While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. 12 They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy [him] and keep you out of trouble.” 15 The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present [day].
Matthew now shows what happened after the women left the tomb. In the verses just before this passage, they were told that Jesus had risen and were sent to bring that news to the disciples (Matt. 28:5-10). Now another group leaves the same place with a very different message. Some of the guards go into the city and report to the chief priests what had happened (v. 11).
That detail matters. The guards do not report that the tomb is still sealed or that the body is still there. They report what has happened. The passage does not question whether the tomb was empty. It shows an attempt to explain the empty tomb by means of a false story.
The chief priests then meet with the elders and make a plan (v. 12). They give the soldiers a large sum of money and tell them exactly what to say: “His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep” (v. 13). This is not a misunderstanding or a confused report. It is a false story made on purpose. Money is used to spread it, just as money had already appeared earlier in the passion account in connection with the betrayal of Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16).
Their explanation is also weak on its own terms. If the soldiers were asleep, they could not know who took the body. And if guards failed in their duty, they could face serious punishment. That is why the leaders add another promise: if the matter reaches the governor, they will satisfy him and keep the soldiers out of trouble (v. 14). The lie must be supported by money, planning, and protection.
The soldiers take the money and do as they are told (v. 15). So the passage shows not only deceit from the leaders, but also the cooperation of the guards. One sin leads to another. A false account is created, then taught, then repeated.
Matthew ends by saying that this story “has circulated among the Jews to the present [day]” (v. 15). He is telling his readers that the false explanation was still being repeated when he wrote his Gospel. But he also shows its weakness. Even those opposing the resurrection must work from the fact that the tomb is empty. They cannot deny the emptiness of the tomb. They can only try to explain it away.
This is one reason the passage is important. It gives negative witness to the resurrection. The enemies of Jesus do not produce a body. Instead, they create a story. Their attempt to suppress the truth ends up confirming an important point: the tomb was indeed empty.
There is also a moral lesson here. People do not always reject the truth because there is no evidence. Sometimes they reject it because the truth is unwelcome. In this passage, the leaders are not shown as seeking what is true. They are shown as protecting themselves and controlling the story. The passage therefore warns us that the human heart can resist even clear signs when accepting them would require surrender, repentance, and change.
For Christians, the empty tomb is not the whole of faith, but it is a real part of it. It is the place where the false explanation fails and the truth begins to stand out more clearly. Christ was not stolen away. He was raised. The lie in this passage tries to hide that fact, but Matthew records the lie itself in a way that helps expose it.
Lord Jesus Christ, you rose from the dead in truth and power. Keep us from falsehood, hardness of heart, and the fear that resists your word. Lead us to love the truth and to live by it faithfully. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matt. 28:11-15 and note.
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 60.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed., The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 151.
- Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 673, para. 167.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu, et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 969-970.
- John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. With a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2020, 1236.
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