Matthew 28 13

Matthew 28:13

ESV: and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

KJV: Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

NIV: telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

NKJV: saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'

NLT: They told the soldiers, "You must say, 'Jesus' disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.'

Meaning

Matthew 28:13 details the fraudulent scheme orchestrated by the chief priests and elders to conceal the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. This verse records their instruction to the Roman guards—who had witnessed the resurrection event—to disseminate a fabricated story. The guards were to tell people that Jesus's disciples had come by night and stolen His body while the guards were supposedly asleep, thereby attempting to invalidate the evidence of the empty tomb and discredit the truth of the resurrection. This shows the deliberate human effort to suppress divine truth through deceit and conspiracy.

Cross References

Context

Matthew 28:13 stands in immediate sequence to a monumental event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:1-10). Having witnessed the supernatural resurrection—an angel descending, an earthquake, and Jesus rising—the Roman guards went into the city and reported everything to the chief priests (Matt 28:11). This verse then details the chief priests' response: rather than acknowledge the miraculous truth, they convened a meeting with the elders and resolved to actively suppress it. They decided to bribe the guards to propagate a false narrative. This act of deception underscores the Jewish leaders' deeply ingrained opposition to Jesus, stemming from a fear that acknowledging Him as the Messiah would undermine their authority and lead to Roman reprisal (Jn 11:48). Historically, Roman soldiers sleeping on duty faced the penalty of death, making the proposed lie both incriminating for the guards (without the bribe and protection) and inherently illogical (how could one witness a theft while asleep?). The bribed story became a persistent polemic against early Christian belief (Matt 28:15).

Word analysis

• saying (λέγοντες - legontes): A present participle, indicating a continuous or ongoing instruction being given. It emphasizes that the religious leaders were actively, verbally instructing the guards.
• "Tell people..." (Εἴπατε - Eipate): An imperative verb, a direct command. It highlights the authoritative nature of the instruction and their intent for this lie to be widely disseminated among the public, not just whispered amongst themselves.
• "...‘His disciples’" (Οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ - Hoi mathētai autou): Specifically names Jesus’s followers as the perpetrators. This accusation targets those who would later spread the message of the resurrection, preemptively attempting to undermine their credibility by portraying them as criminals. It tries to shift the narrative from a divine act to a human trick.
• "...came by night’" (Νυκτὸς ἐλθόντες - Nyktos elthontes): Emphasizes stealth and secrecy. Night is traditionally associated with hidden, nefarious deeds and serves to make the fabricated story sound more plausible by suggesting a clandestine operation designed to evade detection.
• "...and stole Him away’" (ἔκλεψαν - eklepsan from κλέπτω, kleptō): Accuses the disciples of a serious crime, grave robbery. This was the most common accusation leveled against early Christians to refute the resurrection. It’s an assertion that denies supernatural power and instead implies human deceit and manipulation. The empty tomb was undisputed; therefore, a human explanation was needed by those rejecting resurrection.
• "...while we were asleep.’” (ἡμῶν κοιμωμένων - hēmōn koimōmenōn): This phrase is critically flawed and self-contradictory. For Roman soldiers, sleeping on duty was a capital offense. This detail immediately casts doubt on the narrative. If they were truly asleep, they could not possibly know who stole the body. This logistical absurdity points to the desperation of the religious leaders and reveals the fragility of their lie, as they rely on a story that implicates the guards in negligence but is the only way to "explain" how a heavily guarded tomb became empty.

Words-group analysis

• "Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night...": This command is aimed at shaping public opinion. It implies a targeted disinformation campaign. The night-time element further suggests secrecy and cunning, making the "theft" seem plausible for those willing to believe.
• "...stole Him away while we were asleep.": This complete fabricated phrase functions as a desperate "explanation" for the empty tomb, acknowledging its reality (the body is gone) but offering a human, rather than divine, reason. The inclusion of "while we were asleep" simultaneously offers an excuse for the guards’ failure while inadvertently exposing the inherent illogic and absurdity of the lie itself. It highlights the extent to which the Jewish authorities were willing to resort to falsehood to counter the truth of the resurrection.

Commentary

Matthew 28:13 is a profound revelation of humanity's opposition to God's truth. Faced with undeniable evidence of Jesus's resurrection, the chief priests and elders, rather than accepting it, actively conspired to fabricate and propagate a lie. Their motive was self-preservation and the suppression of the perceived threat to their authority posed by Jesus's Messiahship. The chosen lie—that disciples stole the body while guards slept—was poorly constructed, exposing its own logical fallacies: those asleep could not know who perpetrated the "theft," and for a Roman guard, sleeping on duty was punishable by death. Yet, desperate to prevent belief in the resurrection, they bribed the guards to circulate this story. This verse vividly illustrates that often, the rejection of truth is not due to lack of evidence, but a deliberate choice driven by fear, power, and hardened hearts. It underscores that falsehoods are often manufactured and sustained to deny the uncomfortable realities of God's power and plan.

Bonus section

• Acknowledged Empty Tomb: This false narrative indirectly confirms a key fact of the resurrection: the tomb was indeed empty. The enemies of Christ did not dispute the empty tomb; their challenge was in explaining it away.
• Persistent Polemic: The lie articulated in this verse, mentioned again in Matthew 28:15 as having "been spread among the Jews to this day," shows that this specific counter-narrative became an early and lasting apologetic challenge for Christians. It demonstrates the historical impact of this conspiracy.
• Motivation of the Jewish Leaders: Their actions were not just based on disbelief, but on fear of societal and political disruption. The idea of a resurrected Messiah would destabilize their established order and challenge their influence with Rome (Jn 11:47-48).
• Guards' Predicament: The guards were caught between the impossible truth and a life-saving, lucrative lie. The threat of Roman military justice (death for dereliction of duty) made the bribe and the fabricated story appealing for self-preservation, despite its implausibility.

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