Matthew 28:13 (WEB)

Passage

saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

Nearby Context

Matthew 28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.

Matthew 28:12 When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,

Matthew 28:13 saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

Matthew 28:14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”

Matthew 28:15 So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saying", "disciples", "came", "night", "stole", "away", and "slept". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saying" and "disciples", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "When they were assembled with the elders..." into verse 14's "If this comes to the governor s...", so "saying" and "disciples" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "saying" and "disciples" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.