When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matthew 28:12-15

            Back in Jesus’ time, there were conspiracy theories surrounding his resurrection.  Many still exist today.

1.      The apostles removed the body – the same apostles who ran away scared, returned to face off with a battalion of guards and someone got enough courage to steal Jesus’ body?

2.      The swoon theory – Jesus was only knocked out, not dead, even after an intense beating, dehydration, nails in his body and a speak in his gut.  In three days, he got up and casually walked out of the tomb.

3.      Mass hallucination – hundreds of people simultaneously thought they saw Jesus walking around and they all heard the same things he said and touched his hands.

4.      Impersonation theory – One of the apostles pretended to be Jesus and walked around, fooling hundreds of people, even though many saw him up close and would know the difference.

5.      Ghost theory – They saw Jesus’ spirit but not his body.  Somehow a ghost was hugged by Mary Magdalene and cooked breakfast for the apostles.

6.      Mistaken tomb theory – Everybody went to the wrong tomb.  Now, we’re just getting desperate.