Matthew 28:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers

NIV: When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

NASB: And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

CSB: After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

NLT: A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe.

KJV: And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

NKJV: When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

The Roman soldiers have come to the chief priests to report what they saw at Jesus' tomb (Matthew 28:2–4). It's quite a report. The body had been undisturbed since the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27:62–66) until an angel from heaven arrived and rolled away the stone. In terror, the soldiers passed out at the sight of this spiritual being. There had been an earthquake. The body was gone.

Matthew does not reveal how much of the story the soldiers reported or what the Jewish religious leaders believed. All that mattered to them was that Jesus' body was gone. They had to act fast to counter the report that He had been raised from the dead. The chief priests and elders came up with a plan. They would bribe the guards to distribute a better story for their cause.

Because of the cash and the later promise to protect them from Pilate (Matthew 28:13–14), the soldiers agreed to play along (Matthew 28:15).

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 10:24:31 AM