Matthew 28:11-15

Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping.” They assured them, “If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don’t get blamed.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around. (The Message, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 Eugene H. Peterson by NavPress Publishing)

The power of God’s Kingdom is born of the empty tomb. It is fed by love. It is expressed in worship and witness. In contrast the kingdom of the world. It is born in lies. It is fed by greed. It is expressed in bribery and duplicity. Don’t worry about the kingdom of this world. Keep focused on the Kingdom of God. Judge its love by the cross and its power by the empty tomb. Let the expiring kingdom of this world fall back on itself. Cover-ups are its stock and trade. Covered sin of the Kingdom of God. Rejoice citizens of the Kingdom of God. His resurrection can’t be covered up by cooked-up stories or bought out by bribes. He is risen. Let it be seen all over your face.