Thursday, December 15, 2011

Daily Gospel Devotional: December 15

Matthew 28:11-15…

The evidence of the enemies…

The Roman soldiers were supposed to guard the body of Jesus (Matthew 27:62-66). But the body was now gone, and they were in trouble. So some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. No doubt the soldiers feared for their lives, and surely they spoke of the earthquake, the angel, and how the stone had been rolled away. However, they did not report that the body had been stolen; only that it was no longer there.

This brought fear to the Sanhedrin, but it did not bring repentance and faith. They weren’t worried about whether this was true. They were only worried about losing their power over the people. So instead of investigating, they bribe the soldiers to say that the body had been stolen while they slept. The soldiers were also given assurances that Pilate would not give them trouble.

Of course this was ridiculous. The whole idea of the guard was to keep watch at all times. The group would work in shifts, with some watching while the others slept. No one could have stolen the body without a struggle. And if all the guards were asleep, how could they have confirmed that it was the disciples who stole Jesus’ body? Anyways, the disciples had disappeared when they came to arrest Jesus. They would be too afraid to take on a Roman guard now.

The story that the Sanhedrin concocted is so full of holes that it actually confirms the truth of the resurrection. The evidence of the enemies is some of the strongest evidence there is. The leaders were willing to lie for the sake of maintaining their power, and the soldiers were willing to lie for the sake of money and protection.

It’s a lot easier for the believer to believe the truth than it is for the unbeliever to deny the truth. But denying the resurrection is still prevalent to this day, because if the resurrection is true, it has unavoidable and eternal implications for people. Therefore people, despite evidence and experience, are willing to do anything to deny and lie about it.

Just as it was back then, their hearts are harder than the stone that had been rolled away.

2 comments:

Even So... said...

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MrsEvenSo... said...

Lord soften our hearts to repentance. Help our unbelief. Cause us to embrace your Truth wholeheartedly and stand firm in the Faith!