Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 28:11-15

"Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor`s ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. 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 28:11-15 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Of the signs that were shown around Christ, some were common to the whole world, like the darkness. Others were unique to the guards, such as the wonderful appearance of angels and the earthquake, which were performed for the sake of the soldiers so that they might be stunned with amazement and bear witness to the truth. For when the truth is proclaimed by its adversaries, it shines even brighter. ¹

Then, some of the watch came into the city and showed the chief priests all the things that were done.

Rabanus Maurus: Simple minds and uneducated country folk often reveal the truth of a matter plainly and without deception, just as it is. On the other hand, crafty wickedness carefully studies how to promote falsehood with flattering words.

St. Jerome: Thus the chief priests, who should have been turned to repentance by this and sought the risen Jesus, instead persisted in their wickedness. They used the money given for the temple to purchase a lie, just as they had previously given thirty pieces of silver to the traitor Judas.

St. Peter Chrysologus: Not content with having put the Master to death, they plotted how they might destroy the disciples and use the Master's power as a charge against them. The soldiers indeed lost Him and the Jews missed Him, but the disciples carried Him away—not by theft, but by faith; by virtue, not by fraud; by holiness, not by wickedness; alive, and not dead.

St. John Chrysostom: How could the disciples have carried Him away secretly? They were poor men of no social standing who scarcely dared to show themselves. They fled even after they saw Christ alive; how much more would they have feared such a large group of soldiers when He was dead?

How were they to move the stone from the tomb’s entrance? Perhaps one person could have done so without the guards noticing, but a large stone, requiring many hands to move, was rolled to the entrance. Besides, was the seal not on it? And why did they not attempt it on the first night, when no one was at the tomb? For it was on the Sabbath that they asked for the body of Jesus.

Moreover, what is the meaning of these linen cloths that Peter saw lying there? If the disciples had stolen the body, they would never have stripped it. Doing so could have damaged the body and would have caused unnecessary delay, exposing them to capture by the guards—especially since the body and clothes were covered with myrrh, a sticky spice that would have made them adhere.

The allegation of theft, then, is improbable. Therefore, their efforts to conceal the Resurrection only make it more obvious. For when they say, "His disciples stole the body," they confess that it is not in the tomb. And since they thus confess that they did not have the body, and since the guards, the seal, and the disciples' fear make the theft improbable, the evidence for the Resurrection becomes undeniable.

Remigius of Auxerre: But if the guards were sleeping, how did they see the theft? And if they did not see it, how could they testify to it? Therefore, what they desire to prove, they cannot prove.

Glossa Ordinaria: So that fear of the governor might not prevent them from telling this lie, they promised them impunity. ²

St. John Chrysostom: See how all are corrupted: Pilate is persuaded, the people are stirred up, and the soldiers are bribed. As it follows, And they took the money, and did as they were instructed. If money prevailed with a disciple enough to make him betray his Master, is it any wonder that the soldiers were overcome by it?

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The concealment of the Resurrection and the false allegation of theft are purchased with money, because the glory of Christ is denied for the sake of this world's honor, which consists of money and desire.

Rabanus Maurus: But just as the guilt of His blood, which they called down upon themselves and their children, weighs them down with a heavy burden of sin, so the purchase of this lie, by which they deny the truth of the Resurrection, charges them with this guilt forever. As it follows, And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

St. Peter Chrysologus: "Among the Jews," not among the Christians. What the Jew in Judea concealed with gold is, by faith, proclaimed throughout the world.

St. Jerome: All who misuse the money of the temple and the contributions intended for the church, purchasing their own pleasure with them, are like the scribes and priests who bought this lie and the blood of the Savior.

1. Hom. xc
2. non occ.