Deception

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

DECEPTION

Matt 27:62-66

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

NIV

It seems interesting that the unbelievers were more aware of the fact Jesus was going to rise from the dead then his disciples were. The disciples were hiding for fear of being found out and maybe being punished as Jesus was. Even after Jesus was resurrected there was some doubt as the woman asked where had his body been taken and even after he appeared, Thomas was not going to believe until he touched the scares in his hands. But here are the chief priests and the Pharisees remembering he said he would rise in three days. Of course they were calling him a deceiver all the while they were the ones doing the deceiving. It is also interesting they were concerned his disciples would steal the body and at first after his resurrection Mary had thought someone had stolen his body. The Pharisees did not actually believe he would rise from the dead, but they were not going to take any chances that if his body was gone, it would cause such a stir they would lose complete control over the people. Yet it is also interesting because of their actions getting guards posted and the entrance or stone sealed in some fashion, that it gave even more proof Jesus was resurrected rather than his body being moved somewhere else. Many times it is the unbeliever who gives proof of the reality of Jesus. We have also heard of some unbelievers who set out to disprove Jesus and find the truth and become a believer. But this was not going to be the case with the chief priests and the Pharisees. Their own self-interests far outweighed them finding any truth concerning Jesus. They had all the knowledge of the scriptures, the prophets pointing to Jesus. They had all the signs that Jesus did, proving his position as the Messiah. Yet they were convinced he was deceiving the people. If his followers could pull of the removal of his body from the tomb, the deception would then get really out of hand. How difficult it is for some people to believe. But is there portions of the scriptures, truths in the word of God the believers had a difficult time believing? Have some believers dismissed certain truths as having disappeared from the modern church? Have some believers forfeited certain truths because of disbelief or having been deceived by denominational bias. All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for correcting, rebuking, teaching and training in righteousness. Therefor not one truth should be dismissed as being for some believers of thousands of years ago and no longer for believers of today. Every truth is for the believer to embrace fully without reservation. We cannot allow either some unbeliever to forge some deception to disprove the truth about Jesus. We cannot afford some believers to convince us we should dismiss all the truth of the scriptures. The Pharisees were concerned about people being deceived. We too should be concerned about people being deceived, but not about the truth, but rather about the many false teachers and preachers who would deceive many for their own personal gain. We need to not just live by the truth, but stand up for the truth, speak up for the truth, not tolerating any form of deception.