Moment of Meditation: The Hoax Begins (Matthew 28:12-13)

''And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep'" (Matthew 28:12-13).''

The soldiers went to the elders. They were given their marching orders. The frozen hearts begin the greatest hoax in human history. Spreading the same story that they had tried to persuade Pilate to guard Jesus' tomb. The Apostles stole Jesus body while they were sleeping.

Matthew would note, "This saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day" (28:15). Even today, almost two thousand years later, this is a common teaching among Jewish circles about Jesus' resurrection. Matthew includes this part of his Gospel to let us know the truth about the soldiers' statements.

The soldiers took their money and left. The elders were left to figure out where to pick up from here. Jesus would never be their Messiah. However, "a great many of the priests became obedient to the Faith" (Acts 6:7). Those who knew better would later become Christians because they couldn't keep the hoax alive.

The hoax is a dead lie. Jesus is the living reality. Don't listen to the hoaxes of the world. Even those that come from the religious experts. Dig into the Word and find what God wants you to believe. Amen.