The guards at the tomb were in an extraordinary position. They were there when something happened that would change the whole world. Matthew tells us that there was a violent earthquake, an angel of the Lord descended, the stone was rolled away, and the guards were so shaken that they became like dead men (Matthew 28:2-4). They saw what happened at that tomb. They were among the very first people confronted with the reality of the Resurrection, and yet, sadly, they did not become witnesses to the truth.
I remember seeing a little cartoon about some of the most useless things in life. There was a sign saying that the sign was not being used, a balcony that seemed to serve no purpose, a little gate with openings all around it, and then three soldiers standing outside the tomb of Jesus. What is the use of guarding a tomb when Jesus is going to rise anyway? It was funny, but when I thought about it, there was another sadness in it. Those soldiers became useless witnesses. They were there. They saw what had happened. They had the opportunity to stand by the truth, but they chose not to.
What Will the Truth Cost Me?
When the guards went to the chief priests and reported what had happened, the chief priests and elders gave them a considerable sum of money and told them what story to tell: "His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep." They also promised that if the governor heard about it, they would protect the soldiers and keep them out of trouble (Matthew 28:11-15).
Imagine what the guards were weighing in their minds. If we stand by the truth, what are we going to lose? We may lose our position. We may lose the money being offered to us. We may lose the protection of these powerful people. So instead of standing by the truth, they chose to live a lie because the lie seemed safer. It offered money, protection and security.
Dear brothers and sisters, very often we can be like those guards. Jesus says, "If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). We know those words. We like the idea that the truth will set us free. But the difficulty comes when embracing the truth has a cost attached to it.
Maybe I have built up a name and a reputation, and the truth might damage it. Maybe I have built an institution and I am afraid of what will happen to it. Maybe I have a group of people who admire me or follow me, and I do not want to lose them. Maybe there is something very dear to me that I want to protect. Then the temptation comes: perhaps I can give up on the truth, hold on to the lie and justify it, because I do not want to lose what I have built.
When We Close Our Eyes to the Truth
This does not happen only in dramatic situations. It happens in small things as well. I know the truth, but I do not hold on to it because I am afraid of the consequences. Sadly, there have also been times within the Church when abuses were taking place and, perhaps in an attempt to protect an institution or protect the name of certain people, the truth was not faced and people kept silent. Today we pay the consequences for that. When we protect a lie because we are afraid of what the truth will cost, the lie does not become harmless simply because our intention was to protect something.
This refusal to stand by the truth can enter three areas of our life: our relationship with God, our relationship with our brothers and sisters, and our relationship with ourselves. With God, I may refuse the truth because following what the Lord teaches could cost me friendships or popularity. I know what God asks, but I would rather hold on to what keeps me comfortable and accepted.
With our brothers and sisters, I can know that something is wrong and still tell myself, "This has nothing to do with me." I turn a blind eye because speaking or acting might disturb my lifestyle and my daily life. It can happen in the Church, and it can happen in our own families. Something is happening to my brother or my sister, but I decide to remain silent because I do not want the inconvenience or the cost. I know the truth, but I do not stand by it. I am no better than the guards.
And then there is the truth about myself. Sometimes this is the truth I least want to see. There may be attitudes in me that are not right, patterns that are wrong, things I am doing that I do not want exposed. Facing them can feel like pulling the scab off a wound because underneath there may be things that make me deeply uncomfortable. So I close my eyes. I justify what I am doing. I find different angles from which to explain it until I can feel comfortable with the lie.
Do Not Miss the Opportunity to Be a Witness
Think of what those guards could have been. Their place in Scripture could have been so different. For two thousand years we could have remembered them as the men who stood at the tomb and then went out and witnessed to what had happened. They had that possibility. Instead, we remember that they accepted the false story and missed an extraordinary opportunity to be witnesses to the truth.
Are we missing the same opportunity? Are there places in my relationship with Jesus, in my relationship with other people, or in my relationship with myself where I have seen the truth but chosen silence or a lie because I am afraid of the price I will have to pay? The truth may cost me my reputation. It may cost me approval. It may cost me friendships. It may disrupt my life. It may even expose something about myself that does not make me proud. But if I continually choose the lie simply because it is more comfortable, I become like those guards who saw and still would not witness.
The prayer we need is for courage. Heavenly Father, there have been times when I have not held on to the truth. I have seen the truth, but I kept silent or held on to a lie because I was afraid of the cost. I was afraid for my name, my reputation, the people who acknowledge me, the people who follow me, the sacrifices I might have to make and the disruptions that might come into my life.
Give me the grace, Lord, to be courageous enough to hold on to the truth, even when the truth strips away my excuses and reveals a side of me that does not make me proud. Give me the grace not to justify the lie simply because it is comfortable. Whatever the cost, let me stand with the truth, because the truth will set me free. Amen.