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The Guards Report the Empty Tomb
Some guards report what happened, and the chief priests and elders arrange a false story.
Some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. Matthew includes this short report to show what the guards said and how the leaders responded.
The chief priests met with the elders and made a plan together. Then they gave the soldiers a large amount of silver. The money was part of their plan for what the soldiers should say next.
They instructed the soldiers to say that his disciples came at night and stole him away while the guards were asleep. This was the story the leaders wanted spread.
They also promised to help if the governor heard about it. They said they would speak to him and keep the soldiers free from worry. So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told.
Matthew says that this report spread among Jewish people and was still being repeated when he wrote. In this passage, leaders with influence use money and a false message instead of telling what happened. What can this account teach us about honesty?
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A children’s retelling of Matthew 28:11–15. You can read the Bible passage together too.
Matthew 28:15 says this report spread 'among the Jews' until the time of writing. In this retelling, that phrase is not used to blame all Jewish people, but to report Matthew's description of where the story circulated.
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Source: World English Bible Classic, a public domain translation. This page is a retelling, rather than a word-for-word Bible text.
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The Empty Tomb and the Responses to Jesus' Resurrection →