Dear Friends
Some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests what had happened. After the priests had called together the Elders, they formulated a plan to give a generous bribe to the soldiers, telling them: “You must say this: ‘His followers came during the night and made off with him while we were sleeping’. If the Governor gets to hear of this, we will reassure him and keep you out of trouble.” So the guards took the money and did as
instructed. [Matthew 28:11-15a]
In 1972, an event hit the headlines that was to send shockwaves around the world and led to books and films being made about it. It would lead to the disgrace of a president and will forever be known as ‘Watergate’. Since then, there have been many ‘-gates’, the most recent in the UK being ‘Partygate’ – the issue about whether parties held during Covid were allowed if you could say they were during working hours and, of course, if you worked at 10 Downing Street. I am sure you could think up your own particular favourite ‘-gate’. Perhaps if the individuals involved had just come clean’ at the beginning instead of trying to conceal the truth behind a veil of lies, half-truths and evasions, careers might not have ended or been tarnished to the
extreme that they have been.
It has always been unwise to try and mould history to suit oneself and the truth will come out in the end.
So it was for those who tried to cover up the truth about the resurrection of Christ. The powers that be had waited for years to get their man and had watched with a mixture of glee and relief when he was finally put on a cross and sealed in a tomb. At last their problems were over, the impostor dealt with and hopefully no one else would try anything for a while. They could now sleep in peace, congratulating themselves on a successful time.
Imagine, then, their dismay when rumours started to circulate that Jesus was alive after all. They went themselves to check the tomb and found it empty – no wonder they tried to put a lid on it and hush everything up. What they did not account for was the changed lives and the stories of so many people who witnessed for themselves the reality of the risen Christ. The faith that burned within them, the love and joy displayed instead of the grief over one who had died – these all pointed to the truth that could not and would not be hidden. A truth that was not displaced by other news. A truth that could not be killed off for the very simple but special reason – they could not kill off Jesus either!
God bless you all as we celebrate the Risen Christ.
Yvonne