that these priests could not understand the ramifications of that empty tomb. Not only would the governor hear of it, the whole world would!
What a stupid excuse: “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’” The least bright student in Logic 101 would be able to expose the absurdity of that lie. First, the disciples, who had all fled Jesus and were in hiding somewhere, managed to screw up the courage and marshal the strength to roll away the stone and take Jesus’ body away, without waking any of the Roman guard? It’s helpful to remember that Roman guards tended to be extremely vigilant, because their lives might be at stake if they failed in their assignment (cf. Acts 12.19). Second, our logic student might ask, If the guards were asleep, how would they know the disciples had come and done this?
Yeah. Dumb. And it was not just the chief priests, but the entire council of elders that concocted this ridiculous explanation for the empty tomb (v. 12). But it worked, because “this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” And not just among the Jews. People will believe whatever they want, as ludicrous as it may be, so long as it allows them, if only in their own mind, notto believe in Jesus and the resurrection.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
This is a perfect example of what wrong-believers choose to believe instead of the truth.
Whatever keeps them from having to change behaviors, to follow Jesus, to obey His Word, and to live in His Kingdom is, for some folks, worthy of belief—regardless of how ridiculous, implausible, or unfathomable.
“His disciples
came at night
and stole Him away
while we slept” (Matt. 28.13).
Can you imagine basing your whole belief system on something as incredible as that?
And yet, that is exactly what everyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus
and His death and resurrection stand firmly upon.
A lie.
From the father of lies.
A murderer who hates them.
Who does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him (Jn. 8.44).
But we know the truth.
And the truth has set us free (Jn. 8.32).
Free to share the glorious truth with everyone.
“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth” (Ps. 119.142).
“For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.
For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him
might be saved” (Jn. 3.16, 17).
This is the truth in which we boldly stand.
Proclaim it loudly to ears deafened by the lie.
When all else fails them—
Some may even listen and believe.
Reflect.
1. Why are we correct in saying that Jesus is the truth?
2. What are a few of the wrong-believing lies in our day that seek to distract us from the truth that is in Jesus?
3. What are the best ways to fortify yourself against the lies of this world?
How could they have stolen Him? O most foolish of all men! They can’t even lie plausibly! The conspicuousness of the truth highlights their falsehood. For indeed what they said after the bribe was extremely farfetched. Their falsehood did not even have the ring of plausibility. For how, I ask, could the disciples have stolen Him? They were poor and unlearned. They were hiding out at this time, not even venturing to show themselves. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew 90.1
Pray Psalm 12.3-8.
Ask God to prepare you for the day ahead, that you will not be deceived nor led astray from Jesus by the lies of the enemy.
Sing Psalm 12.3-8.
Hamburg: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Stop, LORD, the lips that utter lies, all tongues that speak with boastful pride,
who say, “Our own lips we will prize; no lord will ever us override!”
Rise up, O LORD, and rescue all the poor and those so sorely distressed.
Give them the safety for which they call; grant that they be no more oppressed.
Your words are pure and proven true, like silver seven times refined.
You will preserve Your Word ever new, and keep the heart to You inclined.
Proudly the wicked strut and stand; Your indignation builds on high.
Men may exalt their wicked plans, but You will judge them by and by.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out the fall schedule of reading and study groups. Lots of opportunities here to grow and make some new friends. And check out our clearance sale at The Ailbe Bookstore.
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast features excerpts from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column continues our study of “Everyday Christianity”. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
