When I read the Bible, I like to ask myself reporter questions. Who wrote this? Where did it happen? When did it take place? That sort of thing. The questions help me remember the Bible is an actual account of true events. It isn’t a fairy tale. These questions often lead me to astounding truths.
This morning I was reading about Jesus coming back to life, specifically the part where the soldiers guarding the tomb are bribed to keep quiet about it. In fact, they are bribed to lie and say the disciples came in the night and stole Jesus’ body. The next line says this rumor was spread all over town.
Suddenly I asked myself, “How do we know what the officials said to the soldiers?” We know about the rumor, because lots of folks heard that. We know the truth, because several other witnesses recorded it. But how do we know the actual conversation that transpired somewhere in a darkened room filled with quaking soldiers and jangling coins?
The soldiers should have died. Death was the penalty for letting a live prisoner escape. Letting a dead one get away would be even more humiliating. But to kill the guards would be to admit what happened. A cover-up was the only recourse. So, how do we know about it?
Somebody told. Somewhere in the years ahead, at least one person in that room finally told the truth. One of the soldiers, maybe. Or a government official. Or even a servant who slipped into the room with the bag of money and slipped out again not quite quickly enough to miss the details. Someone encountered the Living God and turned his allegiance from Rome to the Savior. Someone encountered Mercy, and he could not keep quiet about that.
You just reminded me of the Eyre Affair in which a literary detective has to go INSIDE Jane Eyre to rescue the story from villains or something. That’s kind of what you are with the bible, a literary detective, ferreting out all the little gems many of the rest of us miss.
Thanks for insight into that little piece of the story. I may have to steal it for the “equal” we want to do for The Veil. It will tell the Gentile story to parallel the Jewish story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We may even have to give you a writers credit for it.
Oh, thanks, Seren. I love that. I never feel like I am scholarly enough to be any kind of authority. But I can be a sleuth!!! And, Caleb, how cool! But no need for writing credit. I’m pretty sure tht thought is public domain.