Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 28:15

"So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, [and continueth] until this day." — Matthew 28:15 (ASV)

This saying is commonly reported — The passage is interesting as the earliest indication of a counter-statement to the witness borne by the disciples, and as in part explaining the partial non-acceptance of their testimony. The phrase “until this day” suggests a considerable interval—say, at least fifteen or twenty years—between the events recorded and the composition of the narrative (See Note on Matthew 27:8). Justin Martyr mentions the report as current among the Jews of his time, noting that the Jews had sent “chosen men” into all parts of the world to propagate it (Dialogue with Trypho, chapter 108).