The Jewish leadership did not want to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, so they told lies upon lies. These leaders saw Jesus as a threat to their power and authority. So, they were willing to manipulate and lie to rid themselves of Jesus.
First, they had to find false accusers during an illegal session of the Sanhedrin to bring charges against Jesus. Matthew 26: 59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ” [1]
More Lies
Only Rome had the power to sentence a criminal to death. Thus, the priests had to find a way to force Pilate to sentence Jesus to death. Matthew 23: 1Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.[2]
Pilate saw through the priests’ ruse. But, the Jews forced Pilate’s hand by threatening a riot unless he sentenced Jesus to die. Later, these same priests came to Pilate and demanded he post guards at the tomb. But these same guards whom Pilate had placed to prevent a claim of Jesus’ resurrection could now testify to it. The Resurrection was an inconvenient truth the priests did not want to acknowledge. Therefore, they had to plan a cover-up and pay bribes to ensure everyone kept their story straight.
Matthew 28: 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” [3] Still today, the Resurrection is a bothersome truth that unbelievers don’t want to acknowledge. These people are only too happy to claim this cover-up story as truth.
Learn a Lesson About Lies
As we can see from our story, one lie will lead to another. Then, one must keep the lies straight or worry that their lies will be revealed. Not only did the priests have to continue inventing more lies, but they also had to pay out money so everyone would agree on the same false story. They had accused Jesus of being a deceiver (Matthew 27:63–64), but they were the true deceivers.
These priests didn’t even lie well. If a Roman soldier lost a prisoner (in this case, a dead body) or slept on the job, it was the death penalty. And how would they be able to identify the disciples as the grave robbers if they were asleep? Yet, the Jews claimed this falsehood as truth for years. We can see that no matter the pain up front, it is always better to tell the truth.
To learn more about lies upon lies, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-resurrection
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.