Matt 28:1-20 — The Resurrection of Jesus, The Great Commission
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As i read the resurrection account in Matthew this morning, I’m drawn to the discussion of the guards. When the angel of the Lord came like an earthquake and rolled back the stone, “the guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). The women hurried to tell the others the great news while “some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened” (28:11). The chief priests bribe the guards and perpetuate the story that somehow the disciples stole the body while they were asleep. This doesn’t make sense at any level: the disciples were not a military force by any stretch and sleeping guards…really?
Notable apologist, William Lane Craig, concludes: “Guard or no guard, no critic today believes that the disciples could have robbed the tomb and faked the resurrection. Rather the real value of Matthew’s story is the incidental — and for that reason all the more reliable — information that Jewish polemic never denied that the tomb was empty, but instead tried to explain it away. Thus the early opponents of the Christians themselves bear witness to the fact of the empty tomb.” (http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-guard-at-the-tomb)
Craig’s comment provides an excellent conclusion, no one is doubting the tomb was empty, rather, they provide different accounts for the reason. If the tomb was empty because the body was simply stolen, there would be no further story to tell. But that’s not the end of the story. Many events follow and the evidence mounts in favor of the resurrection account, thus, the cornerstone of our faith. I’m thankful we have various perspectives on the life of Jesus through the Gospels, but sometimes it takes a bit of reading to see through the various lenses. The journey is worth the effort.