The disciples did not recall that Jesus had spoken several times about His glorious resurrection. The Pharisees and the chief priests did not believe in the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection. They supposed that His followers might steal His dead body and announce that their Master had risen. The leaders of the Jewish nation did not live in the Spirit of Truth and thought that the followers of Jesus were a gang of imposters, as they themselves were.
Jesus’ judges became skeptics. Having remembered His affirmation that He would rise from the dead three days after His death, they commanded that the tomb be sealed and made secure. What a sad picture it was to station guards at a tomb so that a dead man could not flee!
Some objectors fabricated a claim that another man was crucified instead of Jesus and that this substitute was buried in the tomb. This fable makes any sane man laugh. Did Jesus’ mother, who was standing beneath the cross, not recognize the One who was crucified? Did those who brought Him down from the cross not know whether they had carried a foreign man or Jesus?
This claim is like a cobweb that has no real substance and is easily broken. It is simply a groundless theory. Whoever propagates such a claim does wrong to God and describes Him in an unacceptable manner. The faith and belief of the followers of Christ are irreproachable, for they had faith and belief in what they saw, that the one who was crucified was Jesus the Christ. Both the Jews and Romans recognize this fact. It is also confirmed by the books of history and has been passed from mouth to mouth throughout the ages. It has been confirmed many times that the Crucified One was Christ, that He died and was buried.