Ever received money to lie about Jesus?
Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Christ to the people Ecce homo! (Behold the man!). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 28:11 –15 “They took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day” (v. 15). Regarding the resurrection of our Lord , it is ironic that the thing the Sanhedrin tried to prevent with the placing of a guard became the story they made up to hide what really happened. The Pharisees and chief priests had Pilate seal Jesus ’ tomb so that His disciples would not steal His body and claim that He rose from the dead (Matt. 27:62–66). Yet when Jesus was resurrected (28:1–10), His opponents did not repent; rather, they concocted a tale of theft to deceive Israel (vv. 11–15), preferring to save face instead of admitting the truth. Many enemies of Christianity still say the disciples stole Jesus’ body and fraudulently preached His resurrection, an assertion that is filled with holes.