Matthew 28:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

NIV: 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.

NASB: And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day.

CSB: They took the money and did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.

NLT: So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

KJV: So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

NKJV: So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

The chief priests and elders began the first day after Jesus' resurrection bribing Roman soldiers to lie (Matthew 28:1–14). The men are instructed to say Jesus was still dead. In truth, Messiah had come and died and come back to life, yet Israel's religious leaders were working hard to keep people from believing it.

They bribed the Roman soldiers who saw the angel from heaven open the tomb to say that Jesus' followers had caught them napping in the night and had stolen the body. They promised to bribe Pilate, as well, if the story of their sleeping on the job reached his ears so that he wouldn't have them killed. The soldiers took the cash and started the story. It was still circulating when Matthew wrote this book, some decades later (Matthew 28:11–14).

The dividing line between hope of eternity and hopelessness of the grave lies in deciding between those two stories. Either Jesus was raised from the dead or Jesus never breathed again (1 Corinthians 15:14–20). Those who trust in Christ and those who refuse to believe are eternally and entirely separated by which they choose to believe (John 3:16–18).

Matthew 28:11–15 describes a plot by the Jewish religious leaders to distribute a false story about Jesus' resurrection. The Roman soldiers report what really happened at the tomb. The chief priests and elders agree to bribe the soldiers to lie and say they fell asleep on the job so hard that Jesus' followers were able to steal His dead body. They promise to protect the soldiers from Pilate, the Roman governor, if he hears they slept while on guard duty and wants to punish them. The lie begins to spread among the Jewish population, despite the idea being ludicrous (Matthew 27:66).

An angel of the Lord descends from heaven and rolls the stone from Jesus' tomb. The guards faint. The angel sits on top of the stone and waits. Two women, followers of Jesus, arrive and are told that Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus then meets them and tells them to give the news to His brothers. The chief priests bribe the guards to say Jesus' followers stole His body. Jesus meets the disciples on a mountain in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Jesus' commands. Jesus promises to be with them always.

Matthew 28 follows the dark events of the crucifixion in the previous chapter and brings Matthew's story of Jesus to a close. An angel descends from heaven and rolls back the stone. The guards faint. The angel tells two women Jesus is risen and then Jesus meets them. The Jewish religious leaders bribe the guards to lie and distribute a story that His followers took the body. Jesus meets His disciples in Galilee and commissions them to make disciples of people from all nations on earth, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all of Jesus' commands.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.