They said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’” (Matt. 27:63)
Expanded Passage: Matthew 27:62-66
I’ve been going to church all my life. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that I’ve listened to thousands of sermons—and I’ve done my share of preaching them. Sometimes the sermons preached outside the church, and by unbelieving preachers, have an even greater and lasting impact on hearers’ lives.
During the time of Jesus’ ministry, religious enemies heard him say that he would come back from the dead. They saw how his followers were fired up by those words, and believed that he was deceiving the masses with false hope. This group of unbelievers knew that if Jesus was to be shown to accomplish such a feat, they would lose control of the people’s minds, being deceived even worse a second time. So they worked to spread the word, explaining why resurrection wasn’t the only possible answer to the empty tomb.
In the days following Jesus’ crucifixion many of his disciples were in despair and seemed to have forgotten what Jesus had prophesied about his resurrection. Conversely, the naysayers took his words to heart. They remembered his words and they knew that if they came true it would challenge everything. They got out their own counter-message quickly. Poisoning the public with misinformation is nothing new. The wise in every age must be able to recognize the truth from a lie when it is presented.
Listen to the sermons around you, separating the truth from lies.
Rich Eckley is professor emeritus of theology at Houghton University (NY). He is an ordained Wesleyan minister and enjoys—with his wife, Lynn—entertaining four active grandchildren.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
