John Calvin Commentary Matthew 28:11

"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." — Matthew 28:11 (ASV)

And while they were departing. It is not only credible, but the fact is evident, that the soldiers entrusted with guarding the tomb were corrupted by a bribe, so that they were prepared to tell a lie at the priests' command.

They knew well that the priests dreaded nothing more than a report gaining credibility that Christ rose on the third day after his death. They also knew they had been sent there to guard the body and suppress that very report. Therefore, these men, being devoted to profit and seizing opportunities to make it from every source, contrived a new method of cheating their employers out of their money after finding that their diligence was of no use to them.

The words of Matthew—some of them came—leave it uncertain whether a few cunning men adopted this resolution without communicating with the others, or if they were sent by a general agreement in the name of all. The latter supposition appears more probable, for Matthew afterwards says that money was given, not to one or two, but generally to the soldiers, to induce them to commit perjury.

In any case, it is certain that, whether they all plotted together or only a part of them, they sought to profit from the cruel and implacable hatred the priests had for Christ. And, looking upon the priests as men convicted of a crime, the soldiers abused the priests' evil conscience to extort money from them.

For, as usually happens with all wicked men, the priests, conscious of having done wrong and seeking to cover their disgrace, were compelled to bribe the soldiers with a large reward. Thus it is evident that the reprobate, after having once committed themselves to a path of sin, are continually entangled in further crimes. This entanglement stems from their desire to conceal their shame before men, while they show no concern for the offense committed against God.

Those wretched men not only bribed the soldiers with a large sum of money but also exposed their own reputation and life to serious danger, should the crime be investigated. And what compelled them, in addition to the expense they had incurred, to take such a serious risk, but that their deep-seated rage did not permit them to stop until they had added sin to sin?