Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
The verse is the paid lie the chief priests and elders put into the mouths of the Roman guards after some of them reported all that had happened at the tomb, promising them money and protection from the governor if they would say the body was taken by night while they slept. Those guards had kept weary, sleepless watch and had witnessed the resurrection itself, seeing a mighty angel remove the sealed stone, hearing Him proclaimed the Son of God and King of glory, and falling as dead men in fear. The story is self-contradictory and miserable scheming, for sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body, and soldiers would never admit sleeping on duty under penalty of death unless bought and protected. It did not triumph, for the empty tomb, Christ's appearances to His disciples and to more than five hundred, and the testimony of the captives raised with Him established the resurrection beyond doubt. It stands as a Satan-inspired falsehood meant to conceal God's power, suppress testimony, and turn people from Christ, illustrating how those who reject light fasten themselves in deception and believe the lie they wish were true.
Guarded Tomb Setting
Matthew 28:13 belongs to the guarded-tomb account, where a Roman seal was set in place, Roman guards kept watch, and angels guarded the tomb while hostile forces sought to keep it sealed because they feared the disciples would take the body and claim He had risen. The guards kept their weary watch with sleepless vigilance and witnessed the resurrection itself rather than a theft by night. A mighty angel removed the sealed stone, Christ was called from the grave and came forth, and the soldiers fell as dead men and were overcome with fear. They heard the angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, so their later claim that the body had been stolen was a false explanation of what they had seen.
The verse stands in the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's sufferings and presents a risen Saviour, with Matthew 28:1-20 joined to Matthew 17, Matthew 26:26-75, and Matthew 27 in that presentation. The precautions taken to prevent the tomb from being tampered with make the theft explanation unconvincing. Roman arms could not keep Jesus in the tomb, and strict discipline made sleeping at post punishable by death. The sealed tomb and the watch were intended to prevent any deception about His body, but those efforts instead strengthen the testimony that He rose and make the triumph of the resurrection more complete.
Bribed False Report
Some of the guard came into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened at the tomb, and the chief priests gathered with the elders, took counsel together, and gave the soldiers large money to say His disciples came by night and stole Him away while they slept. They promised that if the matter came to the governor's ears they would persuade him and keep the soldiers safe, and the soldiers took the money and did as they were taught. This saying was commonly reported among the Jews and spread throughout the country, continuing to circulate as the false explanation for the empty tomb.
The report was a deliberate falsehood, not denial for lack of evidence or knowledge, for the leaders paid to hide the facts, suppress testimony, and prevent people from learning the truth. It was circulated to conceal God's power revealed in the resurrection and to keep people from learning that Jesus had risen as He had said. The truth would have exposed them as Christ's murderers and brought blame upon them for putting Him to death, so they sought to protect themselves, to escape the people's anger, and to persist in calling Him an impostor and denying that He had risen.
The soldiers sold their integrity for money and bore false witness instead of reporting the truth they had seen with sleepless vigilance and quaking hearts. They had kept weary watch, seen the circumstances of the resurrection, heard an angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and seen a mighty angel remove the sealed stone and Christ called from the grave to come forth. They were horrified to deceive the people and perjure themselves, because sleeping at post was an offense punishable with death and placed their own lives in peril, and they took up the lie only after the priests promised to secure their safety. They came in before the priests burdened with a most startling message of truth and went out burdened with money and a lying report on their tongues, exchanging their truthful report for a falsehood spread far and near.
Pilate heard the guards' full true account, for after a private interview in which they told him all the particulars and dared conceal nothing for fear of losing their lives, he questioned them and learned the truth. He was filled with terror and shut himself in his home. Yet when the priests came to him and urged him to make no investigation of the sentinels' affirmed sleeping at their post but to overlook their failure and let the matter pass, he consented and did not prosecute the matter farther. From that time he had no more peace or comfort.
Theft Claim Refuted
The story put into the soldiers' mouths was that the disciples came by night and stole the body while the guard slept. It is miserable scheming and overreaches itself, for it contradicts itself on its face. Sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body. Every thinking mind not blinded by bigotry sees the falsehood, though the lie was spread hard until very many believed it.
The soldiers knew it was false because they had kept their weary watch with sleepless vigilance and had seen the circumstances of the resurrection and heard an angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory. They had witnessed the angel roll away the stone and found the tomb empty, and were then paid to deny what they had seen and repeat the theft claim. They were horrified to bear this false witness, deceiving the people and perjuring themselves. They came in burdened with a most startling message of truth and went out with a burden of money and a lying report on their tongues.
Falsely claiming to have slept on duty placed their own lives in peril, since sleeping at post while on sentry duty was an offense punishable with death without pardon. Soldiers would never proclaim their own fault of that kind about themselves. They took up the lie only for money after large bribes were offered and protection was promised to secure their safety. The priests said Pilate would not want the facts of the resurrection circulated any more than they did, and promised to persuade him and keep the soldiers safe.
The priests showed they had no faith in their own story by what they did not do. One waking guard would have waked the rest. If the disciples had been proved to have stolen the body, the priests would have condemned and punished them. If the guards had slept on duty, the priests would have accused them to Pilate and demanded investigation and full punishment, and would never have passed sleeping guards lightly. Their failure to call the disciples to account and punish them, and to investigate and punish the guards, proves the disciples innocent and proves the story was invented to meet the growing proof that Jesus rose as the divine Son of God, including the testimony of persons raised with Him who were seen and heard saying Jesus lives.
Resurrection Truth Confirmed
The soldiers themselves had seen what truly emptied the tomb, and their first true report contradicts the theft story and confirms that Jesus rose as He said. They had kept weary watch with sleepless vigilance and were overcome with fear when a mighty angel came, removed the sealed stone, and Christ was called from the grave and came forth alive, which they witnessed with quaking hearts. They heard the angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and they found the tomb empty because the angel had rolled the stone away, not because the disciples had taken Him. The claim put on their tongues that the disciples came by night and stole the body while they slept was therefore miserable scheming and self-contradictory, for sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body. They were horrified to bear this false witness and perjure themselves at peril of their lives, having come in burdened with a most startling message of truth and going out burdened with money and a lying report after selling their integrity.
The lie did not triumph, because the multitude of captives raised with Christ went into the city, appeared to many, and testified that Christ was risen and that His power had called them from the grave. This testimony of persons raised with Him, seen and heard saying Jesus lives, weakened the effect of the report that was spread hard until very many believed it and established the certainty of the resurrection beyond doubt. God made the resurrection certain and impossible for the priests and elders to conceal, even though Satan inspired the lie and the people were ready to believe it. The priests showed they had no faith in their own story, for one waking guard would have waked the rest and they never called the disciples to account and punished them, which proves the disciples innocent and proves the story was invented to meet the growing proof that Jesus rose as the divine Son of God.
The resurrection was further confirmed by Jesus' appearances to His disciples and to more than five hundred people, together with the witnesses who had risen with Him and declared that He was alive. The disciples' testimony and the powerful evidence of the resurrection contradicted the claim meant to conceal the facts, and the false story was challenged when Peter and John preached that Jesus had risen from the dead. Testimony from the soldiers and from those who had seen the risen dead could not be silenced, though the report was spread far and near to deny the resurrection and make Jesus appear an impostor. The priests had ordered the guard to tell no one what they had seen, yet witnesses to the soldiers' true testimony remained.
The resurrection is the event on which salvation depends, and God gave incontrovertible proof that the crucified One was the Son of God. The multitude of captives who rose when Jesus was raised and revealed themselves to many defeated the effort to conceal His resurrection and established the certainty that Christ Himself had risen from the dead. From that time men have believed that it was the Son of God who was crucified.
Wider Lessons and Warnings
The saying is a lie inspired by Satan and put into the mouths of the Roman guards by the chief priests and elders to deny the miraculous reality of the resurrection. It was spread after the guards reported what they had witnessed at the tomb, to hide the facts, avoid the anger of the people, and turn minds away from Christ and the Bible. The people were ready to believe it because they wanted it to be true, and the same kind of deception is used to deny the miraculous nature of His birth, death, and resurrection. Later false claims about Jesus that obscure Him and make Him seem no more than an ordinary man belong to this same work of turning attention away from Him and the Scriptures.
The saying shows how those who reject light conceal truth, promote error, and deny facts they cannot undo, fastening themselves in deception to sustain sin. The soldiers took money and repeated the paid-for account that the disciples stole the body while they slept, suppressing clear and convincing evidence that Jesus had risen as the Son of God, and the claim continued to circulate among the Jews. Sleeping men could not know who took the body, yet those who wanted the lie to be true accepted it and were ready to believe it. That pattern of suppressing testimony and accepting falsehood despite incontrovertible proof will recur even among those who once knew and believed the truth.
The false charge gained ground on the first day of the week after the Master died on the sixth day, that the disciples had stolen His body away by night to practice deception upon the people. It belongs to the history of the professedly pious Jews and left the disciples resting under stigma as deceivers. Deprived of His body and fearing they could never correct the false impression, their depression and perplexity were deepened.
The saying stands in the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's sufferings and presents a risen Saviour. That chapter shows the infinite sacrifices the Lord of glory made to open the way whereby sinners might be saved, unto a life that measures with the life of God. Faithful study of the gospels blesses those who think they suffer more than Christ suffered or pay a higher price for faith than He paid for them, so none should feel the price too high. Only those willing to make special sacrifices to save souls ready to perish can be counted worthy to enter the city of God.
The verse is the paid lie the chief priests and elders put into the mouths of the Roman guards after some of them reported all that had happened at the tomb, promising them money and protection from the governor if they would say the body was taken by night while they slept. Those guards had kept weary, sleepless watch and had witnessed the resurrection itself, seeing a mighty angel remove the sealed stone, hearing Him proclaimed the Son of God and King of glory, and falling as dead men in fear. The story is self-contradictory and miserable scheming, for sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body, and soldiers would never admit sleeping on duty under penalty of death unless bought and protected. It did not triumph, for the empty tomb, Christ's appearances to His disciples and to more than five hundred, and the testimony of the captives raised with Him established the resurrection beyond doubt. It stands as a Satan-inspired falsehood meant to conceal God's power, suppress testimony, and turn people from Christ, illustrating how those who reject light fasten themselves in deception and believe the lie they wish were true.
Guarded Tomb Setting
Matthew 28:13 belongs to the guarded-tomb account, where a Roman seal was set in place, Roman guards kept watch, and angels guarded the tomb while hostile forces sought to keep it sealed because they feared the disciples would take the body and claim He had risen. The guards kept their weary watch with sleepless vigilance and witnessed the resurrection itself rather than a theft by night. A mighty angel removed the sealed stone, Christ was called from the grave and came forth, and the soldiers fell as dead men and were overcome with fear. They heard the angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, so their later claim that the body had been stolen was a false explanation of what they had seen.
The verse stands in the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's sufferings and presents a risen Saviour, with Matthew 28:1-20 joined to Matthew 17, Matthew 26:26-75, and Matthew 27 in that presentation. The precautions taken to prevent the tomb from being tampered with make the theft explanation unconvincing. Roman arms could not keep Jesus in the tomb, and strict discipline made sleeping at post punishable by death. The sealed tomb and the watch were intended to prevent any deception about His body, but those efforts instead strengthen the testimony that He rose and make the triumph of the resurrection more complete.
Bribed False Report
Some of the guard came into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened at the tomb, and the chief priests gathered with the elders, took counsel together, and gave the soldiers large money to say His disciples came by night and stole Him away while they slept. They promised that if the matter came to the governor's ears they would persuade him and keep the soldiers safe, and the soldiers took the money and did as they were taught. This saying was commonly reported among the Jews and spread throughout the country, continuing to circulate as the false explanation for the empty tomb.
The report was a deliberate falsehood, not denial for lack of evidence or knowledge, for the leaders paid to hide the facts, suppress testimony, and prevent people from learning the truth. It was circulated to conceal God's power revealed in the resurrection and to keep people from learning that Jesus had risen as He had said. The truth would have exposed them as Christ's murderers and brought blame upon them for putting Him to death, so they sought to protect themselves, to escape the people's anger, and to persist in calling Him an impostor and denying that He had risen.
The soldiers sold their integrity for money and bore false witness instead of reporting the truth they had seen with sleepless vigilance and quaking hearts. They had kept weary watch, seen the circumstances of the resurrection, heard an angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and seen a mighty angel remove the sealed stone and Christ called from the grave to come forth. They were horrified to deceive the people and perjure themselves, because sleeping at post was an offense punishable with death and placed their own lives in peril, and they took up the lie only after the priests promised to secure their safety. They came in before the priests burdened with a most startling message of truth and went out burdened with money and a lying report on their tongues, exchanging their truthful report for a falsehood spread far and near.
Pilate heard the guards' full true account, for after a private interview in which they told him all the particulars and dared conceal nothing for fear of losing their lives, he questioned them and learned the truth. He was filled with terror and shut himself in his home. Yet when the priests came to him and urged him to make no investigation of the sentinels' affirmed sleeping at their post but to overlook their failure and let the matter pass, he consented and did not prosecute the matter farther. From that time he had no more peace or comfort.
Theft Claim Refuted
The story put into the soldiers' mouths was that the disciples came by night and stole the body while the guard slept. It is miserable scheming and overreaches itself, for it contradicts itself on its face. Sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body. Every thinking mind not blinded by bigotry sees the falsehood, though the lie was spread hard until very many believed it.
The soldiers knew it was false because they had kept their weary watch with sleepless vigilance and had seen the circumstances of the resurrection and heard an angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory. They had witnessed the angel roll away the stone and found the tomb empty, and were then paid to deny what they had seen and repeat the theft claim. They were horrified to bear this false witness, deceiving the people and perjuring themselves. They came in burdened with a most startling message of truth and went out with a burden of money and a lying report on their tongues.
Falsely claiming to have slept on duty placed their own lives in peril, since sleeping at post while on sentry duty was an offense punishable with death without pardon. Soldiers would never proclaim their own fault of that kind about themselves. They took up the lie only for money after large bribes were offered and protection was promised to secure their safety. The priests said Pilate would not want the facts of the resurrection circulated any more than they did, and promised to persuade him and keep the soldiers safe.
The priests showed they had no faith in their own story by what they did not do. One waking guard would have waked the rest. If the disciples had been proved to have stolen the body, the priests would have condemned and punished them. If the guards had slept on duty, the priests would have accused them to Pilate and demanded investigation and full punishment, and would never have passed sleeping guards lightly. Their failure to call the disciples to account and punish them, and to investigate and punish the guards, proves the disciples innocent and proves the story was invented to meet the growing proof that Jesus rose as the divine Son of God, including the testimony of persons raised with Him who were seen and heard saying Jesus lives.
Resurrection Truth Confirmed
The soldiers themselves had seen what truly emptied the tomb, and their first true report contradicts the theft story and confirms that Jesus rose as He said. They had kept weary watch with sleepless vigilance and were overcome with fear when a mighty angel came, removed the sealed stone, and Christ was called from the grave and came forth alive, which they witnessed with quaking hearts. They heard the angel proclaim the crucified One as the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and they found the tomb empty because the angel had rolled the stone away, not because the disciples had taken Him. The claim put on their tongues that the disciples came by night and stole the body while they slept was therefore miserable scheming and self-contradictory, for sleeping men could not know how the tomb became empty or who took the body. They were horrified to bear this false witness and perjure themselves at peril of their lives, having come in burdened with a most startling message of truth and going out burdened with money and a lying report after selling their integrity.
The lie did not triumph, because the multitude of captives raised with Christ went into the city, appeared to many, and testified that Christ was risen and that His power had called them from the grave. This testimony of persons raised with Him, seen and heard saying Jesus lives, weakened the effect of the report that was spread hard until very many believed it and established the certainty of the resurrection beyond doubt. God made the resurrection certain and impossible for the priests and elders to conceal, even though Satan inspired the lie and the people were ready to believe it. The priests showed they had no faith in their own story, for one waking guard would have waked the rest and they never called the disciples to account and punished them, which proves the disciples innocent and proves the story was invented to meet the growing proof that Jesus rose as the divine Son of God.
The resurrection was further confirmed by Jesus' appearances to His disciples and to more than five hundred people, together with the witnesses who had risen with Him and declared that He was alive. The disciples' testimony and the powerful evidence of the resurrection contradicted the claim meant to conceal the facts, and the false story was challenged when Peter and John preached that Jesus had risen from the dead. Testimony from the soldiers and from those who had seen the risen dead could not be silenced, though the report was spread far and near to deny the resurrection and make Jesus appear an impostor. The priests had ordered the guard to tell no one what they had seen, yet witnesses to the soldiers' true testimony remained.
The resurrection is the event on which salvation depends, and God gave incontrovertible proof that the crucified One was the Son of God. The multitude of captives who rose when Jesus was raised and revealed themselves to many defeated the effort to conceal His resurrection and established the certainty that Christ Himself had risen from the dead. From that time men have believed that it was the Son of God who was crucified.
Wider Lessons and Warnings
The saying is a lie inspired by Satan and put into the mouths of the Roman guards by the chief priests and elders to deny the miraculous reality of the resurrection. It was spread after the guards reported what they had witnessed at the tomb, to hide the facts, avoid the anger of the people, and turn minds away from Christ and the Bible. The people were ready to believe it because they wanted it to be true, and the same kind of deception is used to deny the miraculous nature of His birth, death, and resurrection. Later false claims about Jesus that obscure Him and make Him seem no more than an ordinary man belong to this same work of turning attention away from Him and the Scriptures.
The saying shows how those who reject light conceal truth, promote error, and deny facts they cannot undo, fastening themselves in deception to sustain sin. The soldiers took money and repeated the paid-for account that the disciples stole the body while they slept, suppressing clear and convincing evidence that Jesus had risen as the Son of God, and the claim continued to circulate among the Jews. Sleeping men could not know who took the body, yet those who wanted the lie to be true accepted it and were ready to believe it. That pattern of suppressing testimony and accepting falsehood despite incontrovertible proof will recur even among those who once knew and believed the truth.
The false charge gained ground on the first day of the week after the Master died on the sixth day, that the disciples had stolen His body away by night to practice deception upon the people. It belongs to the history of the professedly pious Jews and left the disciples resting under stigma as deceivers. Deprived of His body and fearing they could never correct the false impression, their depression and perplexity were deepened.
The saying stands in the brighter resurrection chapter that follows Christ's sufferings and presents a risen Saviour. That chapter shows the infinite sacrifices the Lord of glory made to open the way whereby sinners might be saved, unto a life that measures with the life of God. Faithful study of the gospels blesses those who think they suffer more than Christ suffered or pay a higher price for faith than He paid for them, so none should feel the price too high. Only those willing to make special sacrifices to save souls ready to perish can be counted worthy to enter the city of God.