The Resurrection Cover-Up
BRD REFLECTIONS
Matthew 28:11-15 (NIV)
(Irwin Seet, Steward, LCEC)
READ:
Matthew 28:11-15 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
In Matthew 28:11-15, we read the account of how the guards had returned to the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened to them. The chief priests met with the elders and devised a plan to cover up what had actually happened. They told the soldiers to lie that the disciples had stolen the body in the night and gave them a large sum of money and promised them that they would be protected. The truth of Jesus’ resurrection was a rather inconvenient truth for the elders and the priests. They had repeatedly been calling Jesus a fraud and blasphemer and made all attempts to discredit His Name. It would have been rather awkward for them to suddenly change their tune and sacrifice their own reputations and credibility.
This cover-up story of the resurrection continues to be widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. In Matthew 21:20, Jesus makes reference comparing Israel to a withered fig tree that can never bear fruit again. What was a simple attempt to cover up the truth has resulted in many generations of Jews that grew up not knowing or acknowledging the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
APPLY:
According to a Reader’s Digest poll in 2004, 93 per cent of respondents reported one or more kinds of dishonesty at work or school, and 96 per cent reported lying to or committing other dishonest acts towards those close to them. Lying or covering-up is such a serious sin that it was included in the Ten Commandments. The ninth commandment states that “thou shalt not bear false witness”. What kind of lies do we commonly tell in our day-to-day lives? The three most commonly referred to are lies of commission, lies of omission and lies of influence, aka character lies.
What steps can be taken to avoid lying? First, we need to admit that we are liars. King David said in Psalm 116:11, “All Men are liars.” Once we admit that we are liars, then we need to pray to God for forgiveness and ask him for the strength and ability to speak only the truth. We must make this prayer the constant prayer of our hearts. Finally, we need to commit ourselves to speaking the truth by the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Speaking the truth is how we set ourselves apart from the world, how we identify as God’s people and the truth of God’s Word is how the devil and his schemes in this world are defeated.
DO:
I will
- Confess to God that I am a liar;
- Pray to God for forgiveness and strength to speak only the truth;
- Claim God’s promise that His power infuses me to conquer every trial and difficulty;
- Commit myself to the enablement of the Holy Spirit to speak the truth in love.
PRAY:
Dear heavenly father, we acknowledge that we are liars and we often lie in our daily lives to get out of trouble or to cover up our transgressions. We ask for your forgiveness for the lies we have spoken, whether consciously or unconsciously, and ask for your strength to speak only the truth. We ask that you will strengthen our resolve and that the Holy Spirit will guide us in what we say and do on a daily basis. We pray that each of us will continue to turn to you and put our hope in you for we know that you have plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. All this we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
