At the heart of Christian faith is the story of Jesus death and resurrection. (John Ortberg)
Thinking about the musings from Day 61: Resurrection Theories – Part 4.…
I would submit to you that when considering the Soldiers Falling Asleep And/Or Bribed Theory as a possible option to counter the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, there are ultimately 8 more questions that must be answered first. The first 3 questions were already addressed in Day 61: Resurrection Theories – Part 4. and now the final 8 questions must now be considered.
Before those questions must be asked, please consider the following from Matthew 27:62-66 (KJV):
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
So, according to Matthew 27:62-66, Pilate gave specific instructions to:
“Take a guard…they went and made the tomb secure…by…posting the guard.”
‘Guard’ sounds like a single person, while ‘they’ clearly implies more than one guard.
One the surface, that appears to be a pretty obvious grammar error.
Well…is it?
The most obvious and logical way to answer that question is by answering question 4:
4) What exactly is a guard?
That question can be answered by reading the following from Josh McDowell’s book, Evidence That Demands A Verdict:
The guard numbered from ten to thirty men……they were not the kind of men to jeopardize their Roman necks by sleeping on their post…they were Roman soldiers, not mere Jewish temple guards…The soldiers had very strict discipline…the punishment for deserting one’s post was death…the fear of punishments produced faultless attention to duty, especially in the night watches…refusing to protect an officer was punishable by death…one soldier who had fallen asleep on duty was executed by being hurled from the cliff of the Capitolium. (pp. 218 – 224)
Now at first, after reading the information above, the answer to question 4, on the surface, seems elusive.
However, I would now submit to you that you re-read the same information again, this time focusing on the words that I underlined and italicized:
The guard numbered from ten to thirty men….they were not the kind of men to jeopardize their Roman necks by sleeping on their post…they were Roman soldiers, not mere Jewish temple guards…The soldiers had very strict discipline…the punishment for deserting one’s post was death…the fear of punishments produced faultless attention to duty, especially in the night watches…refusing to protect an officer was punishable by death…one soldier who had fallen asleep on duty was executed by being hurled from the cliff of the Capitolium. (pp. 218 – 224)
There is no grammar error.
At the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth were at least 10 guards, although a ‘Roman guard’ could consist of up to 30 Roman soldiers. These Roman soldiers at this tomb were given specific instructions to not sleep, even though at least one third of their job description was to be performed at night. To not pay attention to this simple duty could cost you your life. And as an added incentive to not fall asleep, the Roman guard saw one of their own hurled off of a cliff for…
Falling asleep.
Whether the Roman guard consisted of 10…or 30…or some number in between, it would be hard to imagine letting anything or anyone go in…or out…of the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth during those three days and nights while standing, (not sleeping), on guard.
More questions to consider:
5) Knowing that the penalty was death, why would a Roman soldier risk execution for sleeping at their post, at the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth?
6) Knowing the publicity and the amount of individuals that were familiar with the location of the tomb and who exactly was buried in there, would a Roman soldier on guard be more or less likely to fall asleep, considering the amount of activity surrounding the tomb?
7) Would there also not be an added incentive for Jewish Pharisees to also ensure that the ‘Roman guard’ performed their job perfectly, to prevent the body from being taken?
8) Even if one was to assume that all 10 to 30 guards were fast asleep, at the same time, while on duty…how could they all have slept through the noise that would have been created, when attempting to move the heavy stone from the entrance of the tomb?
9) Considering that it was Passover when all of this was occurring, wouldn’t there potentially be an unnamed amount of potential witnesses that would have to have either fallen asleep and or have been bribed as well along with the all the soldiers in the Roman guard?
10) How would the Roman Empire have known that they actually bribed everyone that could have been a potential witness…to either all of the guards falling asleep and/or witnessing the body of Jesus of Nazareth being stolen?
And finally…
11) How would both the Roman Empire and the Jewish Pharisees both have ensured that all of the sleeping and or bribed soldiers in that Roman guard, numbering between 10 to 30, all went to their graves without telling another soul or leaving any evidence behind during the remainder of their lives?
So let’s summarize the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth with two statements:
1) The Gospels. The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as written in the 4 Gospels from the Middle East over 2,000 years ago, or;
2) The Stolen Body Theory. Based off of the events written in Matthew 28:4, 11-15, while ignoring the rest of the accounts surrounding the resurrection not only the rest of the Gospel of Matthew, but the entirety of the New Testament as well?
Now, a question for you to consider:
Which set of facts takes more faith to believe in?
Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided regarding the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Do not feel discouraged if you are still confused if you still have more questions that need to be asked and answered even after considering the Soldiers Falling Asleep And/Or Bribed Theory. Instead, embrace the idea that the amount of knowledge that you are acquiring will eventually lead to a most logical conclusion.
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Matthew 27:62-66 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 62: Resurrection Theories Part 4 – Conclusion.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: