A WORD FOR TODAY, April 22, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 22, 2025
“Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers, saying, ‘Say that his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.’ So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.” Matthew 28:11-15, WEB
I watch the weekly celebrations and memorialization of the Saints, sometimes using their stories for this devotion. This week is interesting because it is the Holy Octave of Easter, an extended celebration that focuses on the central mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus, and Saints’ days are moved or given lower priority during this period. Hearing the stories of the saints can teach us how to be Christian in the world, they can give us courage and build our faith. We don’t worship those who died for their faith, but they are part of the great cloud of witnesses that have shared the Gospel message and faith with us. That’s why I like to tell their stories, to show how their faith fits into the story of God.
That great cloud of witnesses began in the days following the Resurrection, as Jesus filled the disciples who had followed Him as He ministered with the knowledge they needed to continue His ministry in the world. They weren’t sure what was happening at first, but they soon began telling others that Jesus was alive. They weren’t the only ones talking about it. After Jesus died and was buried, the chief priests and Pharisees remembered that Jesus said He would rise again. So, they placed guards at the tomb to ensure the disciples could not steal the body and pretend Jesus’ words came true. They also sealed the stone to make it as secure as possible.
Their seal could not keep God from doing what He had intended. An angel of the Lord appeared and rolled away the stone. The angel spoke to the women and told them that they would not find Jesus among the dead, but that He had risen. He told them to go tell the disciples. Meanwhile, the soldiers were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men. After they reported what happened, the elders paid them to lie, to tell others that the disciples stole the body.
So, in the days following the resurrection two stories began to circulate about what happened to Jesus. Those who had seen and heard that Jesus had been raised believed in Him and rejoiced. They believed everything He said about Himself and the kingdom of God. But in those early days there were many who heard the story of the soldiers, the lie that the disciples had simply taken the body and hidden it. There are even some today who still believe that story to be true. Though they may believe that Jesus existed, He is nothing to them but a teacher and a good man. They still wait for a Messiah to come to set them free but missed the One who came to save them because they believe the lie.
It is amazing how fast such things can spread. The story that was told by the soldiers made a lot of sense to those who did not see the resurrected Lord. After all, the soldiers were eyewitnesses, and it seemed like they had nothing to gain or lose. The story the disciples told greatly benefitted their cause, giving their followers hope in the future. would greatly benefit their cause, giving their followers hope in the future. This is why we know that Jesus came from God: even the lies of the enemy were unable to keep the message of Jesus from spreading, even to this day. Though there are still some who refuse to believe, more people coming to every day by the grace and mercy of God.
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