Matthew 28:11-15

How sad that conspiracy theories threatened the very truth of our salvation. They are used to this day to threaten our nation.

Sadly, there is nothing new under the sun!

When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. For more than three decades, his once limitless reach would be limited to the stretch of an arm. His speed would be checked to the pace of human feet.

I wonder, was he ever tempted to reclaim his boundlessness? When the rain chilled his bones, was he tempted to change the weather? If he ever entertained such a thought, he never gave in to it.

Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. With one word he could’ve transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, but he didn’t. With a wave of his hand, he could’ve boomeranged the spit of his accusers back into their faces. With the arch of his brow, he could’ve paralyzed the hand of the soldier as the soldier braided the crown of thorns. But Jesus didn’t. Max Lucado

Matthew 28:11-15

11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. The New King James Version

The chief priests, who were involved in Jewish religious government, bribe the Roman soldiers to spread a false report about Jesus’ disciples stealing His body. Faithlife Study Bible

The Roman guards reported to the chief priests because they had been assigned for duty to the religious authorities. His disciples … stole Him away while we slept: Besides being a lie, this was a very weak explanation. If a guard was found sleeping at his post or if a prisoner escaped, the guard would be put to death. It may have been possible for one soldier to sleep, but it is highly improbable that all of them slept at the same time. Also, sleeping people do not make good witnesses: If they were asleep, how did they know what happened? 

Until this day refers specifically to the time of the writing of Matthew’s Gospel; however, this explanation is current even today.  The NKJV Study Bible

Again, had there been any truth in the report, the rulers would have prosecuted the apostles with severity for it. The whole shows that the story was entirely false. And we must not charge such things to the weakness of the understanding, but to the wickedness of the heart. God left them to expose their own course. The great argument to prove Christ to be the Son of God, is his resurrection; and none could have more convincing proofs of the truth of that than these soldiers; yet they took bribes to hinder others from believing. The plainest evidence will not affect men, without the work of the Holy Spirit. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary