How does bribery show human flaws?
What does the soldiers' bribery reveal about human nature and sin?

Setting the Scene

“Say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ ” (Matthew 28:13)

Roman guards, eyewitnesses to the empty tomb, accept a large sum of money from the chief priests to spread a lie. That single verse opens a window on the workings of the fallen heart.


The Anatomy of the Bribe

• A historical fact: a literal resurrection had occurred; the tomb was undeniably empty.

• A conscious cover-up: the guards knew the truth yet chose deception.

• A calculated payoff: “a large sum of money” (v. 12) reveals the seductive power of riches.


Layers of Sin Exposed

1. Love of Money Over Truth

• “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

• The guards exchange eternal truth for short-term gain, mirroring Judas’s own bargain (Matthew 26:14-16).

2. Fear of Man Over Fear of God

• “The fear of man brings a snare” (Proverbs 29:25).

• They dread a Roman penalty more than divine judgment, illustrating how misplaced fear drives sin.

3. Suppression of Revealed Light

• “Men suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

• Having seen evidence, they intentionally bury it, just as Adam and Eve hid after sinning (Genesis 3:8-10).

4. Collusion in Evil

Psalm 2:2 pictures rulers banding together “against the LORD and against His Anointed.”

• Here, religious leaders and soldiers unite to oppose the risen Christ.

5. Ongoing Deception

• “This account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day” (Matthew 28:15).

• Sin seeks not only to commit wrong once but to perpetuate it, guarding the lie with more lies.


Patterns Repeated in Scripture

• Achan hides forbidden spoil (Joshua 7).

• Gehazi fabricates a story for silver and garments (2 Kings 5:20-27).

• Ananias and Sapphira sell truth for reputation (Acts 5:1-11).

Human nature, unchanged, keeps defaulting to deceit when confronted with inconvenient truth.


What the Bribery Teaches Us about Ourselves

• The heart gravitates toward self-protection, even against overwhelming evidence of God’s work.

• Material gain and social approval can outweigh conscience unless God intervenes.

• Truth must be embraced, not merely acknowledged, or it will be traded away.


Hope Beyond the Bribe

The lie did not erase the resurrection; it only highlighted humanity’s need for the very Savior whom the tomb could not hold. Where sin multiplies, grace super-abounds (Romans 5:20). The empty tomb remains an unaltered, literal fact—and an open invitation for every deceived heart to step into the light.

How does Matthew 28:13 demonstrate the power of truth over deception?
Top of Page
Top of Page