“You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away.’” (Matthew 28:13)
On Monday we took a look at the embarrassing evidence in the testimony of the women regarding the resurrection. Today and Friday we will look at the “enemy” evidence that comes from those who hated Jesus.
The Religious Leaders
Everyone is in agreement on both sides of the resurrection debate that enemy attestation is a powerful proposition regarding the proof of the resurrection. The enemies of Jesus hated Him and were the ones who had Him put to death. The Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman government had had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose in making any statement that helped prove the resurrection. Now, in order to have a resurrection, you first need an empty tomb. Do you know who was first to testify to the tomb of Jesus being empty?
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ”You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:11-15)
First, the tomb location was known. This is called the “Jerusalem Factor” as Jesus was publicly executed and put into a known tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Remember, two known Pharisees buried Jesus – Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. So, there would be no confusing the precise location. Second, if the tomb was not empty, the religious leaders would have simply produced the dead and decaying body of Jesus and paraded Him around Jerusalem for all the world to see. The reason they could not produce His body from a tomb that was widely known was because Jesus was no longer in the tomb. He rose bodily from the grave.
Remember, if someone has any kind of bias against someone else, what would be the reason for that person saying anything positive or helpful about the other person? There would be no reason, except for the fact that it must be true. The only story the enemies of Jesus could come up with for the tomb being empty was the disciples stole the body. And, we know how silly that claim is when we read the stories of how most of them died for their faith in a risen Jesus. On Friday, we will look at Saul, the enemy of the Savior.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 