Consider The Cost

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CONSIDER THE COST

Matt 28:11-15

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

NIV

It is interesting how one lie leads to another and another and even to the extent that people are willing to pay to have their deceptions held as truth. It is also interesting the Roman soldiers were willing to accept this bribe to perpetuate the lie of the Jews. It makes it clear that the love of money is the root of all evil. We saw how Judas had such an affair with money, first that he stole money from the general treasury that was meant to support the needs of Jesus and his disciples as they traveled throughout the country ministering to the needs of people. Second, we saw how he was willing to, not only deny Jesus but betray him for thirty pieces of silver. We understand the truth of those words of Jesus regarding that we cannot serve two masters, God, and money, and that we will love that one and despise the other. What this means is that if we love God we will despise money, but if we love money as Judas and it appears the Roman soldiers did, they despised Jesus. The Jews that were willing to pay to keep their deception alive had such a hatred toward Jesus that they were willing to do anything to keep themselves looking good to the people. There is a real danger in wanting to make ourselves look good in the presence of others, especially to the point that we are willing to do whatever it takes, pay whatever it costs, to look just and holy to others. We also might consider if we could identify with the Roman soldiers in the sense that we are willing to accept the bribe so as not to get into trouble. Would we accept being told a non-truth in order to seem that we are rightly justified? Do we allow others to influence us to believe and confess that which is not the truth? Just a thought, but we also know that we know the truth and would not allow someone to influence us to profess anything but the truth, no matter the cost.