Tag: See Jesus in Galilee
Money buys an alibi!
Scripture reading for February 7: Matthew 28
“Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 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.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.” Matthew 28:10-15
On the morning of the third day since Jesus was crucified and buried in the tomb, the women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, went to the tomb. As they approached a great earthquake shook the area and the stone was rolled away by a descending angel who took a seat on the stone. The guards were shaken and became like dead men. Today we might describe this as being ‘slain in the Spirit’ This angel comforted and encouraged the women to have faith and not fear. He instructed them to go to the disciples and tell them to go to Galilee and there they would see Jesus. As they left there in fear, Jesus appeared to them, and repeated the encouragement to not fear but to tell His disciples to meet Him in Galilee.
The guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. They assembled the elders and came up with a plan: give the soldiers money to tell people that “His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept.” They promised the soldiers protection from the governor. This is the story that was spread around and gave the guards an alibi for their negligence and an explanation for the body of Jesus disappearing.
If you were one of the guards, how would you process these events in light of your own need to escape punishment? In what way do you relate to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary upon seeing the angel and the empty tomb? How does our world view hinder us from a real understanding of Jesus Christ?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your patience in working with Your people to help them shape their world view to accept the resurrection of Your Son. Forgive me for acting in fear and looking for excuses or natural explanations. Continue to expand my understanding of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Amen.