Matthew 28:12-14

Matthew 28:12-14

[12] And  when they were assembled  with  the elders,  and  had taken  counsel,  they gave  large  money  unto the soldiers,  [13] Saying,  Say ye,  His  disciples  came  by night,  and stole  him  slept.  [14] And  if  to  the governor's  ears,  will persuade  him,  and  secure 

What does Matthew 28:12-14 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The action of these Sanhedrin members proves that their promise to believe in Jesus if He would come down from the cross was hypocritical (cf. Matthew 27:42; Luke 24:13-32). They continued to show more concern for their own reputations and what was expedient than for the truth.
Their devised story was a weak one that a critic might easily discredit. If the guards had been asleep, they could not have known of the theft. If one of them was awake, why did he not sound an alarm? It was also incredible that the disciples who had abandoned Jesus out of fear would have summoned enough courage to risk opening the guarded tomb. Moreover, if the Sanhedrin had any evidence against the disciples, they surely would have prosecuted them, but they did not.
Molesting graves was sometimes punishable with death in the ancient Near East. [1] Consequently Jesus" enemies resorted to bribery to shut the mouths of the soldiers, and later Pilate, if necessary. Previously they had been willing to pay Judas money to protect their interests ( Matthew 26:15).