Matthew 28:12

Matthew 28:12, in plain English

The chief priests met with the elders, came up with a plan, and gave the soldiers a large bribe.

Why it's here

Notice what they didn't do: they didn't argue the tomb was still occupied. They knew it was empty. Their only option was to pay people to lie about why.

Who's speaking

Matthew describes the religious leaders' scheme to cover up what the guards reported.

Where it sits in the story

When the truth is inconvenient, some people would rather pay to suppress it than let it change them. The leaders' bribe was an accidental confession: something extraordinary had happened, and they knew it.

The scholarly reading

The chief priests convened with the elders and devised a strategy (symboulion labontes), bribing the soldiers with a substantial sum (arguria hikana) to spread a false narrative.

Language and setting

The bribery demonstrates that the Jewish leadership did not dispute the empty tomb; they only sought to explain it away, inadvertently confirming the central fact of the resurrection.

Voice

Matthew narrates the conspiracy between the religious and civic leaders of Jerusalem.

Significance

The leaders' willingness to pay a large bribe reveals their desperation. They could not deny the tomb was empty, so they manufactured an alternative explanation, tacitly acknowledging the very evidence they sought to suppress.

10“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

11While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

12And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

13and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’

14If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

Read all of Matthew 28 — An earthquake. An angel. An empty tomb. And then the most important words ever spoken: He is not here. He has risen.