Introduction:
Matthew tells us of two disciples, two women, who met with the wonder of the resurrection through an encounter with an angel and then met with the resurrected Christ Himself.
These women were characterized by devotion, amazement, worship, joy, and an immediate desire to obey the instruction they were given and to report the good news to the Lord’s disciples.
But, as we have seen with the crucifixion of Jesus, and the burial of Jesus, we now meet with response of Christ’s enemies to the resurrection of Jesus.
What do we see in the enemies of Christ as they respond to the reality that He has been raised from the dead?
Tonight, we see four characteristics of these enemies of Christ as they respond to His resurrection.
I. UNWILLING RECIPIENTS OF MERCY (vs.11)
After all the ways that the chief priests, along with the other religious leaders of the Jews, had sinned — blasphemy, lying, manipulation, mockery, cruelty, MURDER — they are now receiving a report.
The guards who had been charged with securing the tomb, now made their way to the chief priests to tell them about everything that had happened.
These men now knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that everything Jesus promised about His death and resurrection was true.
REMEMBER, they claimed that if Jesus was delivered from death, they would believe in Him.
ESV Matthew 27:42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
Yes, they were talking about Him coming down from the cross, but what they heard about now was even greater.
HE WAS DELIVERED BY GOD AFTER DYING.
THEY ALSO MADE CLEAR THAT THEY KNEW THAT JESUS CLAIMED THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN.
They called that DECEPTION. They said that He was a deceiver.
ESV Matthew 27:63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first."
WELL, NOW THEY KNEW THAT HE WASN’T A DECEIVER.
THEY RECEIVED NEWS FROM THE GUARDS:
They heard about the earthquake.
They heard about the angel and his dazzling appearance.
They heard about the empty tomb.
IT WAS A TREMENDOUS MERCY THAT THESE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE STILL ALIVE TO HEAR ABOUT THESE THINGS.
God could have justly struck them dead for what they had done with His Son. But here they are given another opportunity.
Here was their opportunity for repentance.
Here was their opportunity to fall on their faces and admit their sinful foolishness and their need for forgiveness, and the truth — Jesus is the Messiah.
II. BRAZEN OPPONENTS OF THE TRUTH (vs.12-13)
What do they do instead? They prove themselves to be BRAZEN. Bold, without shame, when they should have been full of shame.
The chief priests gather with the elders, and they decide to SPREAD A LIE.
NOTE: THIS RESPONSE PROVES THAT IT WAS NEVER REALLY ABOUT EVIDENCE.
This is one of the most amazing things the world has ever seen.
A man is questioned about signs that would prove He is the Messiah.
He answers that the sign will be His resurrection.
They take steps to kill Him.
He is then raised from the dead.
You hear this from eyewitnesses who are not motivated to lie about this.
YET YOU DON’T STOP YOUR OPPOSITION?
IT PROVES THAT WHAT THE JEWISH LEADERS DID, THEY DID DESPITE EVIDENCE, NOT FOR LACK OF IT.
This has never changed.
People claim that they don’t believe because they don’t have enough evidence when the evidence that they have is already overwhelming to any honest mind.
NOTE: NEVER THINK THAT PEOPLE ENTER THE KINGDOM BY INTELLECTUAL PERSUASION. THEY ENTER THE KINGDOM WHEN THEY ARE BORN AGAIN.
What you see in these religious leaders is the fruit of their sinful natures.
This is SINFUL UNBELIEF.
This is STUBBORN UNBELIEF.
This is DISHONEST, WILLFUL, UNBELIEF.
And so, they choose to construct a lie and convince the guards to disseminate their lie.
HOW DO THEY INCENTIVIZE THESE GUARDS TO SPREAD THEIR LIE?
MONEY.
AND IT WAS NO SMALL SUM OF MONEY.
Whatever it took to get the guards to do it, they paid them.
NOTE, ONCE AGAIN, THE INCREDIBLE BLINDNESS THAT SIN PRODUCES.
WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IS WORTH YOUR SOUL?
YOU JUST WITNESSED AN ANGEL.
WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD EVER WORTH DENYING WHAT YOU JUST SAW?
But mankind, in the blindness of his sin is willing to throw away FOREVER in order to have riches RIGHT NOW.
THE LIE WAS LUDICROUS.
“The guards are asleep, and the disciples came and stole him away.”
“YOU MEAN THEY QUIETLY ROLLED THAT STONE AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE OF THE TOMB?”
“YOU MEAN YOU SLEPT THROUGH IT ALL?”
THE LIE, FROM THEIR VANTAGEPOINT, ONLY HAD TO BE CONVINCING TO THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM IT MATTERED.