On the way to report the great news to the disciples, the women were confronted by Jesus in person. Immediately, they began to worship Him. The heart of a true believer responds instinctively to His presence. He ratified the angel’s instruction to tell the disciples to make preparation to meet Him.

Meanwhile the soldiers and religious leaders had a huge problem on their hands. Matthew, the author, as has been his purpose to show that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, includes what otherwise might seem to be extraneous details. But the record shows the religious leaders received a full report of what had happened, the earthquake and the angel’s appearance on the rolled back stone. It was obvious that they couldn’t suppress the truth of the empty grave or the supernatural events. In the face of the guards’ testimony of what had happened, the religious leaders, led by the chief priests, concocted a story about the soldiers falling asleep and the disciples stealing the body of Christ.

The story was as unconvincing in that day as it is today. First of all, it requires that all the soldiers would have fallen asleep—hardly likely. Second, falling asleep on guard duty was grounds for immediate execution. Third, if the soldiers were asleep, how would they have known that the body was stolen, and that by the disciples of Christ? Fourth, why was there not an immediate search for the body? Fifth, hardly would the disciples have been willing to risk their lives proclaiming Christ was risen from the dead, if they knew that the resurrection was in fact a lie of their own making.Sixth, if the story were true, then Christianity, the greatest moral system based on the greatest moral teacher of all time, would then be founded on an intentional lie, a violation of all morality. That would make it the most enormous, cruel hoax of all time. It is more reasonable to believe He has risen as the historical record shows!